Opinion 1

As practice shows, in the case of the XACT project led by Marcin Ostapowicz, there is no room for randomness, both when it comes to expanding the company’s portfolio and submitting new products for testing. Instead, there is iron logic and consistent pursuit of the chosen goal. Therefore, just like in the case of completing the system, first there was the S1 server/transport that we reviewed, then it was supplemented with the Phantom USB and LAN cabling, finally came the final tuning with the use of audiophile „trinkets” in the form of Immotus CL & CRX anti-vibration feet, which we will be testing today, and we cordially invite you to read on.

As we have already managed to show during the unboxing session, the Immotus reaches the end user in elegant, yet modest, quite minimalist, black cardboard boxes with foam filling to protect the feet from the hardships of shipping. The factory set includes three feet, although knowing market realities, there should be no problem with ordering a 4 pieces set. Here a note of utilitarian nature: while both models are quite different in terms of appearance, dimensions and price, they have the same diameter (60mm) and can bear the same load – up to 50kg per foot. And although the payload of any trio is in most cases completely sufficient, if you want to s a finite setup, especially when you have to move your gear around a lot (welcome to the reviewer’s hell), you would think it makes most sense to replace the OEM feet permanently with the XACT. This endeavor is made easier, as the tested feed do have threaded M6 holes in the upper parts. This is also the reason I suggested to think about the number of required feet, because when I conducted the test using 2 sets of 3 Immotus feet, so 6 in total, and I could live with that, all my devices, including loudspeakers have four support points, so it would absolutely make sense to have sets of 4 pieces. And the company packaging accepts such approach by providing the boxes with four holes in the foam insert.
Coming back to the point, the „basic”, which in this case (we are talking about 1,000 € here) is not synonymous with budget, the XACT Immotus CL are made of aircraft grade aluminum and were anodized in satin black. The only decorative element is the upper support platform with the company logo and the model markings in the form of white prints. On the other hand, the CRX, characterized by almost 50% larger height (31 vs 21.5 mm), can also boast a black anodized, but this time copper alloy body and a copper-gold upper platform with an iconography known from the lower model, this time engraved. Both versions are glued under with a material that resembles eco-leather to the touch. As you can easily guess, the aforementioned height difference is due to the slightly different technological advancement of each model. In the bowels of the CLs we will find a single-level bearing based on three ceramic balls (a solution similar to the Ceramic Disc TH known from Franc Audio Accessories, or the entire Cera – Finite Elemente family), while the CRX has a double bearing on six, higher-class porcelain balls.

Moving on to the part devoted not so much to the sound of the tested feet, but to their impact on the sound of the devices placed on them, it is worth mentioning a slightly different approach to idea of damping than most other products. While the lion’s share of manufacturers of this type of accessories declare more or less effective isolation of parasitic external vibrations to decoupled devices, the XACTs have the vector of their actions aimed … in the opposite direction. In short, they dissipate/lose mechanical vibrations generated by the internal components of these devices. And here comes a purely apparent (imaginary?) problem, because, at least theoretically, the sources of such vibrations can be easily observed, or, guided by logic/experience, identified in all kinds of „mechanical” devices such as physical media players, turntables, or servers/streamers based on classic “platter” disk drives. OK, we can add amplifiers with forced air circulation (equipped with „computer fans”) to this group. I am not even mentioning the speakers at this point, because there is nothing to explain here, because in fact the basis of their operation is vibration, so the matter is clear and not subject to discussion. And what about the rest of the equipment used in our systems? Is it art for art’s sake and a perfidious attempt to get money from the naïve? Not at all, if you realize, that the power supply also has its share in generating vibrations, and we can have issues with vibrations of connectors self-excited vibrations; for example, the principle of operation of quartz oscillators is based on … resonance, i.e. vibrations, of the quartz crystal. Of course, these are all phenomena that occur on a level invisible to the naked eye, but the fact that we do not see them, does not mean that they do not exist. Because not only do they exist, but they are defined and … measurable. Therefore, being on the safe side and with a reverence worthy of High-End, it is worth taking care of their elimination.

