celebrat

I did evaluate an Aurender and felt that was not even close while similar in cost. I like ROON and used that through MusicVault the most of the time. I enjoyed the sound, but honestly the SQ on both streaming and local files was vastly superior to any of my previous listening. I am enamored with the SQ of The JCAT Xact S1. How do you like that Linear Tube Audio Micro Pre?? I have heard they are great. That may be able to drive my horns 😁 Do you use ROON? I am not familiar with your software. Thanks Audio System Speakers: Omega Super Alnico High Output Monitors w/ Audiosmile Super Tweeters; GR Research NXotica; Mulcahey Horn System - Altec 288B 16ohm Field Coil Conversion /Azura horns/Jamboree Bass Box; Sub Woofers - GR Research Open Baffle; Amplification: Mastersound Dual 845 Monoblocks; 2 Decware SE84UFO25 set up as monoblocks; Arriving soon Alan March Audio Purifi based 421 monoblocks; Preamp: Denafrips Athena; Digital: Denafrips Terminator+; DDC Gaia; Bricasti M3 w/network card; Musicvault Diamond Ultra; OPPO205 Universal Player; JCAT XACT S1; Power Conditioning: Jena Labs Sequoia Seedling; Denafrips BIC500; Video: LG 85" oled; Cables: various including; Speaker; Echole Passion; Silversmith Audio Fidelium; Dueland Silver Tinned; Interconnects: Echole Passion; Teo Audio Kronon; Room treatments: VariousExtensive: Real Traps; Gik Acoustic Michael Green; 4 Stein Music H2 Harmonizers; Room 15.5'x24' 12' cathedral ceiling, open in back to 25'x30' No treatment-WAF

I posted orginally in music storage. This is the proper category. Just wondering if anybody out there has the new JCAT Xact S1 server/streamer?? I have had one for a under 1 month and it is quite impressive IMHO. It combines all the knowledge marcin_jps has learned in the decades of time he has spent working in the digital playback field. JCAT components help optimize DIY or custom servers all over the world now. This is a new place or category in digital playback field. This component is as important as the MOST expensive DACs out there. I am just a client and have no other affiliation to JCAT or Marcin. I am giving my opinion because I feel the Xact S1 is an exceptional game changing product. I would like to hear about others who have or are about to have the JCAT Xact S1 in their system. Thanks for reading. Celebrat

Hello David. You ae absolutely correct and you make a valid point. I guess I am an influencer wanabee. because I do beleive in the Xact S1. The least I can do is let people know where I come from. I just posted my equipment on my profile but I do not know how to put in that cool Audio System button you yhave on your reply. How do you do that? Thanks

Just wondering if anybody out there has the new JCAT Xact S1 server/streamer?? I have had one for a under 1 month and it is quite impressive IMHO. It combines all the knowledge marcin_jps has learned in the decades of time he has spent working in the digital playback field. JCAT components help optimize DIY or custom servers all over the world now. This is a new place or category in digital playback field. This component is as important as the MOST expensive DACs out there. I am just a client and have no other affiliation to JCAT or Marcin. I am giving my opinion because I feel the Xact S1 is an exceptional game changing product. I would like to hear about others who have or are about to have the JCAT Xact S1 in their system. Thanks for reading. Celebrat

Hello Everyone. This is my first post here. I have found a place in my listening room for the JCAT Xact S1 Server/Player. I have only had for 2 days. In that short amount of time, I have discovered nuances in the music I love. If I have to descibe what I am hearing in a few words, I would say Open, Rich, Dynamic, Revealing. Previosly using ROON, I am somewhat unfamiliar with the operation of JPALY and still on a learning curve. I am a limited user of PC and a new user to the world of Apple iPad. Suffice to say user interface is surprisingly simple. Marcin included a few tracks and albums on the 4TB SSD and music SQ I am hearing is revelatory and astounding. I just subscribed to to Qobuz yesterday. While not a big fan of streaming, I must say that the sound is superb. Not quite the level of what I am hearing on the local storage, but better than my previos streaming encounters and deemed worthy enough to be considered. To those of you who have explored JPLAY, and JCAT through their NET Card, various Optimo linear supplies, and server upgrades, the XACT S1 is everything Marcin says he has learned in more than a decade. I beleive him. I must say upfront, other than being a client in the USA, I have no other affiliation with JCAT, JPLAY or Marcin. While not inexpensive, neither is TAIKO or Aurender. and many others. I am not familar with TAIKO, but I am with Aurender. For me it is is all about SQ. Let me say now that Xact S1 more than holds its own to any server/player I have encountered. It deserves to be considered when looking at this high level of digital playback. Bit are Bits, but how they get to your ears is where the science & Art truly resides. As I get more familiar, I hope to give you more information but now I have to figure out how to move my music files to the Xact. Thank you for reading. I hope you find it helpful.

