⌈ XACT is the newest brand of MARCIN OSTAPOWICZ and joins JPLAY and JCAT led by him. "Established in October this year, it has its WORLD PREMIERE in "High Fidelity". Its first and, for now, only product is the S1 audio files transport. ⌋

˻ PREMIERE ˼

HERE ARE THINGS THAT WE REMEMBERED despite the passage of years. And it doesn't matter if these memories are important or just anecdotal. This was also the case with the files transport by MARCIN OSTAPOWICZ, who came to the editorial office of "High Fidelity" in 2011 to present me the JPLAY software player. At that time, talking among IT engineers about audio files playback programs in terms of sound quality was an equivalent of farting in company. They held their noses and turned away in disgust.

Time has shown that it was ignorance. It was sad but common. People who should have known better than anyone that a program, as a set of instructions, can produce different results depending on HOW it directs a given process, chose to ignore it. And everyone could have just listened to how JPLAY differed from, for example, Foobar 2000 and formulated their own conclusions. I was so convinced by the presentation that I immediately got rid of other programs and used JPLAY for years. The program has evolved over time, and in 2019 we reviewed its latest version FEMTO.

In parallel with the JPLAY brand, Marcin was developing the second one, JCAT. While the former was a software company, the latter focused on hardware, components designed to improve the performance of computers. These were sound cards, USB and LAN cables, and finally power supplies. Both companies complement each other and often are used in the same audio systems. And these systems can be found all over the world, with a strong presence in Asia, the USA and Poland. Let me remind you that JCAT's products are used by our editorial colleague Marek Dyba, and my reference system includes the OPTIMO 3 DUO power supply from this company.

The tested audio files transport S1 inaugurates Marcin's third brand - XACT. Under this brand full-size devices related to streaming will be developed and sold. These will probably be D/A converters, clocks, LAN switches, etc.

▌ S1

XACT IS AN AUDIO FILES TRANSPORT. This type of device receives audio files as input material, such as: WAV, FLAC, ALAC, AAC, mp3 (PCM) and dff and dsf (DSD), and "unpacks" them, providing the output in the form of digital PCM or DSD signal. It would seem trivial - files can be opened by any computer, tablet or smartphone. Theoretically, there shouldn't be any difference between the different transports, because mathematically the results should be almost identical, regardless of the device performing the task.

In practice, it turns out that theory understood in this way is wrong, because it is incomplete. All one needs to do is to change the oscillator clocking the output signal to change it. Or to use a different playback software to change the signal. Finally, it is possible to arrange the architecture of such a transport differently to completely change the output. It's still "zeros" and "ones", and yet not the same "zeros" and "ones". You want proof? Just listen.

»«

A few simple words…

MARCIN OSTAPOWICZ
Owner, designer

⸜ MARCIN OSTAPOWICZ with XACT at „High Fidelity”

WOJCIECH PACUŁA How did it all start?
MARCIN OSTAPOWICZ It all started with JPLAY software player, the one you tested in 2011 for „High Fidelity”. Two years later I started yet another brand, JCAT, that offers hardware accessories, or upgrades for music servers, USB and LAN cables, and other components that improve audio files playback quality.

In 2015, I came up with the idea of a high-end network card with linear regulators and a femto clock - it was the world's first audiophile network card. Now, as you know, there is an abundance of LAN switches on the hi-fi market. From 2020, the JCAT brand also offers linear power supplies, including the world's first fully linear ATX power supply. The files player, because it is the first product of this type in the lineup, a one complete product, will debut under the new premium brand - XACT.

WP When did you first come up with an idea for a hardware audio files transport?
MO I started to consider it seriously already in 2012, so when my software player became truly successful. Even then it was clear to me that the hardware platform the software runs on has as much impact on the sound quality as the software itself.

WP What are the basic components of such a device?
MO A central unit, meaning the computer comprised of hardware and software, power supply and chassis.

WP Which ones of them are the most difficult to design?
MO The most difficult part of the process is software development, because there are most variables in it. Even if we have strict requirements and the operating system is tailor-made, all code changes and optimizations have a real impact on the sound. And every such change, in my opinion, needs to be assessed via listening.

