[eugenius]

It would be great if this server used one of those new Compute Cards from Intel.
They have a 6W Core M model.

 

[thyname]

Recent updates:

Matrix has decided to go all the way and start with a flagship model! It will be based on the prototype design that everyone loved with a built in DAC.


Some preliminary features...

The built in ESS Sabre ES9038Pro DAC module will use a FPGA to support PCM 768 and DSD 1024 playback.

There will be 2 x user accessable 2.5" storage drive bays for SSD or hard drives (in addition to the board mounted M.2).

The CPU processor hasn't been decided yet. More testing is required.


Please continue to give us some suggestions!

Thank you, Arthur

Roon Ready built in support. Lots of Roon enthusiasts that would scoop these up if pricing is right.

MQA licensing.

 

[ArthurPower]

Euphony is already Roon certified. It can be used as an endpoint or a complete self contained Roon server.

MQA support is already in the works. We know this is an important feature especially for Tital streaming.

The Intel Compute card is a great product but will most likely not have sufficient processing power for this application. Upsampling PCM to DSD along with some of the other features will require a good multi core CPU. The simple upgradability of a Compute card would be very nice however.

 

[project86]

Well I happen to think the existing concept is getting pretty close to flawless as-is... but I love the idea for easy-access panels for removable storage. SSD technology is still expensive enough in the larger sizes, that the ability to easily swap drives out would come in handy. Can't wait until big 4TB drives become affordable.
 
Linear power supply would be a big marketing win, if not necessarily a real-world advantage over a well-implemented switching unit (depends on the quality of each one more so than the topology imho). 
 
For CPU - Until recently I would have said a decent midrange Haswell or faster would be plenty. But with Roon 1.3 offering so many power-hungry options I now feel it will be beneficial to pack in as much power as possible. The new AMD Ryzen stuff looks very attractive and is priced amazingly, though so far I haven't seen any info about a model under 65W TDP. Passive cooling is still possible for 65W but I'd be far more comfortable with a lower TDP part. Intel's 35W T series models are pretty great in my experience. I use an i7 6700T in one setup and it's pretty damn fast for what it is. 
 
Isolated or otherwise "treated" USB output(s) are always welcome too. The prototype sounded damn good but there's always room for improvement. 

 

[rajacat]

I'd prefer a server without an onboard DAC. DACs  come and go whereas I'd like my server  to stay awhile.

 

[thyname]

I don't have the X-Sabre, but I have the Matrix Quattro II. Using it in DAC mode, paired with Matrix M-Stage HPA-3B. I bought it the other week directly from Matrix Digi USA. With the DSD module:

http://matrix-digi-usa.com/quattro-series

The Quattro II is by far the best DAC I have ever had. And I have had a few including Schiit Bifrost 4490, Schiit Modi Multibit, Deckard, TEAC UD-503, Oppo HA-2.

Relatively inexpensive stack from Matrix, with great performance. I will have to save some money and get the X-Sabre Pro one day...

 

[cmcgarry]

@ArthurPower do you have any further news that you can share on the availability of the X-Server?
 
I was considering buying the X-Sabre Pro until I saw this thread, obtaining Matrix Audio in the UK isn't particularly easy but the combination of music server and DAC is very appealing to me, locating these two vital components in the same hardware and combining with great software could prove to be a winning formula. 

 

[chauphuong]

Hi Arthur, so there will be no X server only (without DAC), right? What a pity and I think many share this feeling.

 

[project86]

  @ArthurPower do you have any further news that you can share on the availability of the X-Server?
 
I was considering buying the X-Sabre Pro until I saw this thread, obtaining Matrix Audio in the UK isn't particularly easy but the combination of music server and DAC is very appealing to me, locating these two vital components in the same hardware and combining with great software could prove to be a winning formula. 

 
I can't speak for the exact time frame but I will say that what I heard from the X-Server prototype was damn impressive. I then heard the X-Sabre 2 with it, and it was even better, though not by a huge margin. 
 
Last word I got was that Matrix wanted 2 versions of the Server - a standard model with the ES9028, and a "Pro" model with the ES9038 and Femto clocks. But I don't know how their plans may have evolved since then.
 
Either way I'm excited about it based on my experience thus far.
 

Hi Arthur, so there will be no X server only (without DAC), right? What a pity and I think many share this feeling.

 
Again, can't speak with authority on this, but Arthur was pushing Matrix to go in that direction. I contributed my thoughts as well. At the time it seemed Matrix wanted to focus on the all in on solution. But things may have changed since then, or may change in the near future, who knows.

 

[cmcgarry]

Thanks for your review of the prototype, that combined with the reviews of the X-Sabre 2 and euphony os that I've found on the web are the reasons I want to get my hands on this thing!

 

[ArthurPower]

Sorry I haven't checked in lately with any updates. There is really no additional news at this point. The focus is still the all inclusive mac daddy design which includes a DAC.

I'm​ still pushing for a second model that would be a server only. Something with the same form factor and design as the new X-Sabre Pro DAC so they would stack nicely and match.

I know they are planning on dual 2.5" drive bays. The nice thing about Euphony is how added storage (additional drives interal or extenal) simply become part of a single unified database and all your music is displayed as one collection of albums.

Euphony continues to be updated and now includes Tidal natively. Internet radio streaming has also been added. Even though most stations are not the best quality I still enjoy listening to and discovering new music this way. I then purchase it and load my new tunes on the server so I can really enjoy it.

Euphony has a lot of features but sound quality is still the number one goal. They have really fine tuned this OS and it honestly sounds better now then anything I have heard running OS X, Windows, or Android.

I know this server has been a long wait but I think everyone will be really blown away by the final product.

 

[uncola]

If they're going to include a dac, might as well make it as good as the seperate dac

 

[project86]

I know it's been a while, and Matrix seems to be dragging their feet on the X-Server. I still get questions about it here and there, so clearly people are interested.

I have no idea why the delay happened.... other than they are probably a smallish company with limited resources, who might be running at capacity already given the popularity and complex build of their new X-Sabre Pro (which evolved from the "X-Sabre 2" I initially discussed in my original post). They do have a new X-SPDIF 2 which is extremely impressive, but probably takes a lot less capital and resources to launch compared to the X-Server - which would be their most expensive product yet, by a significant margin.

Anyway, the ETA for X-Server is still totally unknown. So Arthur and the Euphony folks came up with a good intermediate product which may be a good substitute, or even better in some cases, depending on your needs. It's called the Zenion Music Server - a silent PC running Euphony OS. It runs the latest Kaby Lake low-voltage CPU and is a completely passive, silent solution.

I've been playing with it for a week or so and it does the job quite well. Plenty of horsepower even for upsampling with Roon to DSD256 whilst running other zones at the same time. Temperatures stay low, CPU overhead is exceptional. And as I mentioned before, the Euphony OS is fantastic both sonically as well as operationally. It can do Roon in server mode, or act as a Roon endpoint, or do HQPlayer, or just standard MPD through their very well implemented web interface.

I'll eventually make a dedicated thread when I have more experience with the Zenion. Just wanted to get this out there as I know there was interest in the X-Server. Zenion may not have the same tank-like chassis, and obviously it doesn't have the integrated DAC section.... but at $999, it makes a killer turn-key Euphony solution.

 

[Chopin75]

Is the x-server ever going to come out ? It has been 2 yrs!

 

[project86]

Is the x-server ever going to come out ? It has been 2 yrs!

I don't think so. Seems like Matrix scrapped the idea for whatever reason. They launched the X-Sabre Pro (which is awesome!) and then not much since then, unfortunately.