14-Apr-2015, 11:34
After many months of trying to get AIR to work, I've given up with it as my exclusive source.
Dealing with Devialet over the last 6 months has reminded me of that original Linn strap line "garbage in, garbage out" - except in the case of the customer/devialet information flow it seems to be "100% in, 0% out".
Finding a front end which does what a MacBookPro and AIR do is quite restrictive if one wants a single unit containing a ripper, storage (in SSD form), power supply, simplicity of operation, ease of transition, and simple looks.
The contenders for front ends include Melco, Aurender, Auralic, TotalDac: but none of these fulfils all my requirements - and although the Aria does I find it ugly! My prejudices prevent me from trying Linn or Naim, so that just leaves Antipodes (as far as I know) in terms of established manufacturers.
Anyway, I got one direct from Mark Jenkins, the CEO, in new Zealand, on a 60 day sale or return basis.
Mark managed my file transfer from iTunes by Teamviewer software as I slept overnight - which got all my 600 CDs on to the Antipodes - at some stage I will try the ripper - though for all my CDs this would be a long job. The Supersync software ensures that any future changes to one database are reflected in the other database too.
Early days to give a full review of the sound, but I can say at this early stage that I enjoy the Antipodes just as much as I enjoy AIR when white noise free.
Aaron, who pointed me to the Antipodes, feels that it beats AIR in some respects.
It may well not be the best device (I don't know) but it is a great bit of kit combining good sound with ease of operation, a bit like the Devialet.
Dealing with Devialet over the last 6 months has reminded me of that original Linn strap line "garbage in, garbage out" - except in the case of the customer/devialet information flow it seems to be "100% in, 0% out".
Finding a front end which does what a MacBookPro and AIR do is quite restrictive if one wants a single unit containing a ripper, storage (in SSD form), power supply, simplicity of operation, ease of transition, and simple looks.
The contenders for front ends include Melco, Aurender, Auralic, TotalDac: but none of these fulfils all my requirements - and although the Aria does I find it ugly! My prejudices prevent me from trying Linn or Naim, so that just leaves Antipodes (as far as I know) in terms of established manufacturers.
Anyway, I got one direct from Mark Jenkins, the CEO, in new Zealand, on a 60 day sale or return basis.
Mark managed my file transfer from iTunes by Teamviewer software as I slept overnight - which got all my 600 CDs on to the Antipodes - at some stage I will try the ripper - though for all my CDs this would be a long job. The Supersync software ensures that any future changes to one database are reflected in the other database too.
Early days to give a full review of the sound, but I can say at this early stage that I enjoy the Antipodes just as much as I enjoy AIR when white noise free.
Aaron, who pointed me to the Antipodes, feels that it beats AIR in some respects.
It may well not be the best device (I don't know) but it is a great bit of kit combining good sound with ease of operation, a bit like the Devialet.
Innuos Statement 2TB SSD with Next-Gen PSU (with Roon lifetime)
MacBook Pro (with Air)
Draytek Vigor 2860v-Plus/Devialet Original d'Atelier CI Nos. 54A&B/Magico M3 pair
Shunyata cables (digital/interconnect/loudspeaker/power)/Shunyata power units (Triton/Typhon)
Dialog/Phantom Gold/Tree pair
Missing Link cables (power)
England