Fine-tuning the software took me more than two years of daily work. Although the software requirements were met and all functions worked properly, my ambition and uncompromising nature did not allow me to release the product in this form. I didn't finish my work until I checked and listened to all possibile optimizations of the code of the operating system and the player.

WP What are the most common mistakes or omissions of companies offering files transports and players?
MO To answer this question, I would need to know the whole development process of other companies, what work methodology they follow. As I said, there are a lot of variables in audio files playback. It is really hard not to get lost in it. I think I'm pretty well aware of these issues. I don't want to talk bad about the industry, but I often see a lot of file players are just computers in nice housings, without a dedicated USB, and LAN outputs, etc.

WP What is so special about XACT S1, or how does it differ from other products of this type?
MO I had a single goal in my mind: to develop the best possible audio files transport. XACT S1 is a sum of all my experiences. You can say that the products that I introduced to the market under the JCAT brand were needed to develop the XACT S1. It was a research process that lasted over 10 years.

The S1 was designed from scratch. The heart of the product is the ZENA (ZERO-Noise-Architecture) platform - the world's first motherboard based exclusively on linear voltage regulators. Other manufacturers, even if they use a linear power supply in some parts of the circuit, still use pulse converters on the motherboard. The motherboard features a 1.6GHz Quad-Core processor, which has been selected for its high performance in networking applications and relatively low power consumption, which is always a challenge when it comes to linear power supply and thermal management. The OCXO Stratum 3E clock, previously tested in my flagship USB and NET cards, is used for signal clocking.

I decided to use Muse capacitors, the top elements for audio applications from the Japanese company Nichicon. There are 3 USB ports on the board, 2 of which are intended for connecting an USB DAC - one main and one optional with the 5V power supply cut off. The third USB port is used to connect FLASH memory containing files. For communication there are 6 Gigabit Ethernet ports. There is also a SATA port on the board for connecting a drive for music storage. The operating system is loaded from an SD memory card. The card also shapes the sound of the transport, even though it can be removed once the system is loaded.

The operating system was prepared specifically for the ZENA platform, optimized and tuned by me personally, in my home system. At the moment it is my main sound source in tandem with the APL DSD-MR SE D/A converter. XACT S1 has as many as 6 LAN ports, because after inserting another SD card, the device becomes a high-end LAN switch and router. The transport comes with the JPLAY iOS app, which I developed in parallel. The app normally costs €50 per year, but is free for XACT S1 owners.

⸜ JPLAY app.

WP You say, that in your opinion streaming is currently the best source of files - what has changed?
MO I didn’t have XACT before :) But on a serious note, in my system files streamed from Qobuz sound so good and using the streaming service is so convenient, that I stopped using files stored locally. XACT S1 may be used as a files server, but 99% of the time I use streaming services.

WP Turning the server and switch features off changes sound? Why?
MO Every additional process, every service has a negative effect on the sound. A files player should be based on a software that does only what it has to and nothing more. All features that are not essential should be removed. It is a starting point if you want to achieve a good sound.

The software should be as "light" as possible and uninterrupted by other processes, i.e. it should have free access to resources, at any time. We are talking about high-end level. In the same way, in a rally car there can be no superfluous things, because each of them will reduce the performance. That's why the XACT S1 is such a puristic device. There is no display or redundant ports. But what is there is of the best possible quality.

⸜ A photo of JPLAY’s reference system, used to test and tune XACT; you can see a prototype on the lower shelf, still without chassis.

WP What role does your control software play in XACT?
MO Without it, it's useless. The JPLAY app for iOS is a key component of the player. It integrates files from local servers and streaming services - Qobuz and TIDAL. The application will also work with other devices as it uses the UPnP standard that supports most network devices on the market.

Work on the application began in 2018 with research on the target group. It is very refined. I know that many customers are eagerly awaiting its premiere. Chris Connaker, founder of the American portal "Computer Audiophile" (now "Audiophile Style") has already given it an award. It is that good (interview with Chris → HERE).

