lennmax

that’s very true. thanks for pointing that out. I assumed people would go through the whole article. I haven’t thoroughly read the review, as 6moon goes on and on… after the third page I must have drifted off. people have also to take into account that some component may sound different in different systems. however, even going by that statement alone ("...The main difference was a more organic sound and better bass extension for the Music Server.") I don’t think is major upgrade, or at least not as good as the Antipodes made to my system. I’m not saying that the Wyred4Sound should be dismissed, but at $2.5K personally I would not consider it unless it’s good return policy. I reckon music servers are going to become quite popular, considering the difference it made to my desktop PC, and will eventually replace the CD player. that’s a good thing. however, the problem there’s with that is that every audio manufacturer, as soon they realised it, will start to release music servers left and right, and the majority of them will probably be some glorified PC’s with the word ‘Audiophile’ in it and a high price tag (i.e. Olive!). so, unless one have lots of cash to try them all, it become difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff. DACs have become The Flavour of the Month (or year). there’s a new dac coming out pretty much on a weekly basis. everybody is releasing a dac. the idea has become like a dac is the be all-end all… all you need is a good dac (usually around $3k) and it’s a “fix all”. wrong! like I said before in another forum I’d rather use music server with a cheap dac, than an expensive dac with a laptop. I’ve sent the AMS back for some minor modifications (filter), and I’m holding on until I’ve enough funds so I can get the linear PS at the same time. I don’t even know if I going to get back the same unit, but if you must know I could email Chris for it. apology for the quick reply, as I would've like to be more detailed, but I'm in a hurry. Massimo

I hope my request didn't come across somewhat hostile - I was in a hurry and didn't have the time to read/edit the comment. that's an interesting implementation your friend built. I only compared the Antipodes' (with its standard PS) to a desktop PC. before that I tried a SB Touch with an external HD, but it made almost zero difference. the Antipodes' in my modest setup made a positive difference - everything is more engaging, real, just so much more enjoyable. perhaps it's not perfect, but it's quite a step-up from my desktop PC. thanks for your input (and images)... much appreciated.

Hi Peedee, I've a couple problems with your post - first: considering the gear mentioned above I'd assume your an audiophile. even tough I'd consider anybody lucky to have a wife that give audio product as presents, she or anybody else should know better that give an audiophile audio gear as presents without consulting them first. second: I've seen it before - someone first post about their comparison with this and that product, only to be discovered later to be complete fabrication. so if you'd be so kind to post a couple of pics of the gear you mention above - including the Antipode MS, DACs... everything - so that I/we can consider what you wrote as good info, and not mere nonsense. I hope you understand. thanks

have you read 6moons' review of the W4S? wut? either Glen Wagenknecht needs to have is hearing tested, or the W4S is not worth. I had the SB Touch connected to an external HD and 'Young' dac via s/pidf - the PC connected to the dac via usb. I only had to push a button on the dac to switch between usb and rca output. I could hardly hear any difference between the SB and the PC, other than the SB had a slightly quieter background. I got rid of the SB not long after. the Antipodes MS made a major difference to me - a truly upgrade. the PC sounds like a mid-fi in comparison, where the AMS sounds hi-end. unless the W4S comes with a question-not-asked return policy I would look elsewhere to spend your money.

I've received my Atipodes Music Server (AMS) few days ago, and have been using it in the last couple of days. it sounds great! I've always, always felt that using the PC for streaming audio was wrong, but I liked the practical side of it. however, I had already made my mind up that I was going to get a good CD player. then the Hiface usb converter came out I thought maybe there's hope. I first tried the usb stick, then the EVO, and now I've then 'Young' dac, but I still felt the the PC was doing me wrong. of course, the dac is a good upgrade over the sound-card, but still not enough. I really wanted to upgrade the speakers, and I was really close in doing so, but in the end I just had to try the server. I could not put up with the PC any longer. I was right. I'm afraid the speakers will have to wait. the server is here to stay. permanently!!! I would highly recommend to anyone to put the AMS (or other similar servers) at the top of their next upgrade. there's no point in spending thousands on a new dac, to then plug it straight into a notebook usb, which a lot people do. that is nuts! I haven't tried it, but I'm pretty certain that you can use a cheap dac with the AMS, and it will sound 100 times better than a similar priced dac plugged straight into the pc usb port. guaranteed! huge thanks to Mark for the good music server, please keep the search up. best

