Opinion 1

After reviewing the budget, and at that surprisingly modest, file player Munich M1T, time came to approach a proposition dedicated to more demanding consumers, who have clearly defined expectations and needs. While the M1T had all kinds of digital interfaces, starting with the conventional AES/EBU and Coaxial, through the mandatory USB and I2S (using an HDMI connector) as well as the proprietary M-IO and M-LINK, our today’s hero is limited only to USB connectivity. So things got more expensive, yet with less functionality? In theory – yes, but as it often turns out in real life, the devil is in the details, and specialization often is key, so if you are wondering, if it is worth to pursue this theme further, I have no other choice, than to invite you to a meeting with the file transport/server Silent Angel Rhein Z1.

As you probably have already seen in the attached pictures, in terms of size we deal here with a very nice, and very armored, variation of the Mac Mini; much more eye pleasing than, for example the heat sink loaded Roon Nucleus, or the mentioned, more rectangular Munich M1T. You can choose from a silver and black finish of the chassis, which is cut from a slab of aluminum, so most people will not have any issues fitting it into their existing system. Here I must mention one thing about the usage of the unit, namely how to place it. This nicely rounded and cut around the perimeter chassis does not only serve as an enclosure and eye candy, but also doubles as a heat sink, becoming warm in the process, especially as the device has no ventilation slots or any cooler mounted inside. This means, that you are better off not placing anything on top of it. The mentioned upper side is only decorated with a discreet logo, while on the fascia we find a centrally placed, elongated power switch and a blue LED. No display, no indication of the parameters of the signal being outputted, nothing. Just minimalism pushed to extremes and simplicity itself.
Now while I already told you about the limited amount of digital connections the Z1 offers, I will just add, that in the dedicated incaving on the back plate of the Rhein, you can find an Ethernet port, two USB 2.0 and one USB 3.0 socket for the external mass storage (like the Expander E1), a USB Audio port, dedicated for DAC connectivity, finally a service HDMI port and a barrel socket for the 12V/3A, external power supply. Another digression here – while the manufacturer provided a “laptop” version of the PSU, I would strongly recommend to use a powerful line version instead. You could use for example the Forester F2 for that purpose. You can listen to the Z1 without this tuning, but this will just be the introduction to what this unit truly can achieve. The chassis is mounted on a rubber ring, what suffices, together with the mass of the unit, which weighs 4kg, to eliminate any vibration and not allowing the device to move around on flat and slippery surfaces.
As usual in such products, or, to make this statement much closer to reality, as it should be in such products, the insides of the Rhein are also protected with a special mat, that eliminates any EMI interference from the 1-100MHz range. The chassis is filled to the brim with a PCB, and it is worth noticing, that instead of adapting, in a better or worse way, a “civilian” computer motherboard, the Silent Angel uses a fully proprietary design, optimized for audio (by shortening signal paths for example). This solution uses also a low power CPU (6W) what makes the whole electrically more “silent”. The whole is controlled with a proprietary OS called VitOS (know also from the Munich M1T and based on Linux), which is housed on the built in M.2 SATA SSD with 250GB capacity. You can also place another SSD inside with 1 or 2TB capacity for your music.
Additionally the Z1 can operate as Roon Core, something that users of that platform of managing home multimedia would surely appreciate. And although the Z1 fully supports for Spotify Connect and AirPlay2, I am very sad to tell you, that it does not have the same functionality with Tidal. Also Chromecast is not on the supported features list, what greatly limits the wireless streaming from many windows computers. But you should not despair, as most streaming services (including Amazon Music HD) are supported from the dedicated VitOS Orbiter app. The only thing I can be dissatisfied about, is the lack of MQA decoding and no native windows version of the app, however the latter can be circumvented using an android emulator. You can find multiple tutorial videos about that online. Yes, it can be done, and a similar approach was also chosen by Lumin, but personally, I am very skeptical about such convoluted solutions. Linn was able to do it with Kazoo, so the rest of the manufacturers should put some extra effort in their homework and provide a ready made application, and not leave finding a solution to the end user. But when we are talking about functionality and programming – then it would also make sense to work out some nuances in the app, for example the ability to sort my favorite albums, as the factory – alphabetical – setting was irritating and frustrating, at least for me, as I am used to sort chronologically. This is likely a minor complaint, but the Lumin team was able to add this functionality in about two weeks (or sooner) and in BluOS (NAD, Bluesound), and if memory serves also in NuPrime, this was available from the start. So it is better to stay on top of your game and move upward; competition is absolutely not sleeping, but rather quite fierce. In terms of audio files, the Silent Angel natively handles DSD256, DSD64 over DOP and all kinds of PCM.

