audioking87 Posted December 3, 2019 Share Posted December 3, 2019 Just got back from my dealer and heard the CX+EX combo. Sounds quite a bit better than the old Antipodes GT. Much easier to listen to, smooth but with good resolution. CX on its own is not the greatest. Either EX on its own or the CX+EX are very good sounding. Link to comment
audioking87 Posted December 14, 2019 Share Posted December 14, 2019 Has anyone compared CX+ex to just a single unit (CX or EX) on their own? Link to comment
McNulty Posted December 14, 2019 Share Posted December 14, 2019 1 hour ago, audioking87 said: Has anyone compared CX+ex to just a single unit (CX or EX) on their own? Yes, see post #20. Link to comment
audioking87 Posted December 14, 2019 Share Posted December 14, 2019 8 hours ago, McNulty said: Yes, see post #20. Thanks! Yes I think you're right especially for streaming it's not really much of a difference, even the antipodes guys say so. Local file playback might net a bit better gains with the combo vs just a server on its own. I never could test though since my dealer didn't have his drives with music installed on them. richard_crl032 1 Link to comment
audioking87 Posted December 24, 2019 Share Posted December 24, 2019 On 12/14/2019 at 1:49 AM, McNulty said: Yes, see post #20. I just borrowed the CX from my dealer a few days ago and trying it with my EX. Will update with impressions once I get to spend some decent time with it. Link to comment
adamaley Posted January 9, 2020 Share Posted January 9, 2020 Any update on your experience @audioking87? Link to comment
audioking87 Posted January 10, 2020 Share Posted January 10, 2020 @adamaley I don't have my main speakers back yet and I've only tried on a backup pair of smaller bookshelves. So far I like the EX by itself better than the CX on its own. The EX is more musical by itself while the CX is quite fast and detailed/transparent. Both together, I get a bit of an improvement in terms of overall presentation sounding like it flows it bit better and is a touch more organic but I need to spend some more time with my main speakers. Just getting them back from a review, they just got reviewed here:Esse Quadro L'Una 177 Review richard_crl032 1 Link to comment
adamaley Posted February 7, 2020 Share Posted February 7, 2020 On 11/26/2019 at 2:41 PM, audioking87 said: Do keep us posted Link to comment
audioking87 Posted February 13, 2020 Share Posted February 13, 2020 Hi guys, Just a quick update as its pretty late but for my system - the CX+EX is a bit overkill and didn't any difference for me in terms of streaming sound quality (TIDAL lossless). When comparing local playback of EX vs CX+EX (both with P2 board), there is a small improvement but its so minor that you have to listen super carefully to catch it (at least in my system). As described above, its already very musical with the EX and the CX added as a server and EX as renderer, it slightly improves on the flow of the music - unfortunately not enough to warrant spending the additional big expense of another server. Will be returning it to my dealer in the next few days. Test Setup: CX+EX+P2 (Antipodes) Kinki Studio Vision DAC1 Burson Audio Timekeeper Virtuoso (2x amps in bridged mode) Esse Quadro L'Una 177 Speakers Cables: Interconnects & Speaker Cables by: Albedo Silver Power Cables by: Acoustic Revive Digital Cable (USB): Hemingway Audio (Coax/SPDIF): Inakustik Referenz Digital richard_crl032 1 Link to comment
