In speaking to several dealers who I respect and are well regarded, I’ve reason to believe that both the XACT S1 Evo and Pink Faun ultra are a step up from the likes of Aurender N30SA and Taiko Extreme. However, to the magnitude of that difference, I can’t say. I am also less sure of how these two units compare to the N50, Antipodes Oladra, and other variants but suspect they may still compare favorably.
While I can imagine the Olympus and Wadax are better yet, those are out of budget. Auditions of the XACT and PF will be difficult as dealers are on opposite coasts - so I’m trying to do some leg work if you will by appealing to this group for perspective.
The T+A DACs I have in my systems I like quite a bit. I know they can be bettered - but only at considerable additional expense. They have a built in streaming client which is better than average in sound quality, but likely not as good as the units under consideration. The software, however, is limiting. While i can run Roon on my network, that doesn’t tend to sound as good as the G2 streaming client built in. Nevertheless, I will explore this again before I proceed.
JPlay - the native software around which the XACT S1 Evo is built is well regarded but unfortunately, not compatible with my DACs - another limitation of the G2 streaming client architecture of my units. The XACT also appeals for its simplicity - nothing to fiddle with.
The PF runs Roon for library management.
I am considering a streamer for my cabin system as i spend more time there and it’s a quieter environment.
Any perspectives, experience and/or recommendations you might have to share? Direct experience comparing these two units would be wonderful but that might be a very small group.
Thanks,
While I can imagine the Olympus and Wadax are better yet, those are out of budget. Auditions of the XACT and PF will be difficult as dealers are on opposite coasts - so I’m trying to do some leg work if you will by appealing to this group for perspective.
The T+A DACs I have in my systems I like quite a bit. I know they can be bettered - but only at considerable additional expense. They have a built in streaming client which is better than average in sound quality, but likely not as good as the units under consideration. The software, however, is limiting. While i can run Roon on my network, that doesn’t tend to sound as good as the G2 streaming client built in. Nevertheless, I will explore this again before I proceed.
JPlay - the native software around which the XACT S1 Evo is built is well regarded but unfortunately, not compatible with my DACs - another limitation of the G2 streaming client architecture of my units. The XACT also appeals for its simplicity - nothing to fiddle with.
The PF runs Roon for library management.
I am considering a streamer for my cabin system as i spend more time there and it’s a quieter environment.
Any perspectives, experience and/or recommendations you might have to share? Direct experience comparing these two units would be wonderful but that might be a very small group.
Thanks,