So this is where I get really lost...the technical stuff. My focus is the sound quality and I don't care so much for the technology behind it. I'll never understand the technical aspects and really have no interest in trying to. I am leaving that aspect to others and I am grateful they are around (Thanks again Peter, Mani and others on the cutting edge) I can tell you last night my listening session lasted again for over 4 hours and with no fatigue. I rediscovered music within my collection I had not listened to in a long time. Does that happen to anyone else? I mean I have only 2 TB of music on HD but I never seem to remember to listen much beyond my favorites. With these longer sessions I have that opportunity. Most of it is Redbook and I really could care less about the higher resolution formats. Honestly I am not going to be alive long enough to see a complete change and with the NOS1a there is no reason for me to care. It makes me want to spend my valuable time listening. What more do really need to say about the Phasure NOS1a? So to answer the question about the difference. While the NOS1 was and still is a fabulous DAC, the NOS1a gets me even closer. How's that for technical (-: I choose to spend my time enjoying the music. Anyone here listen lately to Mick Jagger's cover of Bill Wither's "Use Me" with Lenny Kravits duo? OMG it is staggeringly excellent!! Redbook...not a great recording but through it I can recall the unique Jagger vocal intonations that made me a fan when I was young. So, technically all I need to know is the NOS1a brought me closer to the music. NOS1 Upgrade contains ... This is a link to XXhighend forum and it explains some of the technical stuff. Hope this ok to do. This has more information than I could ever hope to share and in my case completely understand. Enjoy the reading....Shawn Colvin Live "Ricochet in Time" beckons to me

Well I'm not trying to rain on your parade Paul, but I have not heard or read anything lately about Peter busting down the doors to enable the NOS1a process DSD. What it does with Redbook is sufficient reason for me to own the Phasure. By far the vast majority of my modest 2 TB collection of ripped music is from CDs. I will say however if Peter ever decides to process DSD I have no doubt it will be fantastic. My buddy Slingshot and I were listening to that Nora Jones he mentioned as being in the room and I must say it was a Hi Res File (24/192) and we both agreed it sounded to superior to 16/44. I have not always found this the case but with Nora it certainly was. So who knows, perhaps DSD does lie in the future of Phasure (-:

Just to be clear for everyone out there. I too paid the incredibly and ridiculously reasonable full retail price for the NOS1 and the NOS1a update. Is it cheap?... of course not, BUT its price when compared to anything near it performance is markedly less and an absolute bargain. I believe that for Peter, XXhighend and The Phasure NOS1a are without a doubt absolute labors of love and his business model is probably laughed at yet secretly feared by many of his competitors. I can understand why this could be the type of product reviewers would choose to avoid: A very long learning curve and time commitment before the true essence of the DAC and software are understood. (I think they have to be treated as a package). A product that also forces you to look at your system as a whole. It may be a daunting project to get started. BTW Mani you have every right to feel vindicated. Your posts were the final piece of information that helped me decide on the Phasure. Thank you for that." Fred

He may be "mad as a hatter" (I can't argue with Mani) but ya gotta love him.