Nay Posted February 16, 2020 Share Posted February 16, 2020 On 2/13/2020 at 4:43 AM, audioking87 said: Hi guys, Just a quick update as its pretty late but for my system - the CX+EX is a bit overkill and didn't any difference for me in terms of streaming sound quality (TIDAL lossless). When comparing local playback of EX vs CX+EX (both with P2 board), there is a small improvement but its so minor that you have to listen super carefully to catch it (at least in my system). As described above, its already very musical with the EX and the CX added as a server and EX as renderer, it slightly improves on the flow of the music - unfortunately not enough to warrant spending the additional big expense of another server. Will be returning it to my dealer in the next few days. Test Setup: CX+EX+P2 (Antipodes) Kinki Studio Vision DAC1 Burson Audio Timekeeper Virtuoso (2x amps in bridged mode) Esse Quadro L'Una 177 Speakers Cables: Interconnects & Speaker Cables by: Albedo Silver Power Cables by: Acoustic Revive Digital Cable (USB): Hemingway Audio (Coax/SPDIF): Inakustik Referenz Digital Surprised with your findings as i had a big difference adding the CX to the EX. Did you disable all unused apps on both CX and EX? Link to comment
audioking87 Posted February 17, 2020 Share Posted February 17, 2020 17 hours ago, Nay said: Surprised with your findings as i had a big difference adding the CX to the EX. Did you disable all unused apps on both CX and EX? Yes, I believe it's just my setup that already has a good quality network signal with minimal noise. I have an audiophile switch before the servers and a pink faun lan isolator before that switch coming from the router. richard_crl032 1 Link to comment
Nay Posted February 19, 2020 Share Posted February 19, 2020 On 2/17/2020 at 4:10 PM, audioking87 said: Yes, I believe it's just my setup that already has a good quality network signal with minimal noise. I have an audiophile switch before the servers and a pink faun lan isolator before that switch coming from the router. Hi, The CX-EX when connected together are electrically isolated from noisy routers and switches as it only handles the audio data giving the cleanest single possible, there is no need for any expensive audiophile switches and isolators. richard_crl032 1 Link to comment
audioking87 Posted February 20, 2020 Share Posted February 20, 2020 1 hour ago, Nay said: Hi, The CX-EX when connected together are electrically isolated from noisy routers and switches as it only handles the audio data giving the cleanest single possible, there is no need for any expensive audiophile switches and isolators. Interesting, I'll try without the switch/isolator but with those it's cheaper to have just the ex so still in my case probably too expensive for the CX for what it did in the setup. richard_crl032 1 Link to comment
richard_crl032 Posted July 10, 2020 Share Posted July 10, 2020 Hi, New to the antipodes family and just set up the ex last few days with no regret on the invested $ from obvious improvement in sound quality over the usd300 allo usb bridge signature and usd1k Nuprime Omnia S1 ... rightfullly so for the $ involved but still worthwhile to me as I had wanted to upgrade digital playback to rival my analog set up. Expecting the cx in next 2 weeks and it was precisely for local playback that I bought into Antipodes solution while having the synology nas with 2x10tb hdd for backup only ... read with almost anguish of all the upstream mega $ switches, ethernets cables, psu, isolator, associated ac/dc powercords etc. that also takes up valuable rack space and aesthetically complex .. excluding optical coupling and external ocxo clocking solutions Exciting time for me .... Cheers. Richard PS: MPDroid player https://www.snakeoil-os.net/wiki/Players Revel Salon 2 speakers, Sander Magtech amp, Audible Illusion L3B (Blackgate) preamp, Denafrips Terminator Plus