Streamers & Servers

The Aavik S-280 is a network audio streamer made by Aavik, with Ethernet LAN, two USB 2.0 ports supporting up to 2 TB, and S/PDIF BNC, Toslink, and RCA line outputs. It supports 32–192 kHz, 24-bit audio and uses separate low-jitter clocks for 44.1 kHz- and 48 kHz-based material, with six regulated power supplies, 72 active Tesla coils, 164 active square Tesla coils, and six dither circuits. Its enclosure uses an Aavik-developed natural-based composite material to reduce mechanical resonance and minimize aluminum, and the design separates the individual functional units.

The Ansuz Titanium Rack is an audio equipment rack made by Ansuz, with machined titanium uprights, height-adjustable locking feet, and a black-ash-finished shelf made from layered wood-based composite materials. Its structural x-section uses four identical solid-aluminium parts secured by a locking mechanism, with standard brass pins connecting the modules and optional Ceramic Balls or Ansuz Darkz with two sets of Ceramic Balls. The rack integrates Ansuz Darkz resonance-control components, available in C2T, D2T, S2T, T2, and T2S configurations using aluminium, stainless steel, or titanium discs and titanium balls.

The Antipodes K50 is the New Zealand brand's flagship one-box music server, streamer, and reclocker, built around three physically and electrically isolated computing modules — one for server duties, one for player/playback, and one dedicated reclocker — housed in a heavily partitioned chassis to prevent internal noise cross-contamination (hifi-advice.com). It runs a dedicated Fedora Linux OS on an Intel i7 processor with 16GB RAM and supports virtually every playback pathway including Roon, Squeeze, HQPlayer, and MinimServer (Stereophile).

The Auralic Altair G2.2 is an all-in-one streaming DAC and preamplifier built around Auralic's proprietary "Fusion DAC" architecture, which blends a discrete ladder-DAC topology with a modified ESS Delta-Sigma chip, and adds a built-in moving-magnet phono stage and headphone amplifier to its streaming and preamp functions (Stereonet; Hifi Pig). Stereonet gave it a "wholehearted recommendation for those wishing to upgrade to a serious, premium-priced digital audio source component" (Stereonet).

The Auralic Aries G2.1 is a pure digital streaming transport (bridge) with no built-in DAC or analog outputs, built on Auralic's Tesla G2 processing platform and housed in the brand's dual-layer "Unity Chassis II" (aluminum outer shell, copper inner compartment) for vibration and noise isolation. It supports internal 2.5" SSD/HDD storage for use as a music server, CD ripping via an external USB drive, and Auralic's proprietary galvanically-isolated "Lightning Link" connection for stacking with compatible Auralic DACs.

Reference wireless streaming transport with Auralic's Tesla G3 platform, galvanic isolation and Unity chassis; feeds an external DAC.

The Aurender N200 is a high-performance caching music server/streamer positioned below the brand's flagship models, built around an Intel low-power quad-core CPU with 8GB RAM, a TCXO precision clock, and dual user-installable 2.5" drive bays supporting up to two 8TB SSDs. It offers dedicated USB Audio and coaxial S/PDIF outputs, a 6.9" wide IPS display, and Aurender's Conductor app control, along with support for TIDAL, Qobuz, Spotify Connect, and AirPlay.

The Aurender N30SA is the brand's flagship dual-chassis network transport, splitting a "Power Box" (CPU, storage, linear power supplies, LCD circuitry) and an "Audio Box" (digital output board, FPGA, OCXO clock) into two separate machined-aluminum enclosures for maximum electrical and physical isolation (HiFi News). It was developed as the successor challenging the long-standing flagship W20SE, adding an 8.8-inch color IPS display and integrated TIDAL/Qobuz/Spotify Connect/AirPlay streaming (Aurender official).

The Ayre X-8 USB2 is a field-installable USB2 input module for compatible Ayre 8-Series products, including the QX-8, CX-8, EX-8 Integrated Amplifier, and KX-8 Variable Gain Preamplifier with the optional Digital Base DAC circuit. It supports PCM at 44.1–384 kHz with 16-, 20-, or 24-bit depth and DSD64, DSD128, DSD256, and DSD512 RAW, and incorporates jitter-reduction re-clocking and improved galvanic isolation.

The Bluesound Node is the brand's compact "Performance Music Streamer," now in its 6th generation (N132), pairing an ESS Sabre DAC with BluOS multi-room software, a touch-sensitive control strip, and a full complement of analog/digital outputs in a slim, sub-2-lb chassis. It remains one of the most widely recommended entry points into serious hi-res network streaming, undercutting the true prosumer price band while offering Roon Ready, MQA, and DSD256 support.

Bricasti Design is a small Massachusetts-based manufacturer with roots in professional studio gear (its founders developed the Lexicon 480L and other legendary studio reverbs, and Bricasti's own M7 reverb is a recording-studio staple), building its consumer audio line — including the M5 — in modest volumes for a loyal, largely direct/specialist-dealer audiophile following rather than mass retail. The diminutive, half-rack-width M5 is a dedicated streaming transport with no internal DAC, designed to pair with Bricasti's own M1/M3/M21 DACs or any third-party DAC over AES, S/PDIF, or USB; it was reviewed in depth by Future Audiophile and is well regarded across audiophile online retailers and forums.

