Antipodes Audio - K21 Music Server

Read the reviews. Its unanimous. Antipodes makes the most natural, realistic, life-like play of any digital music server on the market. -- Mini Review by True Audiophile

HiFi-IFAs writes:

"The music server-player lets me get up close and personal with the voice of the singer/songwriter from Lofoten: the right size, the right position, a little bit towards me, clearly defined and natural. The K21 presents the cheeky trumpet and the breathy and rough “Ah-ja-ja” male voice with a great feel for rhythm and mood... the entry-level model for around 7,000 euros will make music lovers happy in its dual role for a long time, or perhaps forever. "

Reviews for Antipodes. While different models, it gives you a sense of their superior sonic signature.

HiFi Advice talks about the Kala 22: 

"Amazing organic and life-likeness, excellent customer support and service in a company that has been around and is here to support you, and ease of setup, ease of use."

HiFi Advice talks about the Kala 41:

"It’s meaty, dense, smooth, and full-bodied, as well as upbeat and toe-tappingly rhythmic, and beautifully liquid and continuous."

Stereophile States: I didn’t care about formats and resolutions. All that I thought about was how gorgeous everything sounded.. Some of my scribbled comments: 'Thrilling … what great stuff … really exciting … percussion excellent … great midrange … I think the additional color and weightier midrange, albeit subtle, significantly increase the music’s impact'. .. Short of heavy metal and noise, I threw everything I could at the K50, from the maximally colored music of Henri Dutilleux to the recent remastering of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Every experience was revelatory. 

HiFi Advice writes: "..the K50 adds an overwhelming sense of natural flow and deep soundstaging, making other server/streamer sources sound flat and relatively technical in comparison."

HiFi Statement writes: "The Antipodes K50 serves music at the highest level. Its versatile connections qualify it for integration into any top system, no matter which constellation you prefer. The enormous mechanical and electronic effort combined with excellent workmanship sets standards. Anyone who is allowed to own this Antipodes will sit back and enjoy."

Fair Audio Writes: "Tonally absolutely neutral and broadband. The very high resolution is evident everywhere, be it in the meticulous reproduction of transients or in the meticulous tracking of the slightest reverb tails and the decay of notes. But the extreme level of detail is also noticeable in the “authenticity” of the timbres. With the K50 it looks very differentiated and realistic.

The spatial representation is striking. Even if you are already used to a good standard, it is not just the extensive and, above all, deep stage lighting that will surprise you, but also the “black background” and the extremely safe, concrete and vivid depiction of voices and instruments. Gross and fine dynamics are beyond any doubt."

AV2D Writes: "What the KALA 50 does with this song I do not understand. From the first notes I hear a richness and relief that is completely new to me.

It is difficult to put into words what difference you hear exactly, but it sounds real, more realistic and brings you much more in connection with the music... It succeeds in reproducing the music as if you were there live."

The Absolute Sound concludes: Yes indeed, this one is special."

Audiophile Style States: 5-STARS: It enables Smiles and Goosebumps.

The Antipodes K50 is built like a tank. It feels like the unit could ship from New Zealand unprotected and arrive at its destination in full working order. I’ll let someone else undertake that test.

Using the two internal computers, one server and one player / endpoint, to split the UPnP server and render duties, along with JPLAY iOS on my iPad, was really a wonderful UPnP experience. Based on many years of different experiences with tons of UPnP products, this was refreshing. I expected nothing less from Antipodes, but one never knows until something is tried personally in one’s listening room.

The plethora of other server and playback options are laudable. Antipodes supplies the hardware foundation and software platform that don’t need to be swapped out when the music lover switches applications. It’s a great system, designed for a marathon of use, not a sprint to the next upgrade.

Sound quality through the K50 was as expected, excellent. The team at Antipodes leaves little to chance, and it shows, or should I say sounds. I fell in love with the sound of my favorites from Tsuyoshi Yamamoto, Pearl Jam, and dare I say Beyonce. The K50 isn’t a one trick pony, it reproduces everything with high fidelity. This resulted in many hours of enjoyment for me and a rekindled love for my two channel system. Full Review Here

HiFi+ states: At last! High End performance computer audio from Antipodes Audio's Oladra...I would rather have Oladra running a more modest system than have the absolute top-end audio driven by a more off-the-shelf server. Read the entire REVIEW HERE

German High End Audio Review Lite by their editor: The Antipodes Oladra is the best digital source I have ever encountered, surpassing any analog source I have ever heard in sound quality. It truly delivers a fantastic analog sound transformed from a digital source. The Oladra is a server, streamer, and reclocking device, providing a complete solution for all your music, whether stored locally or streamed. Read Full Review HERE

HiFi Advice states: the company’s brand new flagship, featuring a brand new style language with its beautiful sculpted and very heavy solid aluminum enclosure. As I found during my review, the Oladra offered all of the full-blooded, richly saturated, and smoothly organic sound that made Antipodes servers famous whilst increasing articulation, transient sharpness, resolution, and transparency to new levels. From the very first notes of music it played, it was clear that this beauty was indeed well deserving of its flagship moniker.

PT Audio States (Reviewer's Choice Award): Did my time with the Antipodes Oladra provide me with the clarity I needed to make a decision about music servers? To tell the truth, I think that day is still off in the future, and I wonder if my own digital rig will be sophisticated enough to explore the potential of this astounding and organized device. So yes, I’m going to suggest that a device that can accomplish this much and sound this good might be reserved for those of you who already have a magnificent DAC and streamer in place. You know what great digital is supposed to sound like–a lot like analog–and the Antipodes Oladra is it.

Then again, it’s not about me or how my finances might dictate which music server I eventually buy. No, this is about you, the knowledgeable digital audiophile who is looking for the finest sound possible. As I mentioned, this is only the second music server I’ve reviewed, so my point of reference has to be all of those first-rate music servers I’ve heard at high-end audio shows, high-end audio dealers, and at high-end audio manufacturing facilities. It goes back to the days when I was importing and distributing and exhibiting at those same shows, and I was still flipping LPs and swapping CDs while the smart guys were sitting in their comfy chairs and running a flawless demo with just a smart phone or tablet.

I wanted to be one of those guys. It seemed so easy, and the results were stunning and suggested the unlimited future of high-end digital audio. With the Antipodes Oladra, I felt as if I entered that world for the first time. It was a world without limits, where I could do anything I wanted, and it all sounded magnificent in a strangely easy way. I have no idea–yet–if the Antipodes Oladra is the “best” music server out there. I just know it’s shaped my music server expectations in a profound way. Full Review HERE

Sound News states: Antipodes OLADRA – The Antipodes Oladra is the best digital source I have ever encountered, surpassing any analog source I have ever heard in sound quality. It truly delivers a fantastic analog sound transformed from a digital source. The Oladra is a server, streamer, and reclocking device, providing a complete solution for all your music, whether stored locally or streamed. ...Read full review HERE.