I'm sure if you check my history you will see I am not the type of person who posts much on this site (or others for that matter). Despite that I have been listening to primarily digital music for many years. I have over 2 TB of music ripped on disc (Wave files or Hi-Res). I take my listening seriously. I have personal friends in various aspects of the industry and have been very fortunate to have been able to hear many components (within and WAY beyond my budget) both in my own listening room, at shows as well as many storefronts. I am not super technical, but I have been told by others I have good ears. Other than being a client, I have no formal association with Peter S. of XXhighend and Phasure. He will read this in this forum just as anyone else does...by being a member and that is all. The point of all this is to talk about the NOS1a and how it sounds in my system. To say it all in one sentence; [i]In my opinion the NOS1a is by far the best digital playback (sound quality)I have ever heard anywhere anytime.[/i] Anyone who reads this must qualify this with the only fact I have given. This statement is my opinion. Another fact: I believe I have a qualified opinion (-: Memory is very subjective of course (not to mention opinions LOL) but I have heard the some the best DACs; DCS, MSB, Bricasti, Weiss, Berkley (not the new reference), Izotope (including the Rubicon), Lampizator, Wavelength, DAD, PS Audio, Memory Player.... The list goes on. Out of everything I listed the only piece that elicited the same type of emotional listening experience as the NOS1a was the Isotope Rubicon (40k BTW). In my memory the experience and the emotional reaction was similar. It is my emotional response to the music that I have been listening to lately that has in my mind become important enough to share with others so here we are. And that is the essence of my review or experience of the NOS1a. In my room, in my system with my choice of music played through the NOS1a; the experience evokes in me the most positive emotional response I have encountered when listening to any recorded medium in the comfort of my home. In discussing the NOS1a there is an elephant in the living room that rarely comes up in conversation. This is probably the main reason we have not seen Phasure NOS1 or NOS1a DAC reviewed more often than it has. The NOS1a requires the end user to expend much more effort than required of the Average SOTA DAC. You have to manually set the DC Offset and you have to unscrew the cover to do that. Takes about 5 minutes once you understand the instructions (understanding took me an hour for that) YMMV. See point 2 Peter is from the Netherlands and English is his second language. Honestly I struggle with this, but in reality I wonder how well a technical mind can get through to my non-technical brain in any language. BTW I have no second language at all. XXhighend playback can be quite finicky. The very nature of a playback software that shuts down most of an operating system is going to be an issue from time to time. If you want to play at this cutting edge level of performance you will need to accept this. Controls use Auto Hotkeys when in the best sounding "unattended mode". Response is blind (Screen is black) and slow. Error messages happen. Restarting XXhighend or the computer fixes most ills. I seem to remember the JRiver has a learning curve and freezes too. You will not want to use a preamp. XXhighend has a very SLOW to respond volume control (see shut down operating system above) but it is lossless and made my 26k exceptional Absolare preamp unnecessary. The XXhighend playback software is an incredible resource hog and demands a high performance computer to perform optimally Being non-technical but somewhat intelligent, I purchased the computer from Peter. In some cases money does buy happiness but feel free to go it on your own. It will work with your time and effort. The NOS1 was and is a fantastic DAC but the updated NOS1a is in another world altogether. You have to hear both to fully grasp this. To anyone on the waiting list: Be patient. You will be rewarded My final point to anyone contemplating having an NOS1a after reading the above is simple: You are not alone. When you purchase an NOS1a you get Peter as part of the package. I have never ever experienced the level of customer service in any aspect of high-end audio as I have with Peter. The language barrier I spoke of is meaningless. I can promise you he will work tirelessly with you for whatever you may need to get the type of performance I am trying to convey here. I cannot stress this enough. His level of client commitment is unheard of in this day and age. PM me for an incredible example of what I am talking about. So there you have it. If you are willing to accept and deal with the above realities of XXhighend and the NOS1a, you can in my opinion have the BEST Digital playback you have ever had in your listening room. You can have the opportunity to laugh, cry, be amazed all at the same time and stay up all night as I have done today. I have music in my room so real that the equipment is almost invisible. Fred

Mani I just wanted to take a moment and thank you for all your posts here and on other boards. I have been lurking around here and there for a couple of years, afraid to commit because of my struggles in understanding Peter's posts and my lack of strong computer skills. Your input and consistent posts about the NOS1 and xxhighend in general kept me "curious" enough about the system to the point where I finally faced my computer phobias enough to give this a try. ...A BIG THANK YOU I too have no affiliation with either Phasure or Peter. But there is no denying the incredible benchmark perormance of this product. It is absolutely the truth: If Sound Quality is your primary goal in this hobby, you owe it to yourself to see what this does for computer audio.

Yes I have an update. I have had an NOS 1 USB for about a week now. It still is not even broken in. While I still struggle with all the technical details (XXhighend software certainly is not for beginners) as I am not the most computer savy, this is the finest DAC I have ever heard. My previous DAC was a DAD Ax24 which I preferred over much any I had heard under 10K and not by a small margin. I must say the NOS1 has been without a doubt a transformational component for me. Audition at your bank accounts's peril (but really it is very reasonably priced and a BARGAIN for what it does) jtwrace I remember you from Audio Circle and as a friend of Gr Research. I do not do much postings so when I say This DAC is to digital what the Super V is to speakers I am not exagerating.Hope this helps

Hi Chris<br /> Great site. My first post<br /> I have a question about your microsoft server system. I currently have the Crimson DAC and am using J River (which I'm not thrilled with) Operating software is Vista. If I understand correctly, there is no K mixer in Vista only XP. Will I benefit from the Airport express and using Itunes? How can one be certain that you are outputting "bitperfect"? I used to use EAC and all my music was ripped with uncompressed wavefiles. But J River can not pure wave files (at least I don't see how it does it) Even lossless compression seems to have audible consequences in my system. Any advice or comments are welcome. Thanks.