Cocktail audio x30

What's the cocktailAudio X30? It can rip a one hour playing time CD in less than 10 minutes.

It can rip a one hour playing time CD in less than 10 minutes. This means the X30 can be used as an audio server and source device for those wishing to use an existing external amplifier and DAC. CA X30 offers various audio inputs and outputs for connection to other audio devices, as well as a TV. Three digital outputs, two analogue outputs, two digital inputs and two analogue inputs allow high connectivity with multiple devices. CA X30 can rip CD with fast speed. It will catalogue your CD collection by album, artist, genre, year, and will store all ripped CDs into the music database. CA X30 can play back multiple tracks with no gap between them.

Cocktail audio x30

Many people, it seems, want a simple solution to enable them to store and access their music collections: my usual advice to combine a computer with a dedicated network music player or network system cuts very little ice with them, as they really want to keep their computer and their audio system entirely separate. There have been solutions in the past: Yamaha, for example, sold a range of CD players with hard-drives in the past, and while these were simple to load as disc was inserted, read, stored and then ejected — scrolling through a large library was time consuming, and unless one stuck to compressed formats, the storage limited. It has a built-in CD drive for disc-ripping, and needs only the addition of a pair of speakers to form a complete system. Trouble is, the JB7 suffers from being one of the first on the market, and not having been developed much in the intervening six years. However, it looks like Korean company Novatron has a near-ideal solution in its Cocktail Audio X30 model. The X30 also supports the Simfy streaming music service where available , with a promise to add other services such as Rhapsody and Spotify in the future, and can act as a UPnP network server for music and as a client to play music stored on an external computer or server running UPnP software. As well as being ripped from CDs, music can be added to the hard disk using USB storage devices or from shared networked stores. So for example you could turn off the internal power amplification and use the X30 as a conventional hi-fi source into an external amp, or switch them on and add a pair of speakers for a simple all-in-one system solution. Complex, not complicated Yet it carries its amazing flexibility extremely lightly, being simple to use via a logical interface on its own display or a TV screen, or indeed a computer screen. Using that interface, you can access the most-used functions quickly and easily after only a short period of familiarisation, or dig deeper into the menus to make fine adjustments. An external USB drive can be connected to provide a backup for the onboard device, with automatic backups. Playing it safe?

Cymbals and tuned percussion have better sting and tonality respectively to match that bigger, more substantial bass, while the midband also fills out appreciably, giving better character and timbre to voices and instruments alike.

Music centres combining record deck, cassette recorder and tuner were big business back in the late seventies through to the early eighties, with fans keen to enjoy music at home on all the main analogue formats of the day. So, what to do with that sizeable CD collection and how best to migrate to streaming are regular questions being asked by music fans looking to move with the times to a less tangible music playback system. However, unlike the X10 — its half-sized older sibling reviewed, HFC — the X30 is a full-size unit that measures a fairly standard mm wide. Nevertheless it is a remarkably compact and well-formed unit that is considerably less bulky than you might imagine given all the duties it performs. Available in a choice of black or silver finishes, it feels rather nicely put together and sports a well finished 8mm-thick aluminium front panel. There is a minimal amount of controls on the front face except for two rotary dials — one at either end — and four buttons for basic operation, meaning you can at least control the system without the need to use the remote. A disc-loading slot and a 5in screen are pretty much all that remain to catch the eye.

Music centres combining record deck, cassette recorder and tuner were big business back in the late seventies through to the early eighties, with fans keen to enjoy music at home on all the main analogue formats of the day. So, what to do with that sizeable CD collection and how best to migrate to streaming are regular questions being asked by music fans looking to move with the times to a less tangible music playback system. However, unlike the X10 — its half-sized older sibling reviewed, HFC — the X30 is a full-size unit that measures a fairly standard mm wide. Nevertheless it is a remarkably compact and well-formed unit that is considerably less bulky than you might imagine given all the duties it performs. Available in a choice of black or silver finishes, it feels rather nicely put together and sports a well finished 8mm-thick aluminium front panel. There is a minimal amount of controls on the front face except for two rotary dials — one at either end — and four buttons for basic operation, meaning you can at least control the system without the need to use the remote. A disc-loading slot and a 5in screen are pretty much all that remain to catch the eye. At first glance the LCD panel looks as though it is touch sensitive, and I instinctively go to prod one of the colourful icons to begin navigating the system. There is a large remote control supplied, but it is festooned with buttons and has a somewhat illogical layout that takes some familiarisation and an occasional thumb through the manual to get to grips with the numerous facilities before operation can become anything like second nature. None of the apps are able to control the internal amplifier volume level, but Cocktail Audio says that a dedicated app offering full control of the X30 is planned in the future along with the inclusion of streaming services like Spotify.

Cocktail audio x30

Why you can trust What Hi-Fi? Our expert team reviews products in dedicated test rooms, to help you make the best choice for your budget. Find out more about how we test. The Cocktail Audio X30 is a great idea: a high-res streamer, server, CD player and digital amplifier all wrapped up in one box. It can also stream songs from your smartphone or tablet, play internet and FM radio, and record tunes at the press of a button. Just add speakers.

Dell laptop back cover

Everything is tested by our dedicated team of in-house reviewers in our custom-built test rooms in London, Reading and Bath. It is now time for my opinion on how it sounds. For example the X30 was able to see the titles in the database, but couldn't manage to import them into its own database, so that it failed to display the album covers. Marantz Melody X on test. Like Loading Height with feet is What Hi-Fi? The input selector key allows you to seamlessly switch between input devices, and also features a mute mode that can be toggled at the push of the volume knob. However, that may be down to poor machine-translation. Switching on and off the router led to a little improvement but did not solve the issue completely.

.

Maybe he meant this, but, honestly, the music is what excites me, not the amp. A record facility places both FM and internet radio recordings in a folder on the HDD for playback later. Social Links Navigation. This allows the management and controlling of the music collection on the X30, such as adding album covers, creating playlists, playing internet radio, editing metadata, displaying the collection and much more. As I will confirm later on, timbre, transparency and dynamics are far from those of valve or soft, euphonic audio amplifiers. The remote control is effective, but a bit plasticky Silent, thanks to the lack of a fan At last adequate sockets, and finally at hi-fi levels The amplification is more powerful than the X10 Very good streaming, with specific Android or iOS apps Better finished and standard size FM radio included not tested Improved display. You can also select individual tracks to rip, instead of the entire CD, rename tracks and create playlists. I tried several times to update the firmware automatically and correctly , even though the unit had already been updated. All-in-one systems may not be the usual route to hi-fi nirvana, but Lee Dunkley discovers a potent mix with the X30 Music centres combining record deck, cassette recorder and tuner were big business back in the late seventies through to the early eighties, with fans keen to enjoy music at home on all the main analogue formats of the day. Their output is not adjustable, so if you want to use a final amplifier you will not be able to set the volume. I got a ton of cds. A rule of thumb, fast ripping speed equals lower-quality resolution. Once in stand-by mode, the device can be turned on with the remote control or with a button on the front panel.