WP Why using another app changes sound?
MO Applications constantly exchange data with controlled devices. In the JPLAY application, we have limited network traffic to an absolute minimum. And that translates into better sound. ●

»«

XACT IS A DEVICE IN WHICH WE FIND as many as three products by Marcin Ostapowicz: the device itself, the JPLAY FEMTO software and the new control application of this company, also premiered here. Transport plays all popular file types, in almost any resolution - DSD native to DSD512 and PCM up to 768 kHz, 16-32 bit. It does not decode MQA files, leaving it to the external D/A converter. The device does not feature a Wi-Fi card, so we have to connect it to the router using a LAN cable.

The transport we are testing is one of the most beautiful devices of this type that I have ever had in my place. I spoke at the beginning about the memory related to the first visit of the head of JPLAY. He said at the time that his dream was to design a files transport that would be a "black cube". At that time, manufacturers were outdoing each other in ideas of how this new type of product should look like and nothing was decided yet. So they installed displays, armed them with a lot of buttons, sockets on the front panel, etc. Over time, however, new products arrived that were just that - "black boxes", and the function of the user interface was taken over by applications for smartphones and tablets. This division will probably stay with us for a long time.

For a device without visible manipulators, XACT looks great - it is a fine representative of the pure 21st century audio. As its creator said, he was inspired by products of the Swiss company SOULUTION, in particular the 710 power amplifier, which he looked at from time to time when visiting me. The S1’s chassis is made of rigid, thick aluminum front and rounded side panels. This is not the first product of this type, this type of design appears in audio quite regularly. And yet, in this case, the proportions are exceptionally well-chosen, which makes the whole thing seem optically "light" on the one hand, and inspires confidence on the other.

On the front panel there is only a power switch with amber backlight. Let me tell you that initially it was blue, but before we prepared the cover of S1, Marcin changed his mind and made the change. For the better, I might add. The back betrays one more feature of the S1. In addition to the USB outputs for the D/A converter and another port for HDD drives, there are as many as five LAN inputs and one output. This device can therefore work as a LAN switch, such as, for example, Telegärtner Japan Limited M12 SWITCH GOLD or SILENT ANGEL N16 LPS. As Marcin says, this section is qualitatively equivalent to a files transport and can be used independently.

I mentioned USB outputs - the S1 transport offers two. One of them is a classic one and the other one does not provide the 5V power supply. As you know, the power line interferes with the audio signal, so manufacturers have long tried to eliminate this issue. Either by careful shielding and physical separation of the wires, or by cutting off the power supply completely and feeding it from an external, battery power supply if needed. Marcin's transport offers both options, but without an external 5V source.

Next to the USB ports you can see an interesting thing - a FLASH memory card reader. As the owner of JPLAY says, the operating system is loaded in his device from the card. And now - as he says, he tested several dozen different types of cards and each of them produced a slightly different sound. Sounds crazy? - Maybe so. But only such madmen push audio forward. Let me remind you that the same was said first about playback software, and then about LAN and USB cables. If we had listened to it, you know where would we be with audio files playback today, don’t you? Anyway, the same device can work as a server and LAN switch, but it requires a card with a different program.

Along with the transport, we get a control application. It doesn’t seem like much, but it still distinguishes amateurs and those who are in hoping for easy money from professionals. Some time ago we met with Marcin to listen to his new control application. I know what it sounds like - "listen to the application". But I also know that you can really hear it. It looks very nice and is also pleasant to operate. Roon was a good school for the industry because some of the conceptual solutions can be found here. For example, aggregating in one place all versions of a given album available in the system. If we are logged in to Tidal and QOBUZ, and we have this album on our NAS or USB drive, they will all be displayed in the playback suggestions.

The problem - for me - was only that the JPLAY application is available only for iOS devices.

