Thank you so much for this great review I actually bought this unit in black few years ago ( I believe before COVID-19) from an authorized dealer in US . The unit I got would get stuck when ripping CDs and in some instances it would not rip all the CD then I had to turn it off from the main switch until one day it would not turn on at all. Luckily it was still under warranty and the dealer repaired it at no cost and I was happy with them I ripped about 50 CDs which is small % of my collection ( I am vintage and have bought CDs from early 80ties to around 2015. Loved the unit in my “ mancave) and ended up buying an X35 for my office. I have an IMac connected to the router via Ethernet cable, and I have a Drobo with redundant HDs also on the same network at home. Both the X45 and X35 are on the same network via Ethernet cables. On my IMac and Drobo I have music files that I had recorded via portable digital devices ( DAT, minidisc, PCM digital, DSD via the portable digital device Is it possible to see from the X45 or from the X35 what is on all four devices mentioned above I tried to follow the instructions using the state function but it always comes back with an error message Is it possible to ask for your assistance ? Perhaps via zoom call? Thank you
Hey MC…instant sub for that Kiss Cold Gin.🍸Just jumped to this, from the initial set up video. That Cocktail unit is super cool. Great room. Now back to our program…🍻
Thanks for sharing, my only problem is you may not enjoy the coctail audio X45 for year(s) as they will quite releasing firmware updates, and just come out with the X55. So you will need to upgrade. Otherwise, a great video on those fancy music servers, I always wondered the details on them.
I don't have any other gear to compare it to but I am perfect happy with it. I know records sound more open and 3 dimensional compared to high res digital files so I guess that means it must be either pretty good or the DAC in the X45 is lacking. But that's under intense scrutiny. Without direct comparisons, I have not once thought to myself I need to upgrade. I love the way everything sounds and the navigation of digital content within the X45 is just so easy and enjoyable. My problem is the small room size and that I would upgrade the very second I could.
Hello I have two questions please How can I see from my cocktail audio the content of my IMac ? Also if I am streaming music can I take the stream out of the digital output ( coax or Toslink) and put it into the input digital coax or toslink amd record it in the internal hard drive? Thanks
I have an X45 and all of a sudden the remote has stopped working. Trying to reach Novatron - no response. I am also constantly getting 'Tidal Media is loading slowly' when I am running Roon - and once that happens - I have to restart the X45. It was great at the start when i bought the unit - now it's bothersome ! Wonder if you have any experience with this kind of issue ? I have a very fast 1GB Fibre connection at home and I dont think it's the internet thats an issue as even if I play a ripped CD from the Internal drive - it just stops playing !
This Is a great piece of kit. But You can get one that will do most of those things, for a quarter of the price. The Sweetvinyl Sugarcube SC-2 Mini. It will eliminate Pops and Clicks, and now Surface Noise. and all In real time. Thanks for reviewing this.
Great video very well done; if I may, a couple of suggestions! Upgrade the fuse in the X 45 with the synergistic orange or maybe purple and get a set of Isoacoustics Aurios under the unit …..I think you’ll be quite amazed at the results. Let me know if you do.
Thanks for the tips! However, could you explain why a non moving solid state component needs Isolation or a $200 fuse? Help me understand that. Those seem like costly luxurious more suited for higher end equipment and disposable incomes.
@@MancaveCentral1 Just my personal experience!! I upgraded the fuses in my Focal solo 6 monitors and couldn’t believe my ears -it’s like a veil lifted from the front! and then moved on to the Isoacoustics -I have them under everything and again I have a much better listening experience. As they say -nothing ventured nothing gained!
@@MancaveCentral1 "Those seem like costly luxurious more suited for higher end equipment and disposable incomes."...um this is $2600 I'd say its suited lol
Yes, this music player and DAC cost me about that. Add the tower speaker pair of $4000 and the monoblock amps at $1500 a set and the Turntable at $500, my complete 2 channel audio system is about $8,600 not including the cables. It was difficult to pay for and I still have a nasty credit card bill I'm chiseling away at. Indeed, that system cost is nothing to sneeze at for anyone not understanding the entry level needs of excellent sound. In fact, it's probably still not good enough to make any credible comments on recordings in the guise of "reviews". However, I have priced many stand alone quality DAC's at between $10,000-$20,000 each, amplifiers between $5000 to $15,000 each and speaker pairs well near $50,000 a set. If I were truly an obsessed audiophile, this measly little listening room could cost upwards of between $50,000 to $100,000 just for the best sounding 2 channel listening experience. That's real audio gear meant for critical listening, not home theater equipment. If you think those prices are exaggerations, please visit stores like Musicdirect, Hi-Fi Heaven and even AcousticSounds. Certainly, I wouldn't bat an eye at spending another $500 on fluff, why not throw in an audiophile AC plug or medical grade outlet while I'm spending more on sound than many people do on entire houses. I will however, settle for spending more on sound than many do on their trailer homes. ;)
I hope you can help me. I ripped mu cd collection to the x45. I have found the x45 freezes all the time. Have you heard of this issue and a resolution for it?