dac, Denafrips Hermes ddc, Antipodes CX/EX/P1/P2 server/player (Oladra upgraded), Denafrips Avatar cdp, Bel Canto fm1 tuner, Airties Wireless Mesh, ifi Blue Zen BT receiver, 2X Uptone EtherRegen + AfterDark Emperor Double Crown 10M clock, Zerozone 5/7.5/12v LPS, Uptone LPS 1.2, 2x diy 2kVA Isotransformers, dedicated 20/30A lines for separate digital/analog, Nordost Quattro Fil interconnects, Acoustic Revive TripleC Ethernet/i2S cables, Shunyata Sigma usb cable with ifi Idefender 3.0, Aurealis/Apogee/Canare BNC clock cables, Cardas Clear speaker cable and jumpers, Zonotone Shupreme/5050 powercords, Garrard 301 on slate plinth/sme 3012R/Ortofon Classic Royal GM mk2/diy 301 motor PSU/graham IC90/kimber tak ag etc./Headamp Gilmore Lite Mk2+Golden Reference PSU/Grado FreeSystem fg-1 headphones Link to comment
Blake Posted July 13, 2020 Share Posted July 13, 2020 Nice setup Richard! richard_crl032 1 Speaker Room: Lumin U1X | Lampizator Pacific 2 | Viva Linea | Constellation Inspiration Stereo 1.0 | FinkTeam Kim | Revel subs Office Headphone System: Lumin U1X | Lampizator Golden Gate 3 | Viva Egoista | Abyss AB1266 Phi TC Link to comment
Popular Post richard_crl032 Posted July 13, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted July 13, 2020 7 minutes ago, Blake said: Nice setup Richard! Hi Blake, Thanks for the kind words but indeed had a busy time in the last 18 mths 🙏 It was getting customised rack, wooden support for weight carrying as well as tempered glass for easy wipe n dry maintenance. Added some room treatment of diffusers, including more just yesterday, and absorbers as my living room is bascially concrete with tiled flooring. Had also revamped the previous system for a bit more aesthetically matching and upgraded equipments e.g. my pale golden accuphase T1000 fm tuner had to go and replaced by the largely silver Bel Canto FM-1 tuner, magneplanar 1.7i replaced by the Revel Salon 2 etc. Just to update on the antipodes ex, fantastic support from Tony of Antipodes working last Sat to help me set up squeezelite and it was the most stable with free squeezer app on my old android phone while only reverting to the surface pro for more complex operations e.g. ripping cd by P1 etc. just to ease the stress on my eyes with bigger screen size. MPdroid is fine but indeed found the same and also Squeezelite as snakeoil os link ... MPDroid is super detailed and bordering bright and unmusical with some recordings at least in my current setup even with already hybrid tubed Audible Ilusion L3A preamp. This is my first time experience on how software can make obvious differences in sound quality. Will switch between various which is easy peasy via audioswitch app in antipodes. Also some hesitation and reconsideration of adding the cx to push to their ultimate setup since a fair chunk of $ ... let's see how the deal of the cx turns out. Cheers. Richard magnuska and Blake 2 Revel Salon 2 speakers, Sander Magtech amp, Audible Illusion L3B (Blackgate) preamp, Denafrips Terminator Plus dac, Denafrips Hermes ddc, Antipodes CX/EX/P1/P2 server/player (Oladra upgraded), Denafrips Avatar cdp, Bel Canto fm1 tuner, Airties Wireless Mesh, ifi Blue Zen BT receiver, 2X Uptone EtherRegen + AfterDark Emperor Double Crown 10M clock, Zerozone 5/7.5/12v LPS, Uptone LPS 1.2, 2x diy 2kVA Isotransformers, dedicated 20/30A lines for separate digital/analog, Nordost Quattro Fil interconnects, Acoustic Revive TripleC Ethernet/i2S cables, Shunyata Sigma usb cable with ifi Idefender 3.0, Aurealis/Apogee/Canare BNC clock cables, Cardas Clear speaker cable and jumpers, Zonotone Shupreme/5050 powercords, Garrard 301 on slate plinth/sme 3012R/Ortofon Classic Royal GM mk2/diy 301 motor PSU/graham IC90/kimber tak ag etc./Headamp Gilmore Lite Mk2+Golden Reference PSU/Grado FreeSystem fg-1 headphones Link to comment
