Audio: Listen to this article.
JCAT’s Marcin Ostapowicz (@Marcin_gps) first told me about his vision for the S1 server and his plan to bring it to market a couple years ago. Since then I followed up with him numerous times to check on the progress and to make sure I was still in the queue to get a review unit. The main reasons for this are because I really like Marcin, he’s an honest guy who loves music, and he creates very high quality products (JCAT, JPLAY, XACT, JPLAY for iOS) with passion.
The S1 Evo and N1 network switch combination were designed with laser focus on one thing, quality. This focus was so tight that when I inquired about the S1 not playing MP3 files, I was told that was by design. Not because the company hates MP3s or those who enjoy them, but because the company didn’t want to install any software on the S1 that wasn’t absolutely necessary.
Note: My review unit is the upgraded S1 Evo version of the server, as opposed to the original S1 (non-Evo version). The S1 Evo has a better clock on JCAT’s only master OCXO clock board, in-house developed ceramic-aluminum footers, and upgraded internal cabling.
The S1 Evo is a UPnP renderer or server and renderer, depending on how it’s configured. There is no web interface or way to interact with it, other than a power button on the front. It’s designed to work perfectly with the JPLAY for iOS app and comes with a lifetime license for the remote control product.
The version that arrived at my house for review contained a four terabyte SSD, selected by Marcin. At first I only wanted to use the S1 Evo as an endpoint / UPnP renderer, but after loading music on the internal SSD, I was sold on the concept. It’s just so simple to use it as the UPnP server and renderer, and everything works perfectly.
Talking to Ostapowicz about his six year dream of creating the S1 Evo, his excitement and belief in the product are readily apparent. Finally bringing to market the S1 Evo with a custom motherboard, low jitter OCXO clock, Optima X1 power supply, and an entire design with 100% linear regulators everywhere, was quite a feat for Marcin’s team. He is very proud of this “baby,” as he should be.
When the S1 Evo and N1 arrived, I was initially very interested in the hardware. But, as soon as I sat down to listen, I really didn’t care about the hardware and custom design in/outside the units. I soon forgot about everything other than the music and the JPLAY for iOS app that was my interface to my music collection and Tidal. In my mind this is one of the highest compliments I can pay to a product. I forgot about it! Just like the best referees in sports are the ones you don’t see or think about, the same can be said of the best HiFi products. I only wanted more of my music through the S1 / N1 combo.
It’s All In the Listening
Listening through the XACT S1 Evo to Long Road, Pearl Jam with Jack Irons on drums and Neil Young on pump organ, there’s a sonic purity to the sound that removes a barrier between the emotion of the musicians / music and the listener. As Eddie Vedder sings, “I have wished for so long…, How I wish for you today,” Jack Irons keeps the loop-like beat on drums that sound extraordinarily organic for a hard rock “grunge” band recording in 1995. Stone Goddard manages to add even more emotion with the absolutely simplest chords on rhythm guitar, but they serve the song better than any overcomplicated shredding master could ever dream of.
Through the XACT S1 Evo / N1 combo feeding a dCS Rossini APEX, this song sounds as good as I’ve ever heard it in my listening room. I’m enthralled by the musicians, the music, the emotion, and the sound quality. Anyone who has been around Audiophile Style more than three minutes knows I’ve listened to every Pearl Jam song ever made, a million times, in my systems over the years. The fact that this one sounds as good as it does right now, is a testament to the work and dedication of Marcin Ostapowicz, JCAT’s Founder and creator.
It’s a beautiful day here in Minneapolis and my listing room windows are wide open to let in the fresh air. However, I don’t know how many times I can play this song on repeat, until the neighbors call the cops, thinking I’ve fallen and can’t get up. Perhaps if the cops arrive, I can share this incredible magic with them as well. I feel a bit guilty that I’m the only person experiencing this sonic bliss.
And the wind keeps rollin',
And the sky keeps turning gray.
And the sun is set...
The sun will rise another day.
I have wished for so long...
How I wish for you today.
I have wished for so long...
How I wish for you today.
Will I walk the long road?
We all walk the long road...
