Opinion 1

As we have already managed to shyly mention in the unboxing teaser that while in the analog domain we have nothing to be ashamed of, I mean we Poles, the exploration of the digital is much more difficult topic. Admittedly, if we look at the subject a bit more broadly, the situation is saved by cables designed for the transmission of zeros and ones, signed by, for example, Next Level Tech, Audiomica, or WK Audio TheRed Digit, but digital sources are scarce. Some time ago, the Amare Musica Diamond Server appeared on the market, but lately all went quiet about the brand itself and its products. Fortunately, nature abhors a vacuum, so Marcin Ostapowicz, a person who feels like a fish in water amongst all the digital files, decided to fill the gap in his catalog by introducing another brand name, after JPLAY and JCAT, and it is exactly from that new brand we will be testing the XACT S1 audio file transport, or streamer if you prefer to call it that way, and we cordially invite you to read the results below.

Usually, in the section dedicated to the appearance of the products that visit us, we allow ourselves maybe not so much to use too much verbiage, but sometimes quite spontaneously pay attention to various tidbits that catch our eyes, but to tell the truth, this time – looking at the S1, I did not really know what to write. Well, about what should I write, since looking at the chassis of our guest I have only two associations – with an oversized external drive casing and… a miniaturized, „modern classic” style TV cabinet with the charming name „Zośka”. Okay, enough jokes, because the design of the XACT S1 is a conscious and well-thought-out manifestation of minimalism, and it boasts a certain, unobtrusive elegance, where at least in the delivered unit (a fully black version is also available), the natural silver aluminum of the rounded body contrasts successfully with the black color of the front. The button located in its left corner, surrounded by an amber halo of backlight, responsible for powering on/placing into standby of the unit, seems to perform the honorable role of the only decorative accent. The lack of fashionable and seemingly obligatory high-resolution display, LEDs informing about the tasks performed, or even any buttons for manual operation makes it necessary to use the dedicated app, and I will discuss it just a moment. A moment that I will devote to an inspection of the back of the tested transport, which surprises no less than the fascia, although the surprise here results more from a certain redundancy, rather than from any shortcomings. Looking from the left, we get a three-pin IEC power socket, a voltage selector appropriate for a given region, six (!!) gold-plated RJ45 ports (Wan + 5 pcs. Lan), an SD card slot from which we will run the operating system / define the function of the device itself (transport/switch) and three USB ports – one for connecting an external mass storage and two others are outputs for external DACs, one of which does not have a 5V power bus. The whole thing is armed with four quite modest rubber feet, so it is worth looking around for something a bit more sophisticated, especially since the choice here is extremely wide. It is enough to mention the Polish Franc Audio Accessories, the American Synergistic Research, or the English Audio Engineers.
Coming back to the issue of control, the manufacturer offers a dedicated JPLAY app. And there would be nothing unusual about it, if it weren’t for the fact that it is available only for Apple’s iOS, so unlike the competition – e.g. Auralic, which can be easily operated either from the front panel or with the participation of third-party applications, without the iPhone/iPad XACT will remain completely insensitive to our strenuous efforts. In short, if you have not gone beyond the comfort zone signed by Windows and/or Android so far, you will have to add to the price of the S1 min. 1.6 kPLN for the appropriate controller. Supposedly, with the expected amount of 12,000 € for the central unit and 6k€ for a set of LAN + USB cabling, another 370 € does not make much difference, it is still worth keeping this detail in mind when placing an order, so that after receiving the package, you do not have to look around nervously, searching for a place offering accessories with the bitten fruit logo.
And speaking of functionality, in addition to the support/compatibility with the repositories provided by the Tidal platforms (without Tidal Connect) and Qobuz, I will also point out a rather surprising feature, which, if my memory serves me correctly, I encountered for the first time in my reviewing practice. Well, after setting the playback queue (regardless of whether it is based on the content of streaming services or physically on the built-in SSD/present in the local NAS ), XACT must „see” the controlling app all the time in the network. Without that, it ostentatiously finishes its work after overdubbing the song played at the moment and that is that. Therefore, you cannot burn in the device, or anything attached to it, during the night or during your absence, if you are controlling it from the phone you are using on a daily basis. Interestingly, the manufacturer himself does not tell anything about this „feature”, and I probably would not have noticed it myself, if I had not had to go to the garage for a moment during the listening session and thus disappeared from the radar of the home router. Intrigued by the observed anomaly, I contacted Marcin, who not only confirmed the above behavior, but considered it completely … and fully consistent with his assumptions. Well, maybe I am a mannered and ossified dinosaur, but at least from my point of view, clinging to only one environment (iOS) and not storing the desired playlists/albums in the memory of the main unit is quite a „bold” step in terms of acquiring buyers. And at this point, I am not speaking of any particular malice or aversion to the Cupertino giant, but only about an analytical approach to the market share of the American manufacturer. If, according to Canalys (link), at the end of last year, Apple smartphones had a 33% share in the European market (in the US it looks similar, while in Poland it is 19%), then I assume that the decision was conscious, and from the very beginning the company resigned from 2/3 of the potential clientele, which is surprising, to say the least.
When it comes to the innards it is there, where the crème de la crème of the Wrocław-based manufacture comes in, because the heart is the proprietary ZeNA (Zero-Noise-Architecture) motherboard based solely on linear voltage regulators and powered by the optimo™ x1 linear power supply with capacitors (including the flagship Muse and Fine Gold Nichicon) with a total capacity of 140,000 μF. The whole thing is controlled by a super-stable Emerald OCXO clock and all Lan connectors are gold-plated, shielded and separated by 12-core transformers. As a data storage (the system is stored and each time booted from an SD card) a 4TB SSD is used, specially selected for the sound, which can be replaced with an 8TB unit on request (during initial configuration).