^ that's entirely my belief; and the main reason I'm considering one of their servers in the first place. I rather buy an audio products from genuine audiophiles than mainstream retailer, so to speak. thanks

Hi all, I was looking to find some topics on this music server but nothing came up on the search. has anybody got one or comment on it, or post some opinions, whether you've or not, please. for example, how does it compare to the SOtM sMS-1000? they're specs seem pretty similar, if I'm not mistaken. should I buy it?

kamil, what are your impressions/memory so far of the EVO's compared to the standard HiFace... would you say it's an improvement in SQ alone? I don't need the extra connectors, and would get the EVO solely for its performance - otherwise I'll stick with the HiFace.

I have a couple of questions: "Add a 9v alkaline battery and it takes on another level." does the EVO have an internal space for a 9v battery? and was it both powered by the wall wart & the 9v battery at the same time, or was it by just the 9v battery that took it to another level. also could explain what the ST optical is? can you recommend a good one? I was going to exclusively use my precious digital cable with it, but I'm curious about this ST now. thanks

I should receive one next week. if it proves to be equal or even better than the modded one I'm gonna be so so so very pleased. looking forward to more impressions...

I spoke with Marco of M2Tech this morning; before I could finish explaining the issues he asked if the pc was AMD based (I guess I wasn't the only one with the issue) - apparently the HiFace doesn't work with new AMD chips (or something like that). he said they just resolved the issue today, and I would have to send the HiFace back to the dealer for a new update one. here's the good part. I called the dealer and asked if I could opt for the EVO instead of a new HiFace, and he said, yes. so I'm getting the EVO instead. should be here early next week. YAY! as we say in Italy - "non tutto il male viene per nuocere"

the HiFace's artificers were out today, but I doubt they can do anything about it. I found out the PC comes with some sort of THX-certified sound integrated into the motherboard, and some pre-installed software from Creative (X-Fi something). last time I plugged the HiFace in, I checked Task Manager, and there it was - X-Fi running by itself. so I open the Add/Remove program and un-install the friggin thing. re-boot and try again - same result. if I try to remove the HiFace by using the facility "Safely Remove Hardware and..." in the system tray (bottom right-corner), it says it cannot removed it because it's been used by some program. but this time nothing shows in Task Manager so I don't what this friggin application is. and it really doesn't liked - I have to shut down the system by cutting the power supply everytime, otherwise Windows won't do it . so annoying. I guess this is what you get by purchasing commercial PC's instead of building it one yourself. I'll have to look for an alternative to the HiFace. sux

it's not so much as frustrating as more damn annoying. I've the keyboard, mouse, ext. hard-drive, and DAC all plugged into USB ports (using the DAC with a USB cable atm). WMP works (as does JetAudio, or Foobar). I've updated W7 as recommended. disabling Realtek from the BIOS is gonna be challenging heh. if anything fails I'll try that. I'll give the guys at M2tech a call tomorrow (I speak Italian); hopefully they find a solution. thank you sir

I un-installed the drivers - to do this I had to plug in the HiFace because otherwise it would not show in Device Manager. rebooted, downloaded the latest drivers (1.03), and installed the x64 ones. as soon as I insert the HiFace there seems to be an instant rejection; the system start to act funny. it must clash with something else in the system. I just received this PC (Dell Studio XPS 7100), and still getting used to W7. in the Playback devices page I noticed there's another device already installed called Realtek High Definition Audio. it must be clashing with it. thanks for the suggestion anyway

Hi, I did as you suggested but still no changes. as soon as I hit play it freezes, as does most of the OS. the OS doesn't seem to like it. I'll give M2TECH a call on Monday maybe they have a solution. typical thanks!