The Cambridge Audio CXN (V2) is a long-running, award-winning network streamer built around dual Wolfson WM8740 DACs and Cambridge's proprietary Adaptive Time Filtering (ATF2) upsampling, offering balanced XLR and unbalanced RCA outputs alongside broad streaming-service support. First launched in 2015 and substantially revised as the "V2" in 2018, it remains in Cambridge's current lineup and was inducted into What Hi-Fi?'s Hall of Fame.

The GroundARAY is a high-frequency-noise-reduction device made by Chord Company for connection to unused sockets on hi-fi and audiovisual equipment. It uses a cylindrical, precision CNC-machined, thick-walled aluminium enclosure and is available with USB A, RCA, DIN, XLR, BNC, RJ45, and HDMI terminations. Five separate noise-reduction systems operate in parallel across different high-frequency ranges, providing a low-impedance, high-bandwidth route from the host equipment’s signal ground and converting electrical noise into heat.

The Cocktail Audio X50Pro is a reference-tier all-in-one digital music server that combines a network streamer, CD ripper/player, and RAID-capable internal storage with an ultra-low phase-noise clock and a quad-core ARM processor, designed to pair with an external DAC and amplifier rather than including its own DAC (Cocktail Audio official; Nexus Acoustics). It is aimed at audiophiles who want to rip, store, and stream large hi-res collections from a single reference-class box (Audiocostruzioni).

The DELA N1 is a full-size digital music library and media server with a 4TB SSD installed in the HS5 highly stable solid-state storage system. It uses a 3mm stainless-steel chassis with aluminum panels, an upgraded power supply with a larger transformer and custom capacitor bank, and an NDK ultra-low-jitter clock with 10MHz external-clock input. Connectivity includes USB 2.0/3.0, dual RJ-45 LAN ports, an SFP optical port, and USB-DAC transport support for UPnP AV/OpenHome and Roon Ready playback. It supports PCM files up to 32-bit/384kHz and DSD files up to 11.3MHz, with Twonky Server and selectable MinimServer2 media-server software.

The Electrocompaniet ECM 1 is a network music streamer and player with a DAC section derived from the ECD 2. It supports lossless, DSD, and high-resolution digital content; Spotify Connect, Tidal, Qobuz Hi-Res, AirPlay, DLNA, internet radio, and music libraries from local USB or network sources. Connectivity and specifications include Wi‑Fi 802.11ac with 2×2 MIMO, 1 Gigabit Ethernet, USB, coaxial and Toslink inputs, and DAC support up to 192 kHz/24-bit.

The Electrocompaniet Rena S2 is a wireless music streamer made by Electrocompaniet for integration with existing HiFi systems or powered speakers. It features a 24-bit/192 kHz DAC, digital optical and coaxial inputs, analog and digital outputs, and wireless WiSA compatibility for speakers and subwoofers. The unit includes configurable DSP presets and can be controlled through the EC Play app or the included EC Living Bluetooth remote with three programmable favourite buttons.

The RENA SA-1 is a streamer and stereo amplifier from Electrocompaniet’s EC Living system. It supports wireless system expansion with a SIRA L-1 subwoofer or TANA L-1 add-on speaker and is configured and controlled through a free app for iPhone, iPad, and Android devices.

The Spider Clamp for EMC 1 MKIV/MKV is a CD spindle clamp developed by Electrocompaniet. It holds the CD down on the spindle and centers it to improve CD reading; it is available in black, blue, and silver.

The Eversolo DMP-A8 is a network streamer, DAC, and fully balanced preamplifier built around AKM's flagship AK4191EQ/AK4499EX chipset, packaged in a CNC-machined aluminum chassis with a 6-inch touchscreen and a companion mobile app. Stereophile named it a Recommended Component in its streamer/DAC category.

The MU1 is a Dutch-designed, hand-assembled music server/streamer from Grimm Audio, the same small pro-audio-derived engineering team behind the LS1 active monitor line, built around a Grimm-designed FPGA for resampling and a factory-installed Roon Core/Endpoint on a custom Linux platform. It has drawn acclaim from Stereophile, 6moons, and HIFICRITIC (which gave it an Audio Excellence Award), and is a recurring favorite in high-end streamer shootout threads on What's Best Forum and Audiogon.

The MU1 is a Dutch-designed, hand-assembled music server/streamer from Grimm Audio, the same small pro-audio-derived engineering team behind the LS1 active monitor line, built around a Grimm-designed FPGA for resampling and a factory-installed Roon Core/Endpoint on a custom Linux platform. It has drawn acclaim from Stereophile, 6moons, and HIFICRITIC (which gave it an Audio Excellence Award), and is a recurring favorite in high-end streamer shootout threads on What's Best Forum and Audiogon.

The Grimm Audio MU2 is a network music streamer, DAC, and analog preamplifier designed as a central hub for digital and analog sources, with an integrated Roon Server, Roon Ready endpoint, UPnP Renderer, Tidal Connect, and support for Tidal and Qobuz. Its FPGA-based discrete Major DAC combines Pure Nyquist upsampling filters with an 11th-order, 1.5-bit noise shaper and uses Grimm Audio’s low-jitter clock architecture. Connectivity includes AES, S/PDIF, and optical digital inputs; XLR and RCA analog inputs and outputs; a headphone output; relay-based analog volume control; and external USB/NAS storage with optional internal SSD support.

Flagship network transport (digital output only) with a 15.4-inch touchscreen, OCXO clock, linear power supply and optical LAN isolation via SFP. Runs Rose OS with Roon Ready certification.