Okay, but apart from the appearance and ergonomics, the most important thing for potential buyers is probably how the XACT S1 sounds. And I dare say that it sounds clearly and surprisingly different from most of the solutions available on the market. I deliberately wrote that the majority of them, not all of them, because not so long ago I had the opportunity to „play” with the top 432 EVO Master for a while, and the Polish streamer transport is clearly going in the direction of the aesthetics represented by the Belgian competitor. This is because the sound is so far from the commonly understood „digital” presentation, that if you do not know that a file source is playing, you can be completely convinced, you are listening to a representative of the analog domain. The first thing that strikes the ears is the extraordinary smoothness and calmness of the presentation, but achieved not by lessening of the resolution and limitation of dynamics, but through the highest level of realism, at which the domain represented by the source, whether digital or analog, does not have the slightest importance, or at least a secondary, or tertiary one. What really counts is the music, and clearly here it is the most important thing. For example, the guitar „In Between Thoughts… A New World” by the duo Rodrigo y Gabriela, which came out very „vinyly”, but not like on long play records, but in terms of „strings”, in which the timbre and „body” of the guitars lead the way over edge and precision. However, again I would like to note that we are still moving on the level of differences of an aesthetic nature, not of a qualitative nature, so shifting the emphasis from analytic and resolution to the melodic and emotional aspect does not degrade any features in favor of others. We still operate with the full volume of information, and only the final effect is composed in a slightly different way. Looking for an analogy, one could dare to say that the S1 is an evident contradiction of studio analytics and is definitely closer to the music lover’s point of view. However, the above associations should also be accompanied by appropriate footnotes, because this music lover’s character is only a keyword, giving a general idea of the approach of the tested transport to the reproduced material. Just an initial and general tip for people looking for certain characteristic features of a rather unspecified degree of intensity. Nevertheless, in retrospect, I can see that due to this melomaniac and extremely addictive musicality, surprisingly often during the tests, the repertoire included on my playlists was not only coming from the circle of dangerous roars and sharp guitar pounding („CARNAL” Nothing More), but also from areas I reach for very rarely. For example, the free-jazz „Ganryu Island”, which is the result of cooperation between John Zorn and Michihiro Sato, and for an outsider resembles the recording of the end of a lavishly drunk party at a toy stand with toys for animals and instruments for preschoolers. However, with XACT in the sound path, these seemingly random sounds began to form a quite reasonable whole, arousing interest, instead of irritating as usual. Coming back to the heavier types of rock („Bring Out Your Dead” by ELYSION), let me mention that the S1 was characterized by a very interesting feature. Well, despite the apparent softness of the lowest frequencies, it was impossible to accuse them of slowing down, loss of control or lack of resolution. Everything was in its place, and yet you could say everything about the bass of the tested transport, except that it is „crunchy” and usually it is the crunchiness that gives resolution. And here it is, seemingly soft, but still in control. Just such a tender brute. Because when it was necessary to strike, the blow was as merciless as it was precise. And he was rendered with innate finesse, but that goes without saying.