Moving to the part about the sound of the tested transport/server, I want to immediately mention, that using the supplied power brick the Z1 plays and everything works correctly, but you need to understand, that in Hi-Fi, and especially in High-End, “just working” is not enough; this is usually just the starting point for further improvements. This is why the unit, even when burned in with appropriate care, and accommodated in your system, will sound soothingly linear and with an unobtrusive resolution. And if the system does not have any hyperactivity, and is a bit thicker sounding, in the long term such was of playing my turn out to be too monotone and reserved. There is progress, when compared to the Munich, especially in terms of culture and refinement, were it is evident, but having in mind the “slight”, two times price hike of the tested construction, we have also placed the expectation threshold on a different level. This does not mean, that prog-rock, and brilliantly mastered, “Black Market Enlightment” by Antimatter started to resemble the dolorous singing of Michael Bolton, and “Reign in Blood” by Slayer remind of metal poodle “Flesh & Blood” by Poison, but compared to my Lumin U1 Mini, or the recently tested HiFi Rose RS150B, it lacked some energy and juicy filling of the contours. Instead, the Silent Angel approached the quality of the reproduced material with great care, not really branding the, often questionable “audophilism” of the heaviest repertoire. But it did not stop short of indicting, that although streaming from the cloud is very easy, and due to easy access to wide-band Internet became very widely spread, yet when compared directly to the files located on local, home NAS, or discs like the Expander E1, still has a lot to catch up to.
Using a linear power supply improves the situation not only significantly, but also globally. The sound becomes much more dynamic, gains not only on the impact of the hits, but also on their size and mass. This allows it to avoid any suppositions of having just an artificial, or only virtual, cardboard power. We not only have attack, but also saturation and power, all of them together putting the listener deeper in his or her seat, both coming from the mentioned increased mass of the sound. The mentioned Slayer is ruthlessly devastating, not only to our sense of hearing, but also to our guts, making a bloody puree of it. Such esthetics immediately becomes the grist to the mill of all kinds of big ensembles and complicated arrangements. Maybe the cymbals and strings on “Wagner Reloaded: Live in Leipzig” by Apocalyptica could have more shine and energy, making them decay a little longer, but this is more likely my intrinsic nitpicking and an effect of comparing to much more expensive competition. On the other hand, you cannot nitpick the timbre of the non-electric instruments. “Vivaldi: Concerti per archi II” by Concerto Italiano & Rinaldo Alessandrini enchanted with a very contagious micro-dynamics, the harpsichord was not even close to the irritating, ringing manner, and there was ample air on the sound stage.

So is it worth to add extra cash to the budget for a new digital transport and go for the Silent Angel Rhein Z1? In my opinion yes, if only we do have a high quality DAC with a USB input. Because we cannot hide, that the receiver of the signal sent by the Z1 will determine the final sound of our system. And while the connection will be only over the USB cable, instead of switching off the unused ports in software, we can just not have them at all, and eliminate the superfluous elements from the very beginning. And when we add to that a higher class of sound, compared to the one offered by the very nice Munich M1T, and the nicer esthetics of the device itself, then, from a broader perspective, the intensive draining of your account seems not only sensible, but also very understandable.

