Antipodes Oladra - SERVER/STREAMER/RECLOCKER

Servers, servers, servers. How we who embrace digital hi-fi love them for their potential to make files and streams sound better (more alive, vital, musical, moving, transparent) than music served from a computer.

- JASON VICTOR SERINUS

How we curse them when we experience the limitations of their software. How we despair when, shortly after ascending to Peak Digital Mastery, we download a software update that hurls us back into the Valley of Digital Unknowns.

Having just written that, I'm picturing scores of vinyl lovers laughing smugly as they read about such server woes and reach for another record. (They, of course, have their own issues to deal with: dirty vinyl, azimuth and zenith error, and so on.) But we who embrace file playback regardless of its technical complexities know the potential it has to deliver glorious sound and virtually limitless, near-instantaneous music choice including access to music available in no other format. Plus, we know we can hit Play from the comfort of our seats without the need to rise, clean, align, and queue. Unless, that is, we need to reboot.

I've climbed then slid down multiple hi-fi peaks as I've moved from computer to a Roon-equipped NUC, Roon Nucleus+, and Innuos Statement Next-Gen music servers. Along the way I've reviewed the original Innuos Statement from Portugal and the Antipodes Audio K50³ from New Zealand. Now I'm exploring Antipodes's topof-the-line server/streamer/reclocker, the Oladra ($25,000), which is designed for precise clocking, low noise, and high bandwidth.

What's in a name?