▌ SOUND

⸜ HOW WE LISTENED The XACT S1 audio file transport was placed on the Finite Elemente Pagode Edition Mk II rack, on its top shelf made of carbon fiber braid. On the top of the transport I placed the passive EMI/RFI filter Verictum X Block. The signal was decoded in the D/A converter section of the AYON AUDIO CD-35 HF EDITION SACD player and the MYTEK LIBERTY II D/A converter. For comparisons I also used the Lumin T3 file player and the Musical Fidelity MX-Stream file transport.

The transport connected to the router through my system consisting of a dual LAN SILENT ANGEL N16 LPS switch, with its two modules in series, powered by TIGLON TPL-2000A cable and via TIGLON TPL-2000L LAN cable; more about it → HERE; the router was powered from the JCAT Optimo 3 Duo power supply.

⸜ Recordings used for the test | a selection

→ FILES
⸜ DIARY OF DREAMS, Bird Without Wings, Accession Records/QOBUZ, FLAC 16/44,1 (1997).
⸜ BRIAN ENO, Another Green World, Virgin/Astralwerks/QOBUZ, FLAC 16/44,1 (1975/2004).
⸜ TOMASZ STAŃKO, TWET, Polskie Nagrania „Muza”/Warner Music Poland/QOBUZ, FLAC 16/44,1 (1974/2016).
⸜ ART BLAKEY & THE JAZZ MESSENGERS, Just Coolin’, Blue Note/QOBUZ, FLAC 24/192 (1950/2020).
⸜ LAURIE ANDERSON, Homeland, Nonesuch Records/QOBUZ, FLAC 16/44,1 (2009).
⸜ BILL EVANS, You Must Believe In Spring, QOBUZ, FLAC 24/192 (1981/2022).
⸜ MARY KOMASA, Degenerate Love, WM Poland – WMI/Tidal Master, FLAC MQA 16/44,1 (2019).
⸜ DIDO Still On My Mind, BMG (UK)/Tidal Master, FLAC MQA 24/44,1 (2019).
⸜ ELGAR, DELIUS, Cello Concerto,wyk. Jacqueline du Pré, Sir John Barbirolli, EMI/QOBUZ, FLAC 24/192 (1965/2020).

→ SACD/CD
⸜ DIARY OF DREAMS, Bird Without Wings, Accession Records A 005, CD (1997).
⸜ BRIAN ENO, Another Green World, Virgin/Astralwerks 7243 5 78034 2 7, „Original Masters”, Master CD-R (1975/2004).
⸜ TOMASZ STAŃKO, TWET, Polskie Nagrania „Muza”/Warner Music Poland, „Polish Jazz | Vol. 39”, Master CD-R (1974/2016).
⸜ ART BLAKEY & THE JAZZ MESSENGERS, Just Coolin’, Blue Note/Universal Music LLC (Japan) UCGQ-9027, SHM-SACD (1950/2020).
⸜ LAURIE ANDERSON, Homeland, Nonesuch Records 524055-2, CD + DVD (2009).
⸜ ELGAR, DELIUS, Cello Concerto, wyk. Jacqueline du Pré, Sir John Barbirolli, EMI Classics 9 55905 2, „EMI Signature Collection”, 2 x SACD/CD (1965/2020).

»«

THE SOUND DIFFERENCES BETWEEN CDs and SACDs and their corresponding files are fascinating. Even more fascinating, however, are the differences between the file transports themselves. It's amazing how the choices of designers translate into sound and how clear they are.

I started the listening session with an album unusual for audiophiles, but belonging to my favorites, as I am a vivid fan of Depeche Mode and gothic music, particularly the German group DIARY OF DREAMS’ Bird Without Wings. It starts with a slow pulse of electronic bass, soon joined by mid-range sounds, and after 1:19 the voice of Adrian Hates.

The transport playing files from the QOBUZ sounded softer than the CD played from the Ayon. I encounter this kind of sound more and more often at the very top high-end level, so you can say that it is a "trend" in audio. The point is that the music played by XACT didn't sound digital. The Ayon also does not sound digital at all, and yet listening to the Polish file transport I knew that its sound was "pushed" in a direction in which it is extremely difficult to distinguish it from an analog recording, especially from an LP.