Therefore, there is nothing else left for me to do but to sum up. Due to the sound features represented, I consider the XACT S1 as a kind of alternative to most of the competing solutions available on the market. In fact, by some of the listeners focused on the most analytical sound, it may even be considered an evident example of an aberration, but looking from the perspective of faithful acolytes of analogue, the Wrocław made streamer seems to be a 100% obvious choice, because operating at the same level of coherence as the sources known to them, due to working on files and not „vinyl stampings”, it is devoid of any parasitic artefacts, which, when read mechanically, are as obvious as they are inevitable. In fact, keeping the turntable logic, there is no point in leaving it alone, because without the controller it will only play to the end of the song, although unlike the good old „grinder” it will not scrub unproductively with the needle while waiting for the tonearm to be lifted. So if you are looking for a source that provides above-average listening pleasure, even during long sessions, with virtually any source material, then the XACT S1 should certainly be on your list.

Marcin Olszewski

System used in this test:
– CD/DAC: Vitus SCD-025mkII
– 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: Dynaudio Contour 30 + Brass Spike Receptacle Acoustic Revive SPU-8 + Base Audio Quartz platforms
– 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

Do you know the Polish brand JPLAY? No? This means only one thing – you are not using files. Namely, the point is that this Wrocław-based entity successfully entered not only the domestic, but also foreign, market a few years ago with a dedicated program for decoding files while listening to music. Time passed, the product gained more and more reputation and in the meantime new ideas were born in the head of the brand’s owner, until the moment came to implement another idea in the form of XACT. This time, unlike in the beginnings of the brand’s existence, the project is already fully formed, as it consists of digital signal and DC power cabling, anti-vibration feet and the flagship design, which is the first Polish fully fledged file server, the S1. What from this list has made it to our testing room? Of course, the company flagship, the streamer, provided directly by the manufacturer, equipped with the company’s XACT S1 proprietary software.

The tested server, which can play and stream music, is quite a large device, due to the fact that it contains a hard drive inside. On one hand, it is quite wide, because it reaches the size of typical audio designs, on the other hand, it is not high, for the purposes of cool visualization, it is just a few centimeters high, and thirdly, it is quite deep, because it occupies a standard platform for sound generating gear. All in all it is a flat cuboid wrapped in an oval aluminum band. Perhaps the photos do not reflect this, but despite its large size, it is a really neat device. And it is neat not only because of the clash of the colors of the aforementioned aluminum of the main part of the case with the black of the front and rear panels, but also because the designer, following the spirit of the times, did not put any display in the fascia. Is this an error on their behalf? For many, perhaps. However, let’s not fool ourselves, no matter how much we want to act in terms of the process of listening to music from files, we are doomed to open a program that controls the player on a dedicated tablet or smartphone. After all, in the vast majority of cases, even if there is such an option, you do not go to the system and click the buttons on the front, but if you want to make adjustments to the music selection, you do it in the app, while sitting comfortably in your armchair. That is why the decision was made to abandon the display and thus minimize the height of the device, which has a good effect on the visual perception of the product. In this way, the slightly recessed front of the S1 is equipped only with a square switch oriented on the left flank, illuminated by an amber glow, and on the right side in the lower part of the brand logo. As for the rear connection panel, this one offers us 5 LAN inputs, one WAN, an SD card slot, 3 USB inputs (DAC, HDD, DAC no 5V), a power socket and a voltage selector for powering the device. In terms of technicalities, it is worth mentioning the with the mentioned 4TB SSD inside the device, the S1 can work as a regular server/router/switch or a player controlled by the proprietary JPLAY app. I will not write about the list of supported formats, because XACT-S1, literally and figuratively, in addition to supporting Qobuz and Tidal platforms, copes with practically everything that is currently available. To conclude the paragraph about the design, I will also mention that during the test we used the company’s XACT DIGITAL CABLING (LAN, USB), the test of which will be published shortly.