Marcin Olszewski

System used in this test:
– CD/DAC: Ayon CD-35 (Preamp + Signature) + Finite Elemente Cerabase compact
– Network player: Lumin U1 Mini + I-O Data Soundgenic HDL-RA4TB
– Digital source selector: Audio Authority 1177
– Turntable: Kuzma Stabi S + Kuzma Stogi + Dynavector DV-10X5
– Phonostage: Tellurium Q Iridium MM/MC Phono Pre Amp
– Power amplifier: Bryston 4B³ + Graphite Audio IC-35 Isolation Cones
– Streaming amplifier: NAD Masters M33
– Loudspeakers: Dynaudio Contour 30 + Brass Spike Receptacle Acoustic Revive SPU-8 + Base Audio Quartz platforms
– IC RCA: Tellurium Q Silver Diamond
– IC XLR: Organic Audio; Vermöuth Audio Reference; Acrolink 7N-A2070 Leggenda
– Digital IC: Fadel art DigiLitz; Harmonic Technology Cyberlink Copper; Apogee Wyde Eye; Monster Cable Interlink LightSpeed 200
– USB cables: Wireworld Starlight; Goldenote Firenze Silver; Fidata HFU2; Vermöuth Audio Reference
– Speaker cables: Signal Projects Hydra; Vermöuth Audio Reference Loudspeaker Cable + SHUBI Custom Acoustic Stands MMS-1
– Power cables: Furutech FP-3TS762 / FI-28R / FI-E38R; Organic Audio Power + Furutech CF-080 Damping Ring; Acoustic Zen Gargantua II; Furutech Nanoflux Power NCF
– Power distribution board: Furutech e-TP60ER + Furutech FP-3TS762 / Fi-50 NCF(R) /FI-50M NCF(R)
– Wall power socket: Furutech FT-SWS(R)
– Anti-vibration platform: Franc Audio Accessories Wood Block Slim Platform
– Switch: Silent Angel Bonn N8 + Silent Angel S28 + Silent Angel Forester F1 + Luna Cables Gris DC; Innuos PhoenixNet
– Ethernet cables: Neyton CAT7+; Audiomica Anort Consequence + Artoc Ultra Reference + Arago Excellence; Furutech LAN-8 NCF
– Table: Solid Tech Radius Duo 3
– Acoustic panels: Vicoustic Flat Panels VMT

Opinion 2

You will probably agree with me, that on one hand we have now very difficult, but on the other, phenomenal times. I am thinking about the lightning fast development of technology, what results in the constructions appearing in manufacturer’s catalogs becoming “outdated” the moment it is published. But we should not be complaining, as the consequence of that is, that the manufacturers have an obligation to, at least, update, if not introduce new products on ongoing basis; products which are obviously better and are more universal. This has become a standard of sorts, so we, the end users, are the beneficiaries of this happening. But this also mandates us, the users, to be aware, what is currently trending. And there is a lot going on, I assure you. One of those things is the entrance to the market of the brand Silent Angel with products, which are so interesting, that we decided to describe each one of them individually, and the introduction to that series will be the streamer Silent Angel Rhein Z1, supplied to us by the Wroclaw based distributor Audio Atelier.

Looking at the pictures, you can see, that our tested hero is a modestly sized aluminum cube, nicely rounded on the edges, and with grating on the front and sides to improve the looks. But as you can expect, the small size holds some surprises inside, as it houses a fully-fledged music streamer. Interestingly enough, it is modern enough, to not only provide support to all thinkable streaming coding, it is fully manageable with a mobile app or a computer, so we do not have any displays or functional keys, that would break the simplistic esthetics. But what do we get instead of those? Well, on the fascia we have only one button used to wake the device up, and a blue LED indicating the device is on. On the back plate we have four USB at our disposal, one LAN and one HDMI, while power is supplied with an external PSU and a typical barrel plug and socket. The package also contains an Ethernet cable to allow the device to be used out-of-the-box.