McNulty Posted August 3, 2020 Share Posted August 3, 2020 New Antipodes products announced: https://antipodes.audio/antipodes-music-servers.php richard_crl032 1 Link to comment
richard_crl032 Posted October 12, 2020 Share Posted October 12, 2020 On 2/17/2020 at 6:27 AM, Nay said: Surprised with your findings as i had a big difference adding the CX to the EX. Did you disable all unused apps on both CX and EX? Hi Nay, Ymmv but adding the CX to EX has been a great experience even just for 2 weeks. Many adjectives said on sound quality improvement but I will describe it as getting often superior night listening to daytime and night listening just becomes immensely enjoyable .. more of everything ! Looking forward to sending my EX and CX back to its birthplace when OLADRA upgrade for EX and CX owners is made available but meanwhile, time to listen to more music with no more urge for any audiophile switch, expensive ethernet cables, upsampling etc. afterall to keep $ for OLADRA, simple and manageable even for family members* with free android Squeezer app to operate. Thank you Antipodes and Tony for his teamviewer sessions .. on my hifi journey Cheers. Richard *PS: thanks to the cool but mighty Sander Magtech amp, my system is power 24/7 .. so are the Antipodes EX and CX of course Revel Salon 2 speakers, Sander Magtech amp, Audible Illusion L3B (Blackgate) preamp, Denafrips Terminator Plus dac, Denafrips Hermes ddc, Antipodes CX/EX/P1/P2 server/player (Oladra upgraded), Denafrips Avatar cdp, Bel Canto fm1 tuner, Airties Wireless Mesh, ifi Blue Zen BT receiver, 2X Uptone EtherRegen + AfterDark Emperor Double Crown 10M clock, Zerozone 5/7.5/12v LPS, Uptone LPS 1.2, 2x diy 2kVA Isotransformers, dedicated 20/30A lines for separate digital/analog, Nordost Quattro Fil interconnects, Acoustic Revive TripleC Ethernet/i2S cables, Shunyata Sigma usb cable with ifi Idefender 3.0, Aurealis/Apogee/Canare BNC clock cables, Cardas Clear speaker cable and jumpers, Zonotone Shupreme/5050 powercords, Garrard 301 on slate plinth/sme 3012R/Ortofon Classic Royal GM mk2/diy 301 motor PSU/graham IC90/kimber tak ag etc./Headamp Gilmore Lite Mk2+Golden Reference PSU/Grado FreeSystem fg-1 headphones Link to comment
kennyb123 Posted December 21, 2020 Share Posted December 21, 2020 On 10/12/2020 at 10:35 AM, richard_crl032 said: Looking forward to sending my EX and CX back to its birthplace when OLADRA upgrade for EX and CX owners I just started contemplating a move to Antipodes and potentially a CX/EX combo. Can you direct me to any details on this upgrade? Digital: Sonore opticalModule > Uptone EtherRegen > Shunyata Sigma Ethernet > Antipodes K30 > Shunyata Omega USB > Gustard X26pro DAC < Mutec REF10 SE120 Amp & Speakers: Spectral DMA-150mk2 > Aerial 10T Foundation: Stillpoints Ultra, Shunyata Denali v1 and Typhon x1 power conditioners, Shunyata Delta v2 and QSA Lanedri Gamma Revelation and Infinity power cords, QSA Lanedri Gamma Revelation XLR interconnect, Shunyata Sigma Ethernet, MIT Matrix HD 60 speaker cables, GIK bass traps, ASC Isothermal tube traps, Stillpoints Aperture panels, Quadraspire SVT rack, PGGB 256 Link to comment