I use mine all the time, ripping CD, burning LP's, accessing files via DLNA etc... and have never experience a single hiccup. I can only assume your unit is defective. Without knowing all your details, perhaps the internal drive or usb device you're ripping to is defective causing the OS in the device to choke up. I use a Samsung SSD inside mine. Maybe try a different storage device. In the case of the Cocktail Audio, ripped files are encrypted but can be moved and copied from HDD to SSD or even UBS thumb drive without the need to re-rip in case you discover your existing storage device is the problem. On the plus side, reaching out to cocktail audio support may not be a bad idea, they responded to me after a few days when inquiring about streaming services so I know they are responsive.
@@MancaveCentral1 Does that mean, that you can use USB stick that you have transfered music from X45 onto, in the car's radio and it will have no problems playing them?
On page 28 of the manual, item 32 says: "CAP/NUM: Toggle numeric key, alphabet key and special characters". That would be the only way to get to it. However, dropping Novatron support an email will get you an answer: www.cocktailaudio.com/home/bbs/write.php?bo_table=contact They've responded to me a few times. Let's hope that ! is actually there somewhere!
...probably the best review/user manual of this device i'v seen...thank you...
Thank you so much for this great review
I actually bought this unit in black few years ago ( I believe before COVID-19) from an authorized dealer in US . The unit I got would get stuck when ripping CDs and in some instances it would not rip all the CD then I had to turn it off from the main switch until one day it would not turn on at all. Luckily it was still under warranty and the dealer repaired it at no cost and I was happy with them
I ripped about 50 CDs which is small % of my collection ( I am vintage and have bought CDs from early 80ties to around 2015.
Loved the unit in my “ mancave) and ended up buying an X35 for my office.
I have an IMac connected to the router via Ethernet cable, and I have a Drobo with redundant HDs also on the same network at home. Both the X45 and X35 are on the same network via Ethernet cables.
On my IMac and Drobo I have music files that I had recorded via portable digital devices ( DAT, minidisc, PCM digital, DSD via the portable digital device
Is it possible to see from the X45 or from the X35 what is on all four devices mentioned above
I tried to follow the instructions using the state function but it always comes back with an error message
Is it possible to ask for your assistance ? Perhaps via zoom call?
Thank you
Hey MC…instant sub for that Kiss Cold Gin.🍸Just jumped to this, from the initial set up video. That Cocktail unit is super cool. Great room. Now back to our program…🍻
Really hope you are able to pull those speakers into the room when you are doing some listening. Great setup.
Thanks for sharing, my only problem is you may not enjoy the coctail audio X45 for year(s) as they will quite releasing firmware updates, and just come out with the X55. So you will need to upgrade. Otherwise, a great video on those fancy music servers, I always wondered the details on them.
Great vid. I'm gonna buy one; could you tell me the reference of the SSD disk ?
How good is the phono preamp? What price range would i compare to if you bought a pure phono preamp you think?
I don't have any other gear to compare it to but I am perfect happy with it. I know records sound more open and 3 dimensional compared to high res digital files so I guess that means it must be either pretty good or the DAC in the X45 is lacking. But that's under intense scrutiny. Without direct comparisons, I have not once thought to myself I need to upgrade. I love the way everything sounds and the navigation of digital content within the X45 is just so easy and enjoyable. My problem is the small room size and that I would upgrade the very second I could.
Hello
I have two questions please
How can I see from my cocktail audio the content of my IMac ?
Also if I am streaming music can I take the stream out of the digital output ( coax or Toslink) and put it into the input digital coax or toslink amd record it in the internal hard drive?