So how did the tested device capture my heart? I think that for most of you, the potential buyers, the most important thing will be, that it does not “surf” on the sound. What does this mean? This is simple – it sounds with an esthetic, that is well grounded in mass and timbre, making long term listening easy and not tiring. It does not blow-up the musical world artificially, under the guise of swung presentation, which can be a bit fatiguing, but it concentrates on showing it’s true nature. And even with a strong emphasis on color and weight, but far away from crossing any borderline of good taste, it had no problems in showing the smallest sonic details of the played albums even with a system, which is so juicy as mine. And it was not treated with any indulgence, as the first album I used was the disc from RGG “Szymanowski”. This is not an easy material by all means, as you need to be able to reproduce the way the fingers work with the strings, then the cooperation of the strings with the double bass body, and then the piano accompanying the bass and ending with proper showing of the strong, but not overwhelming base drum and the shine of the percussion. If a device is not able to properly extract all the individual ingredients, it will have no chance to be successful. But fortunately the tested device did it very nicely, and I was very content, to be able to listen to this disc again. And this with nicely shown planes and evident understanding of the intentions of the musicians – none of the instruments was moving before the others. Interestingly, stronger musical genres turned out similar. On one hand the stronger notes of Metallica on the disc “St. Anger” did not lose any of its vigor while getting a shot of extra weight to the guitar and vocals, increasing the ease of absorbing this madness, on the other, electronics of The Acid from “Liminal” sounded equally great. And that due to the fact, that the work of the streamer in terms of the density of the music, did not kill the expression of the low murmurs or the screaming oversteers. Of course for the more orthodox listeners amongst us, this kind of approach to reproduction of this music could be perceived as being overly conservative, but for me, a person who is rather for more tranquil – but without boring monotony – way of enjoying the world of music, it was great. Of course, based on the years of my experience, I know, it can be done better, but for what kind of money. And here we are talking about a device costing less than 10 thousand zlotys, and if someone likes visual minimalism supported by technological novelties, then this is a very interesting offering.

Is this a toy for everybody? If you do not want to draw too much attention to the unit in the center of your salon – yes, as it really is very modest visually. But I will tell you more. Also yes, when you like the musical world being juicy visualized, because the Silent Angel Rhein Z1 feels like a fish in the water doing just that. I would only say it will not suit the lovers of extremes, people who place attack and expressiveness above fluent, colorful timbre of the music. So, as it is common in life, it will depend on what kind of sound you prefer. If you are closer to the first two groups I have described, then I see no other option, than to contact the distributor and arrange a listening in your system, presuming you are looking for a new streamer. Of course it is a completely other story if it will fit in your system or not. But the time spent on checking that, will be a pleasure. And believe me, when I say, that many devices have quite some problems delivering that.

Jacek Pazio

System used in this test:
Source:
– transport: CEC TL 0 3.0
– streamer: Melco N1A/2EX + switch Silent Angel Bonn N8
– DAC: dCS Vivaldi DAC 2.0
– Master clock: Mutec REF 10 SE-120
– reclocker: Mutec MC-3+USB
– Shunyata Research Omega Clock
– Shunyata Sigma V2 NR
– Preamplifier: Gryphon Audio Pandora
– Power amplifier: Gryphon Audio Mephisto Stereo
– Loudspeakers: Gauder Akustik Berlina RC-11 Black Edition
– Speaker Cables: Synergistic Research Galileo SX SC
IC RCA: Hijiri Million „Kiwami”, Vermouth Audio Reference
IC XLR: Tellurium Q Silver Diamond, Hijiri Milion „Kiwami”, Siltech Classic Legend 880i
Digital IC: Hijiri HDG-X Milion
Power cables: Hijiri Takumi Maestro, Furutech Project-V1, Furutech NanoFlux NCF, Furutech DPS-4.1 + FI-E50 NCF(R)/ FI-50(R), Hijiri Nagomi, Vermouth Audio Reference Power Cord, Acrolink 8N-PC8100 Performante
– Table: SOLID BASE VI
– Accessories: Harmonix TU 505EX MK II, Stillpoints ULTRA SS, Stillpoints ULTRA MINI, antivibration platform by SOLID TECH, Harmonix AC Enacom Improved for 100-240V, Harmonix Room Tuning Mini Disk RFA-80i
– Power distribution board: POWER BASE HIGH END
– Acoustic treatments by Artnovion
Analog stage:
Drive: Clearaudio Concept
Cartridge: Essence MC
Step-up: Thrax Trajan
Phonostage: Sensor 2 mk II

Polish distributor: Audio Atelier
Manufacturer: Silent Angel
Price: 8 290 PLN

Specifications
Interfaces: USB Audio; USB 3.0; 2 x USB 2.0; 1000Mbps Ethernet; HDMI (serwisowe)
Power Consumption: 36W max.
Input Power: 12V/3A (DC)
Dimension (W x D x H): 200 x 200 x 62 mm
Weight: 3,75 kg