richard_crl032 Posted December 21, 2020 Share Posted December 21, 2020 5 hours ago, kennyb123 said: I just started contemplating a move to Antipodes and potentially a CX/EX combo. Can you direct me to any details on this upgrade? Hi Kenny, I can only say that the same from my dealer in New Zealand was also received as per audiogon seller's remark .. hope by mid 2021. Cheers. Richard Revel Salon 2 speakers, Sander Magtech amp, Audible Illusion L3B (Blackgate) preamp, Denafrips Terminator Plus dac, Denafrips Hermes ddc, Antipodes CX/EX/P1/P2 server/player (Oladra upgraded), Denafrips Avatar cdp, Bel Canto fm1 tuner, Airties Wireless Mesh, ifi Blue Zen BT receiver, 2X Uptone EtherRegen + AfterDark Emperor Double Crown 10M clock, Zerozone 5/7.5/12v LPS, Uptone LPS 1.2, 2x diy 2kVA Isotransformers, dedicated 20/30A lines for separate digital/analog, Nordost Quattro Fil interconnects, Acoustic Revive TripleC Ethernet/i2S cables, Shunyata Sigma usb cable with ifi Idefender 3.0, Aurealis/Apogee/Canare BNC clock cables, Cardas Clear speaker cable and jumpers, Zonotone Shupreme/5050 powercords, Garrard 301 on slate plinth/sme 3012R/Ortofon Classic Royal GM mk2/diy 301 motor PSU/graham IC90/kimber tak ag etc./Headamp Gilmore Lite Mk2+Golden Reference PSU/Grado FreeSystem fg-1 headphones Link to comment
kennyb123 Posted December 21, 2020 Share Posted December 21, 2020 1 hour ago, richard_crl032 said: Hi Kenny, I can only say that the same from my dealer in New Zealand was also received as per audiogon seller's remark .. hope by mid 2021. Cheers. Richard Richard - thank you very much for your reply. Earlier I sent them a mail asking about this upgrade and about how the CX/EX will compare to the K30 both before and after the upgrade. I'll report back what they say. Have you been happy with your Antipodes products and how well the company has supported you? Digital: Sonore opticalModule > Uptone EtherRegen > Shunyata Sigma Ethernet > Antipodes K30 > Shunyata Omega USB > Gustard X26pro DAC < Mutec REF10 SE120 Amp & Speakers: Spectral DMA-150mk2 > Aerial 10T Foundation: Stillpoints Ultra, Shunyata Denali v1 and Typhon x1 power conditioners, Shunyata Delta v2 and QSA Lanedri Gamma Revelation and Infinity power cords, QSA Lanedri Gamma Revelation XLR interconnect, Shunyata Sigma Ethernet, MIT Matrix HD 60 speaker cables, GIK bass traps, ASC Isothermal tube traps, Stillpoints Aperture panels, Quadraspire SVT rack, PGGB 256 Link to comment
richard_crl032 Posted January 31, 2021 Share Posted January 31, 2021 On 21/12/2020 at 5:29 PM, kennyb123 said: Richard - thank you very much for your reply. Earlier I sent them a mail asking about this upgrade and about how the CX/EX will compare to the K30 both before and after the upgrade. I'll report back what they say. Have you been happy with your Antipodes products and how well the company has supported you? Need to ensure budget for Apr 2021 scheduled on oladra upgrade for ex and cx 🥳🥳 Revel Salon 2 speakers, Sander Magtech amp, Audible Illusion L3B (Blackgate) preamp, Denafrips Terminator Plus dac, Denafrips Hermes ddc, Antipodes CX/EX/P1/P2 server/player (Oladra upgraded), Denafrips Avatar cdp, Bel Canto fm1 tuner, Airties Wireless Mesh, ifi Blue Zen BT receiver, 2X Uptone EtherRegen + AfterDark Emperor Double Crown 10M clock, Zerozone 5/7.5/12v LPS, Uptone LPS 1.2, 2x diy 2kVA Isotransformers, dedicated 20/30A lines for separate digital/analog, Nordost Quattro Fil interconnects, Acoustic Revive TripleC Ethernet/i2S cables, Shunyata Sigma usb cable with ifi Idefender 3.0, Aurealis/Apogee/Canare BNC clock cables, Cardas Clear speaker cable and jumpers, Zonotone Shupreme/5050 powercords, Garrard 301 on slate plinth/sme 3012R/Ortofon Classic Royal GM mk2/diy 301 motor PSU/graham IC90/kimber tak ag etc./Headamp Gilmore Lite Mk2+Golden Reference PSU/Grado FreeSystem fg-1 headphones Link to comment