And this is where they enter the scene – the XACTs, (almost) all in black, promising, in accordance with the manufacturer’s solemn assurances, to improve the resolution, depth of the stage, bass control and stereophony of the sound. This is a lot. As it turned out, however, slightly spoiling the surprise, they do what they promised to. And this was true when placed under the Lumin U2 Mini (with the company’s power supply removed and replaced with an external – linear Farad Super3) and the much more serious 26 kg Vitus Audio SCD-025 Mk.II CD player/DAC. Fortunately, the observations made during the listening sessions were so repeatable, convergent and coherent, that for the purposes of this publication I will treat them as identical. Nevertheless, the differences between the CL and CRX signatures were noticeable and somewhat anticipating the final conclusions, as well as dispelling the doubts of potential customers, adequate to the amounts expected for them at the checkout.
And so, although inconspicuous, the XACT Immotus CL cause a clear increase, perhaps not so much of the weight of the sound, but a more solid anchoring in the bass foundation. This is an interesting phenomenon, because although we operate in the same frequency range all the time – neither the treble decreases, nor the bass goes lower, but only the distribution of accents is different. The lower midrange and higher bass were subjected to beauty treatments, something like underlining, while the upper registers gained in etherealness and refinement. This was perfectly audible on the Meccore String Quartet’s „Souvenir de Posen”, which uses natural instruments, where the use of CLs could be compared to switching from a hybrid SACD disc to its version burned on a gold CDR. I also positively evaluated the presence of the XACTs in my system on the prog-rock „Spooky Action at a Distance” by Pattern-Seeking Animals (also available in FLAC 24-bit/48kHz form on bandcamp), where lowering the center of gravity allowed the compositions, twisted like ram’s horns, to sound deeper, more intense and more powerful. In addition, the annoying „phone-like” tarnish disappeared from the vocal layer, so Ted Leonard finally seemed to put on less tight jeans and could sound „lower” with more pronounced saturation.

The CRX, on the other hand, goes a step or even two further in terms of resolution and intensification of dynamic impressions. There is better motoric and immediacy of transients, which makes the sound gain vitality, directness and palpability. However, to be clear – we still operate on the same „settings” when it comes to the location of the center of gravity of the presentation and the way of creating the scene – without artificially zooming in on the foreground, but with a wider spectrum of extreme frequencies. And here it is impossible not to mention the bass, because the nobler XACTs managed to increase the resolution without sharpening the edges and without forcibly increasing the contrast. That is, we gain a better insight into the structure and texture, while maintaining a truly analogue, pleasant to our senses, plasticity. How is this possible? Unfortunately, I have no idea, but with CRXs in the „Parasomnia” album, Dream Theater sounds as if Mike Portnoy not only expanded his, already monstrous, drum kit, but during the recording session he washed down an espresso doppio served about every fifteen minutes supplementing with Red Bulls or other energy drinks. And this is not at all the result of increasing motor skills and differentiation obtained by drying and hardening, but hitting the point of perfect balance of fleshiness and crunchiness. That is why the CRXs cannot be described as contoured or hard-sounding, but when used as a reference point, we can say about the aforementioned Franc Audio Accessories Ceramic Disc TH can successfully add softness to their portfolio.

The XACT Immotus may not be the most affordable anti-vibration accessories on the market, but they are not the most expensive either, so it is impossible to position them only through the prism of their pricing. That is why I suggest verifying their usefulness and effectiveness primarily empirically – borrow them for a tests, put them on wherever you can, and if they work somewhere, replace the OEM feet with them as soon as possible and forget about the topic. As for which of them are better, I will leave the decision to the interested parties themselves. I’ll just add that in my system, with my „toys”, CRX were closer (once again) to my private preferences, resulting partly from the repertoire that was most often featured on playlists.