How did the streamer fare? Well, its presence in the editorial system for several days was a very positive surprise for me. It did not try to make the presentation radically different from the competition, but it uses their best features to present its idea of sounding and making listening a pleasure. What do I have in mind as points of reference? Let me tell you. In order to show how the Wrocław-based XACT S-1 fared, I decided to compare its capabilities with such giants of our market as the well-known Auralic and Lumin. Each of the mentioned brands has its supporters and opponents, and their main features are playing with a clear line and energy of the former, as well as the dense and vivid, well supported by the rest of the ranges, midrange of the latter. Two worlds, but as it happens in life, they are not always able to reconcile the needs of the entire population of music lovers. That’s why I think that our today’s hero will be able to fill a kind of niche. What niche you may ask? Well, the S1 sounds with great timbre, a full package of information and interesting lightness. No, not with slimming, but with effortless recreation of soundstage events in the ether. And while it would seem that this is the end of the list of interesting aspects of the XACT’s sound, the Polish player has one more ace in its sleeve, which is the vividness of playing. Without artificially inflating the clarity of the sound, such as the sharpness of the drawing or turning up of the energy level, it can balance these features, so that the message is homogeneous, and at the same time reflects well the spirit of the material. And it is this ability to show even the greatest predatoriness of music in an aesthetic, that is pleasantly received, because it avoids the intrusiveness of reproduction without losing its essential features. And in my opinion is what can convince those who are undecided about the previously mentioned ways of communing with music. It was so contagious, that after returning to the Lumin after the test I needed a few tracks to accommodate, and I will not say, but with the help of juggling some cables, I made an attempt to get closer to the sound the Polish player. At first, it seemed impossible to me to present the actions of AC/DC „Highway To Hell” with appropriate flair, and at the same time with a certain, maintaining the joy of listening, smoothness. However, it turned out that it was possible. With the EXACT, there was a drive and an appropriate amount of mass in the sound, but also a hint of smoothness. Of course, the eulogists of maximum sharpness would probably prefer the “blood coming from the ears” type of sound, but there is no need to deceive ourselves, no manufacturer who wants to offer a universal, but at the same time pleasant for the majority of the population of homo sapiens device, will go for such an extreme experience. The reason for that? Banal. Of course, it is about choosing the aesthetics of the presentation in such a way that both strong rock and the cult concert of Keith Jarrett from Köln sound as good as possible at a given price level. After all, the aforementioned “blood from the ears” will not allow the piano to sound homogeneous enough, so manufacturers have to make compromises, which in my opinion the owner of the XACT brand has implemented them very well. At the beginning of the test, I thought that it would be boring because of this, but after understanding the approach to the subject matter and achieving this sonic result, it turned out that it was radically different. Strongly, expressively, but in a good tone, in relation to a pleasant way of spending free time with music playing in the background.

How will I conclude the above description? Do not worry, I will not try to put grandiose sentences to the paper, because the tested XACT S1 will defend itself perfectly. Let me just remind you that by deciding on it, we will get a world of music that avoids experiential extremes, like on the one hand whipping the listener with excessive sharpness of the presentation, and on the other being too strongly embedded in the mass. Its sonic offer is above this and focuses on a good consensus between these borderline features. It sounds smooth, but with good resolution and without tiring effort, which will certainly allow the buyer to spend long hours with the music in full excitement of the emotions contained in it. And that is what we want, or not?

Jacek Pazio

System used in this test:
Source:
– transport: CEC TL 0 3.0
– streamer: Lumin U2 Mini + switch Quantum Science Audio (QSA) Red
– 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 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 S1: 12 000 € + 2 000 € – optional upgrade into 8TB
XACT Phantom USB Cable: 3 000€ / 1,2 m
XACT Phantom USB Cable: 3 000€ / 1,2 m