kennyb123 Posted February 1, 2021 Share Posted February 1, 2021 On 1/31/2021 at 12:47 AM, richard_crl032 said: Need to ensure budget for Apr 2021 scheduled on oladra upgrade for ex and cx 🥳🥳 Nice to hear that you have a confirmed date for that upgrade. I should be getting my first taste of OLADRA later today as my K30 is out for delivery. 🥳 richard_crl032 1 Digital: Sonore opticalModule > Uptone EtherRegen > Shunyata Sigma Ethernet > Antipodes K30 > Shunyata Omega USB > Gustard X26pro DAC < Mutec REF10 SE120 Amp & Speakers: Spectral DMA-150mk2 > Aerial 10T Foundation: Stillpoints Ultra, Shunyata Denali v1 and Typhon x1 power conditioners, Shunyata Delta v2 and QSA Lanedri Gamma Revelation and Infinity power cords, QSA Lanedri Gamma Revelation XLR interconnect, Shunyata Sigma Ethernet, MIT Matrix HD 60 speaker cables, GIK bass traps, ASC Isothermal tube traps, Stillpoints Aperture panels, Quadraspire SVT rack, PGGB 256 Link to comment
richard_crl032 Posted February 2, 2021 Share Posted February 2, 2021 8 hours ago, kennyb123 said: Nice to hear that you have a confirmed date for that upgrade. I should be getting my first taste of OLADRA later today as my K30 is out for delivery. 🥳 Indeed .. not going to chase the latest and glad Antipodes takes care of their customers with advances made especially with previous flagship products. Need also to pay attention to other equipment and recent case is the uptone etherRegen that made a big improvement for whatever issues I had to my system that Antipodes cx as server could/did not resolve. Cheers. kennyb123 1 Revel Salon 2 speakers, Sander Magtech amp, Audible Illusion L3B (Blackgate) preamp, Denafrips Terminator Plus dac, Denafrips Hermes ddc, Antipodes CX/EX/P1/P2 server/player (Oladra upgraded), Denafrips Avatar cdp, Bel Canto fm1 tuner, Airties Wireless Mesh, ifi Blue Zen BT receiver, 2X Uptone EtherRegen + AfterDark Emperor Double Crown 10M clock, Zerozone 5/7.5/12v LPS, Uptone LPS 1.2, 2x diy 2kVA Isotransformers, dedicated 20/30A lines for separate digital/analog, Nordost Quattro Fil interconnects, Acoustic Revive TripleC Ethernet/i2S cables, Shunyata Sigma usb cable with ifi Idefender 3.0, Aurealis/Apogee/Canare BNC clock cables, Cardas Clear speaker cable and jumpers, Zonotone Shupreme/5050 powercords, Garrard 301 on slate plinth/sme 3012R/Ortofon Classic Royal GM mk2/diy 301 motor PSU/graham IC90/kimber tak ag etc./Headamp Gilmore Lite Mk2+Golden Reference PSU/Grado FreeSystem fg-1 headphones Link to comment
richard_crl032 Posted September 3, 2021 Share Posted September 3, 2021 On 2/2/2021 at 5:09 AM, kennyb123 said: Nice to hear that you have a confirmed date for that upgrade. I should be getting my first taste of OLADRA later today as my K30 is out for delivery. 🥳 Hi Kenny, Just received my upgraded cx and ex with AMS 3.1 running fine ... with blue leds of course and extended 2 yrs warranty 🥳 Cheers. Richard Revel Salon 2 speakers, Sander Magtech amp, Audible Illusion L3B (Blackgate) preamp, Denafrips Terminator Plus dac, Denafrips Hermes ddc, Antipodes CX/EX/P1/P2 server/player (Oladra upgraded), Denafrips Avatar cdp, Bel Canto fm1 tuner, Airties Wireless Mesh, ifi Blue Zen BT receiver, 2X Uptone EtherRegen + AfterDark Emperor Double Crown 10M clock, Zerozone 5/7.5/12v LPS, Uptone LPS 1.2, 2x diy 2kVA Isotransformers, dedicated 20/30A lines for separate digital/analog, Nordost Quattro Fil interconnects, Acoustic Revive TripleC Ethernet/i2S cables, Shunyata Sigma usb cable with ifi Idefender 3.0, Aurealis/Apogee/Canare BNC clock cables, Cardas Clear speaker cable and jumpers, Zonotone Shupreme/5050 powercords, Garrard 301 on slate plinth/sme 3012R/Ortofon Classic Royal GM mk2/diy 301 motor PSU/graham IC90/kimber tak ag etc./Headamp Gilmore Lite Mk2+Golden Reference PSU/Grado FreeSystem fg-1 headphones Link to comment
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