The bass I started with had incredible depth with the transport. It was not ultra-focused and it was more about timbre than selectivity. But I also did not have the impression that its decay was prolonged. It had nothing to do with the bass of many turntables, in which, apart from a pleasant timbre, there is not much definition. XACT offers great sound definition, but based on chords - definition of harmony, not edge.

I found the Diary of Dreams album in Marcin's "Favorites" - along with the transport, he also left me his tablet. It didn't surprise me. We've known each other for years and since we first met, we knew we liked similar music. And Diary of Dreams is especially close to us. It was similar with the next album, Another Green World by BRIAN ENO. The same situation was repeated with it as with DoD: S1 sounded incredibly dense. And probably the "density" is an element of its sound, which makes us listen to music unaware of its inherently mechanical way of reproduction.

Already in the voice of Hates, the vocalist of the German band, one could hear the smoothing, maybe even warming, of the treble. The same story repeated itself here. Eno's vocals were beautiful in terms of harmonics and colors. The highest part of the treble was rounded and withdrawn. Together they produced something heart-warming. The presentation exploded with depth and richness of harmonies. It was a legato presentation, complex internally and one that doesn't rush anywhere.

I played the Eno’s album from a CD player, using a Master CD-R copy made in the studio straight from an analog tape. I used a similar CD, this time recorded for me by Jacek Gawłowski in his studio, while listening to TOMASZ STAŃKO's TWET. The opening timpani beats of Man from North, played from Qobuz with XACT, were shown in a dark and saturated way. And again - it was a saturation resulting from high resolution, darkness being part of the presentation, in which everything was absolutely smooth and full.

When at 0:31 the sound engineer opens the slider with the double bass microphone, first you can hear light tapping, as if Peter Warren is just setting his hands on the strings. Both the transport and the player showed it splendidly, but in a different way. With the S1 I got the presentation closer to me, closer to the base of the speakers. Although the Ayon is an exceptionally timbre-saturated device, it shapes the sound in such a way that it seems to have a slightly higher energy and is positioned a bit further away from us. Which truth is "true"? “None, they're just creations. But neither of them seems "truer" to me than the other. Both were fantastic at showing that the timpani were further back on stage, that the double bass had a mic placed close to the body, and that the saxophone was a bit further away from its mic. And all this happened in a large space.

As it turns out, with high-resolution files, the file transport retains an extraordinary ability to convey natural, saturated, deep colors. However, there is a change - the sound was now faster and more dynamic. CD quality files (16/44.1) are played by XACT so that they are maximally pleasant to listen to. With hi-res files at your disposal, the device no longer has to "worry" about their quality, and can use their full resolution.

ART BLAKEY & THE JAZZ MESSENGERS from the album Just Coolin' sounded in an explosive, very energetic way. Not as energetic as from the SHM-SACD, but it was close. At the same time, the transport showed something that was also clear before, but now "happened" as if anew. The device can differentiate sounds both in breadth and in depth. This gives the impression of incredible depth of sound. Because with high resolution files there is also high dynamics, the air in the listening room is energized and saturated with micro-information, which we decode as "naturalness" and "credibility". And an interesting fact: in the Qobuz version, the channels were switched compared to the disc. How is that possible - I don't know...

I mentioned space. XACT builds it with exceptional care. The foreground is presented close with it and has a pleasant, creamy character. The farther on the stage, the darker everything is, but it does not lose volume, it is not smaller. This is a special feature of this device - the sounds from the further planes are strong and dense. Also those that surround us, like from another album I found at Marcin's list, which I also like very much - LAURIE ANDERSON’s Homeland. It was pure magic.

It was present in the presentation, regardless of what recording I was dealing with. After all, I heard the same thing later with the beautiful album by BILL EVANS You Must Believe In Spring, available in 24/192 files. I recommend its latest remaster from this year - the version with the older remaster, on SHM-CD, which I have, although also good, is clearly not as good. The feature in question, i.e. thickening the sounds I heard later with each subsequent album, from MARY KOMASA’s Degenerate Love, and DIDO’s Still On My Mind to JACQUELINE DU PRÉ playing Elgar’s Cello Concerto in E minor.

