Black Cocktail Audio x40 - Wireless | Music Server | Streamer | CD Player | DAC | Phono Stage

Cocktail X40 - CD Player | DAC | Music Server (2TB internal Drive) | Music Streamer | Phone Stage (MM) 
Over the past few years, Novatron has released music servers under the brand name Cocktail Audio: the X30, and X40. They share a core of features, particularly those related to ripping and organizing music, along with an interface for playback, a headphone output, lines in and out, Ethernet connectivity, and USB host ports. However, the feature sets vary with the price.

New in 2014, the X40 ($2695), which is the same size as the X30, is marketed as a true audiophile component that can play DSD64/128/256/DXD and PCM up to 32/384, and that boasts a Sabre ES9018K2M DAC, a moving-magnet phono stage, and balanced analog outputs on XLR connectors. In contrast to its less-expensive siblings, the X40 has no built-in amplification.

Features

My review sample of the X40 arrived in a cloth bag and double-boxed. Included were a remote control, a power cord, an FM antenna lead, and a data disc containing a copy of FreeDB, software for tagging the contents of CDs ripped when offline. (When connected to the Internet, the X40 will directly consult the online version of FreeDB.) What I first noticed as I set up the X40 was how nice it looked -- its 12mm-thick faceplate of brushed aluminum exuded quality. Also on the front are a slot-loading CD-ROM drive, a headphone jack, a USB Type A port, a 3.5mm Auxiliary input, an On/Standby button, and buttons for menu navigation: Input, Return, Stop, Menu. At either end of the front panel is a 1.5”-wide knob: Mute/Volume on the left, and OK/Pause/Scroll on the right; the knobs turn smoothly, with detents. To the right of the disc slot is the 5” LCD screen, with a resolution of 800x480 pixels.