Great things can often spring from adversity. So it is with Antipodes new X-Series Modular Solutions. When a key supplier failed, Antipodes was forced to withdraw and replace its DS, DS GT, EDGE and CORE models. Antipodes decided that the replacements would, as with the flagship Antipodes DX, be completely designed and manufactured in-house and be "no-compromise" models specified at the same level as the DX. This gave rise to the new Antipodes X-Series Modular Solutions, comprising the EX, CX, P1 and P2.
The concept enables an affordable entry to "no-compromise" computer audio through the new Antipodes EX. Alongside its digital outputs, the EX sports good quality stereo analog outputs, so that a customer replacing a CD Player just needs the EX and does not have to buy a separate DAC. Even though the EX is a much higher quality unit than any of the discontinued models, it is cheaper to buy an EX than buying a lower priced server plus a DAC to deliver similar sound quality. You can add a quality DAC at any time and reveal the full potential of the EX used as a full music server.
The CX is similar to the EX except for two things. The CX does not have stereo analog outputs, and the CX uses a much more powerful computing engine to meet the needs of customers wanting to quickly navigate a large Roon library (say, more than 5,000 albums) and to use demanding DSP features such as on-the-fly transcoding/upsampling to DSD512. The CX is unique in offering high processing power together with high quality digital audio output in a single device.
But the magic really starts when you begin combining the models. The CX+EX Solution delivers a dramatic uplift in sound quality, where the CX is dedicated to run the server app (eg. Roon Server) and the EX is dedicated to running the renderer app (eg. Roon Ready). The CX is connected to your network plus it has a Direct Ethernet connection to the EX. To make sure you make the best of your CD collection, you can add a P1 Platform to either a CX or EX. To improve sound quality and expand the digital output options, you can add the P2 Platform to either a CX or EX. The P1 and P2 platforms are each machined from a thick block of alloy to provide vibration isolation when placed under an EX or CX. The concept allows you to start with one unit and add both functionality and audio performance by adding other units.
Whether you start with an EX or a CX, there is a natural upgrade path to progressively add the other units, with each increment offering high value for money improvements, and with no need to trade anything in to progress to the absolute ultimate solution over time.
Affordability and flexibility are addressed further with the ability for customers to connect an inexpensive USB optical drive to an EX or CX for auto-ripping, and for customers to buy their own storage disks and simply slide them into the rear of the EX or CX. If you already have a Roon Ready DAC or a DAC or Renderer with a high quality Ethernet input, you can play to it using Direct Ethernet from your EX or CX.
The CX+EX Solution will be show-cased at the High-End Show in Munich in May 2018. You can see it and hear it in Superior DemoCabin W12 in Hall 4, showing together with Aequo Audio Loudspeakers.