Marcin Olszewski

System used in this test:
– CD/DAC: Vitus SCD-025mkII + 2 x Quantum Science Audio (QSA) Blue Fuse
– Network player: Lumïn U2 Mini + Farad Super3 + Omicron Magic Dream Classic; I-O Data Soundgenic HDL-RA4TB
– Turntable: Denon DP-3000NE + Denon DL-103R
– Phonostage: Tellurium Q Iridium MM/MC Phono Pre Amp
– Digital source selector: Audio Authority 1177
– Integrated amplifier: Vitus Audio RI-101 MkII + Quantum Science Audio (QSA) Violet fuse
– Loudspeakers: AudioSolutions Figaro L2 + Solid Tech Feet of Balance
– IC RCA: Furutech FA-13S; phono NEO d+ RCA Class B Stereo + Ground (1m)
– IC XLR: Organic Audio; Vermöuth Audio Reference; Furutech DAS-4.1
– Digital IC: Fadel art DigiLitz; Harmonic Technology Cyberlink Copper; Apogee Wyde Eye; Monster Cable Interlink LightSpeed 200
– USB cables: Wireworld Starlight; Vermöuth Audio Reference USB; ZenSati Zorro
– Speaker cables: WK Audio TheRay Speakers + 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; Esprit Audio Alpha
– Power distribution board: Furutech e-TP60ER + Furutech FP-3TS762 / Fi-50 NCF(R) /FI-50M NCF(R)
– Wall power socket: Furutech FT-SWS(R)
– Switch: Quantum Science Audio (QSA) Red + Silent Angel S28 + Farad Super6 + Farad DC Level 2 copper cable
– Ethernet cables: In-akustik CAT6 Premium II; Audiomica Laboratory Anort Consequence, Artoc Ultra Reference, Arago Excellence; Furutech LAN-8 NCF; Next Level Tech NxLT Lan Flame
– Anti-vibration platform: Franc Audio Accessories Wood Block Slim Platform
– Table: Solid Tech Radius Duo 3
– Acoustic panels: Vicoustic Flat Panels VMT

Opinion 2

If not all of us, then at least most of us know that the products of the XACT line are a natural stage in the development of the portfolio of a well-known business project in the form of the JPlay music streaming program and JCAT computer components. The fact that this development is relatively fruitful is evidenced by our recent test sessions with new products from this segment of Marcin Ostapowicz’s business. Of course, I am thinking of the XACT S1 music server, which is excellent in terms of sound, and the XACT Phantom USB and LAN digital cabling, which are similarly received not only by us, but also by satisfied users. And since the aforementioned company owner does not like to leave anything to chance, he decided to support the existing designs working in the electrical domain with accessories from the physics department, combatting harmful vibrations. What do I mean? Well, it may surprise some of you, but in addition to the mentioned streaming device and digital cabling, the XACT brand also offers two models of anti-vibration feet. Seemingly simple in design, but very effective in their operation. And these were provided to us by the Lower Silesian manufacturer.

As the series of photos suggests, in both cases we are dealing with cylindrical shaped feet here. Naturally, the final size of each of them and the effect on the electronics mounted on them are the result of technical complexity. And so, starting the description with the simpler CL design and referring to the material used for the housing, we are talking about aviation grade aluminum, which guarantees adequate durability and effective vibration control. When it comes to the method of dampening vibrations, in this case we are dealing with a single-layer bearing based on ceramic balls that effectively disperse harmful waves. As you can see and what I managed to announce, the construction is relatively simple, and very interesting in my opinion, especially when compared against the observations about their influence, which I will describe in subsequent paragraphs.
Coming to the more complicated design of the CRX, very important information is the different housing material and the duplicated way of extinguishing micro-vibrations of the supported audio gear. The first one is a high-quality copper alloy for optimal control of the vibration damping process. The second one mentions a more extensive than in the previous feet, two layer bearing, guaranteeing better precision of operation on the electronics, additionally it uses technologically improved ceramic balls. Such action naturally has its size repercussions, which, while maintaining the same diameter, result in perhaps not doubling, but a significant increase in the height of the CRX feet in relation to the CL. In both cases, the manufacturer decided to pack three pieces in aesthetic cardboard boxes lined with foam cut to the feet’s shape.