Thanks
I have an X45 and all of a sudden the remote has stopped working. Trying to reach Novatron - no response. I am also constantly getting 'Tidal Media is loading slowly' when I am running Roon - and once that happens - I have to restart the X45. It was great at the start when i bought the unit - now it's bothersome ! Wonder if you have any experience with this kind of issue ? I have a very fast 1GB Fibre connection at home and I dont think it's the internet thats an issue as even if I play a ripped CD from the Internal drive - it just stops playing !
This Is a great piece of kit. But You can get one that will do most of those things, for a quarter of the price. The Sweetvinyl Sugarcube SC-2 Mini. It will eliminate Pops and Clicks, and now Surface Noise. and all In real time. Thanks for reviewing this.
The drive used to be LG, now it is Hitachi LG. The X45 is old on the market: do they keep producing new stock of this model?
I take it this is better than the Rose?...
Great video very well done; if I may, a couple of suggestions! Upgrade the fuse in the X 45 with the synergistic orange or maybe purple and get a set of Isoacoustics Aurios under the unit …..I think you’ll be quite amazed at the results. Let me know if you do.
Thanks for the tips! However, could you explain why a non moving solid state component needs Isolation or a $200 fuse? Help me understand that. Those seem like costly luxurious more suited for higher end equipment and disposable incomes.
@@MancaveCentral1 Just my personal experience!! I upgraded the fuses in my Focal solo 6 monitors and couldn’t believe my ears -it’s like a veil lifted from the front! and then moved on to the Isoacoustics -I have them under everything and again I have a much better listening experience. As they say -nothing ventured nothing gained!
@@MancaveCentral1 "Those seem like costly luxurious more suited for higher end equipment and disposable incomes."...um this is $2600 I'd say its suited lol
Yes, this music player and DAC cost me about that. Add the tower speaker pair of $4000 and the monoblock amps at $1500 a set and the Turntable at $500, my complete 2 channel audio system is about $8,600 not including the cables. It was difficult to pay for and I still have a nasty credit card bill I'm chiseling away at. Indeed, that system cost is nothing to sneeze at for anyone not understanding the entry level needs of excellent sound. In fact, it's probably still not good enough to make any credible comments on recordings in the guise of "reviews".
However, I have priced many stand alone quality DAC's at between $10,000-$20,000 each, amplifiers between $5000 to $15,000 each and speaker pairs well near $50,000 a set. If I were truly an obsessed audiophile, this measly little listening room could cost upwards of between $50,000 to $100,000 just for the best sounding 2 channel listening experience. That's real audio gear meant for critical listening, not home theater equipment.
If you think those prices are exaggerations, please visit stores like Musicdirect, Hi-Fi Heaven and even AcousticSounds. Certainly, I wouldn't bat an eye at spending another $500 on fluff, why not throw in an audiophile AC plug or medical grade outlet while I'm spending more on sound than many people do on entire houses.
I will however, settle for spending more on sound than many do on their trailer homes. ;)
can you record straight from lp to this unit? thank you!
Absolutely, you can. I do it often, and the quality is perfect. There are audio samples in my record cleaning machine comparison video.
I hope you can help me. I ripped mu cd collection to the x45. I have found the x45 freezes all the time. Have you heard of this issue and a resolution for it?
I use mine all the time, ripping CD, burning LP's, accessing files via DLNA etc... and have never experience a single hiccup. I can only assume your unit is defective. Without knowing all your details, perhaps the internal drive or usb device you're ripping to is defective causing the OS in the device to choke up. I use a Samsung SSD inside mine. Maybe try a different storage device. In the case of the Cocktail Audio, ripped files are encrypted but can be moved and copied from HDD to SSD or even UBS thumb drive without the need to re-rip in case you discover your existing storage device is the problem. On the plus side, reaching out to cocktail audio support may not be a bad idea, they responded to me after a few days when inquiring about streaming services so I know they are responsive.
No free space on hard drive ?
@@MancaveCentral1 Does that mean, that you can use USB stick that you have transfered music from X45 onto, in the car's radio and it will have no problems playing them?
Hey. does anybody know how to input an exclamation mark in the password for WIFI? this symbol does not seem to be available on the remote. cheers.
On page 28 of the manual, item 32 says: "CAP/NUM: Toggle numeric key, alphabet key
and special characters". That would be the only way to get to it. However, dropping Novatron support an email will get you an answer: www.cocktailaudio.com/home/bbs/write.php?bo_table=contact
They've responded to me a few times. Let's hope that ! is actually there somewhere!
@@MancaveCentral1 thanks a lot! will give it a try.
Good god..all this just to listen to music! Too much to navigate through.