Scrolling through my Pearl Jam collection I’m compelled to put on another rarity named Dead Man. Guitarist Stone Goddard recently told a story about attempting to add to the lyrics of this song, while Eddie was writing it. The song features very few lyrics, among them the prominent phrase, “I'm a dead man walking. Dead man walking.” Stone thought the song would be better by adding the word “around.” As in, a dead man walking around. Its the story goes, Vedder told Stone that when he wrote a song as good as this one, he could ad any lyrics he wished. Stone laughed about it when retelling the story, in a way that made Vedder seem confident but not a control freak. Good stuff to say the least.
Anyway, playing Dead Man through the S1 Evo provides an even more intimate experience than listening to Long Road. It’s pretty much just basic guitar, bass, and vocals. Vedder’s voice sounds both authoritative and vulnerable at the same time, while singing about pretty heavy stuff. I can’t recall ever hearing some of the added “sound effects” on this track, but on my system today I can hear all of them adding an ethereal feel to the track that squeezes out even more emotion from the song and myself as I listen.
When I can hear this deep into a track, and still keep the song as a whole in the foreground as the most important thing, I start to get even more invested and more immersed in the story and the telling of the story. For example, I started wondering not only about the character(s) the song was written about but the instruments being played, down to the strings on the guitar. The palpability of everything individually and as a whole demands inquiry in the best way imaginable. How can an already wonderful hobby get any better than this?
Switching up my musical selections a bit, I played the High Definition Tape Transfer of Stravinsky Conducts Le Sacred du Printemps with the Columbia Symphony Orchestra. Through the S1 Evo I could hear absolutely everything and was sucked into the sound as much or more than any previous listening session of this same music.
When “track” two, The Augurs of Spring, starts, the string section has amazing texture that is often reserved for soloists performing among completely black backgrounds. Not the case with this large recording of the entire symphony orchestra. Bravo to the engineers and producer of this recording for capturing it all and laying out all out there for us to enjoy on a capable audio system.
The hectic craziness of track three, Ritual of Abduction, with its wonderful transients and bombastic percussion is part wall of sound-esque but in the best way because instruments come out of individual spaces within the soundstage rather than everything jammed into a huge amalgam of sound. While listening, it was like watching fireworks against a black sky because each musician or section would pop out from its rightful space among the entire orchestra, within the soundstage. The XACT S1 Evo really presented this entire album amazingly well to my dCS Rossini APEX.
So well in fact that I’ve been listening to this recording way more than usual. It’s an album that would get some play now and then because it’s great, but not because I have an emotional pull to it, like a Pearl Jam album. However, when played through a truly great audio system all bets are off. I can visualize the musicians, the hall, and Stravinsky commanding the best from the Columbia Symphony Orchestra as it plays his music how he imagined it, which I assume is a tall order.
Wrap Up
The XACT S1 Evo / N1 switch combination is a new favorite of mine. I’d previously listened to the S1 Evo combo at an event and for several hours in a somewhat new system. I certainly didn’t have any sonic reservations at that time, but I wasn’t listening in the same environment in which I spend around 2,000 hours per year listening. Now that I’ve spent a serious amount of time with the combo in my own system, listening to all kinds of music, by choice or because the system pulled me into other music unexpectedly, I’ve solidified my view that this combo is capable of reproducing pure sonic bliss and performing at the highest levels of this hobby.
Marcin’s singular focus with S1 Evo, supporting UPnP in a very tightly controlled hardware / software system with USB output, will be seen as a huge bonus for many listeners. Those seeking a more adjustable or flexible source or endpoint should continue their searches for a component that sounds and works his good, but offers the desired features.
A big tip of the cap is in order for Marcin Ostapowicz, and his team, both for envisioning this product and for bringing it to market rather than keeping it for himself. The S1 Evo is very special. It delivers in all aspects in which it was designed to deliver. The CASH List was made for products like the XACT S1 Evo.
Product Information:
- XACT S1 evo Music Server - 16,000 Euro
- XACT N1 Network Switch - 6,000 Euro
About the author - https://audiophile.style/about
Author's Complete Audio System Details with Measurements - https://audiophile.style/system
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