What was the effect of using these XACTs? As you might expect, the different hardness of the housing material, plus the doubling of the bearing arrangement separating the load surfaces of the structure, gave completely different sonic results. However, before getting to the specifics, I would like to point out that it was a bit accidental, but I had a very grateful source for testing – dCS Rossini. Many satisfied users know what it is capable of, but it is also known for a long time that some people consider it too blunt in showing the sharpness of the drawing of virtual sources, and too sparse in the domain of saturation of the sound. So what was the result of mating the tested feet with this CD player? I started with the more complicated CRX model. As a result, the music gained nice mass, thanks to which the instruments gained in roundness. What is very interesting, and for me it was a positive surprise, such behavior of the test-configured system had a surprisingly positive effect on the sound, because it allowed individual entities to become juicier and thus more sonorous. Naturally, this is the result of increasing well-controlled energy, which, avoiding the effect of spilling edges, allowed each note to gain a certain kind of roundness, which strengthened their palpability and showed positioning on the virtual stage clearer. What’s more, the latter seemed to be clearly much more purified, in the sense of the music being projected against a much blacker background. If I had to describe the effect in one sentence, I would say that each material I listen to seemed to be teeming with more life. And because the system was able to reproduce the lower range well, show a larger body in the midrange, which is so important for our sensitive hearing, and thanks to the background cleanup, it did not extinguish the shine of the high registers. Of course, this does not mean that the source sounded anorexic before – for some reasons I used a higher model from this manufacturer myself, until a short while ago, but I wanted to show you, how interesting, in terms of delivering music, the application of the tested feet under a device that was very demanding from a configuration point of view, ended up. There was more “meat”, but thanks to the use of the right materials and bearings, it still had a positive effect in terms of the legibility of the sound of the music landing in the drive.
In the second test step, seemingly less advanced, but equally good performing CLs landed in the system. In what direction were the changes going? Of course, due to the use of slightly different half-products and the simplification of the design, there was no chance for the same result, but I can assure you, the sonic effect of their application followed the same path as their more expensive sisters. Which one specifically? In the expected one – I remind you those feet use soft aluminum for the housing instead of stiffer copper alloy and have a reduced number of bearings separating the upper and lower load surfaces – the music seems to have softened. But surprisingly, it was not painful averaging of its predatoriness, but as if by reducing of the sharpness of drawing of individual sounds, giving its aesthetics more roundness and plasticity. And when it would seem that the reception of the same albums would be worse than during previous test, after a thorough listening I have mixed feelings. Of course, the visualization of the music world did not offer such a clear line, but the increase in the level of saturation and roundness showed it from an even more pleasant side for me. It was such a successful operation that if I had to leave any of the feet for myself, I would have a hard nut to crack. I got a kind of less sharp, but still vibrant and even smoother image, which showed that the tested XACT anti-vibration feet offer is not only very well thought out from the technical point of view, but also giving a choice to the potential interested party.

Who would I recommend our heroines to? As it follows from the description, depending on the needs of the system, and in order to obtain a greater or smaller contour of virtual sources, I would recommend to choose the right model. But I think those are suitable for anyone who places their toys on an unstable surface. But not only that, because knowing that sometimes the most solid audio racks have their problems, I would encourage literally everyone to try. I assure you, even if you are one hundred percent sure of your knowledge about the vibration resistance of your audio furniture, after using one of the two XACT models, you can be positively surprised by the sound results obtained. As it turned out in the description above, for me both options had their positives. Therefore, if you take the appropriate test steps, try each of the two options, because the final choice after a longer musical meeting is not so obvious. Each XACT model gives an obvious correction of the previous sound pattern, but with different accents of creating a virtual world of music, the possible choice will depend on what is playing in your soul.

Jacek Pazio

System used in this test:
Source:
– CD Player/DAC: Gryphon Ethos
– streamer: Lumin U2 Mini + switch Quantum Science Audio (QSA) Red
– Preamplifier: Gryphon Audio Pandora
– Power amplifier: Gryphon Audio Apex Stereo
– Loudspeakers: Gauder Akustik Berlina RC-11 Black Edition
– Speaker cables: Furutech Nanoflux-NCF Speaker Cable
IC RCA: Hijiri Million „Kiwami”, Vermouth Audio Reference
IC XLR: Tellurium Q Silver Diamond, Hijiri Milion „Kiwami”, Furutech DAS-4.1
Digital IC: Hijiri HDG-X Milion
Ethernet cable: NxLT LAN FLAME
USB cable: ZenSati Silenzio
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, Synergistic Research Galileo SX AC
– Table: BASE AUDIO 2
Accessories: Quantum Science Audio Red fuse; Synergistic Research Orange fuse; Harmonix TU 505EX MK II; Stillpoints ULTRA MINI; antivibration platform by SOLID TECH; Harmonix AC Enacom Improved for 100-240V
– Power distribution board: POWER BASE HIGH END, Furutech NCF Power Vault-E
– Acoustic treatments by Artnovion
Analog stage:
– Drive: Clearaudio Concept
– Cartridge: Dynavector DV20X2H
– Phonostage: Sensor 2 mk II
– Eccentricity Detection Stabilizer: DS Audio ES-001
– Tape recorder: Studer A80

Distributor: JCAT
Manufacturer: XACT
Prices
XACT Immotus CL: 1 000 € / a set of 3 footers
XACT Immotus CRX: 1 800 € / a set of 3 footers