▌ Summary

I really liked the XACT S1 AUDIO FILES TRANSPORT. Its sound encourages long listening sessions. They will be relaxed, without any sort of pressure, and yet rich in sound experience. Transport is characterized by a slightly warm, dense and saturated sound. Its sound has a lot of energy, especially with hi-res files. In my opinion, this is still not the quality of the best CDs and SACDs, but the difference is not that big and with the S1 it comes down only to the resolution and micro-information. The timbre, dynamics and space are comparable.

What's more, by shifting the accents to the lower midrange, by saturating the bass, by - finally - slightly withdrawing the treble, we get a sound with the tested transport, which many music lovers and audiophiles may even like more than the more precise, but less saturated sound. Because it's a refined, well-thought-out, sophisticated product in which you can perfectly see a man who is standing in front of you. And I truly liked what I saw. :)

▌ DESIGN

⸜ FRONT AND REAR THE MINIMALISM OF THE S1’s CHASSIS is a real minimalism, not a pretended one. High-end minimalism, not just a "lack" of something. The harmoniously shaped front panel is made of milled, mat black anodized aluminum. There is only one button on it - the on/off switch. Its border is orange. The enclosure is made from bent aluminum sheets, reinforced inside with thick aluminum ribs.

The sockets on the back panel also look good. They're not as sophisticated as audio connectors can be, but that's a broader issue. IT engineers do not understand the relationship between signal integrity, vibration and conductivity. The gold-plated contacts and the shielding of the socket with a plate are the pinnacle of high-end for them. XACT sockets are better than usual because they used separate ones for each of the inputs. The IEC socket was also taken care of - it comes from Furutech and it comes integrated with the audiophile fuse from this company.

The only thing that differs from the high standard are the feet - these are rubber supports glued to the bottom. It seems to me that it would be worth starting cooperation with one of the Polish specialists and offering the S1 with such feet or offering them as an option.

⸜ INSIDE The inside shows a division into two parts: power supply and computing. The linear power supply was prepared by JCAT, a twin brand of XACT. It is based on a large toroidal transformer made by the Polish company Toroidy, a part of which is also the Fezz Audio brand, a manufacturer of tube amplifiers. The transformer was shielded and flooded with vibration damping resin. Vibrations are also minimized by rubber pads under the platform the transformer is bolted to.

Several secondary windings come out of it, which go to a large PCB with a power supply. There we find several voltage stabilizing sections, with large heat sinks above the rectifiers and active elements. There is also a bank of Nichicon capacitors, nineteen in total, with a total capacity of 140,000 μF.

The voltage filtered out in this way goes to the "computing" board. Marcin Ostapowicz entrusted its design to a company from Canada. Therefore, although the entire product is "Made in Poland", the printed circuit board itself is "Made in Canada". The same board also shows that the transport was originally supposed to be called XACT1 and was to be sold under the JCAT brand. The board is surface cast, and the circuits are placed underneath. Only a very nice clock is visible from above, OCXO Stratum 3E, previously tested in flagship USB and NET cards. ■

▌ Technical specifications (according to the manufacturer)

Native support for DSD up to DSD512 & PCM up to 768 kHz, 16–32 bits
Supported file types:
• DSD: DSF, DFF,
• PCM: FLAC, Apple Lossless (ALAC), WAV, AIFF
• Lossy: MP3, AAC (M4A)
• MQA (pass-through)
Digital outputs
• 2x USB: native support for DSD up to DSD512 | PCM 44.1–768 kHz, 16–32 bits
LAN inputs: 6x Gigabit Ethernet
SD reader for OS
TIDAL and Qobuz support
Support for files played from internal SATA disc, via USB and using UPnP/DLNA servers in local network.
Control app: JPLAY for iOS
Dimensions (W x D x H): 439 x 315 x 86 mm
Weight: 7 kg