Next-level music server with analog finesse.
Next-level music server with analog finesse.
A new benchmark for digital audiophile experience
XACT S1 takes digital audio playback to new heights with its naturally sophisticated sound and high-class user experience.
Created by Marcin Ostapowicz, the founder of JCAT and JPLAY brands and author of some of the most innovative high-end audio products, including the world’s first audiophile network card.
Natural, organic
& sophisticated sound
Immersive, emotionally resonating experience
High-class, seamless user experience
Developed from the ground up for 6 years
XACT S1 music server does not sound like a combination of countless quark-like aural particles, but rather like a well-designed, refined digital playback that delights the listener with a captivating fusion of software and hardware. The result is more than the sum of its parts. S1 looks, feels, sounds, and plays the part.
Matej Isak
chief editor, Mono & Stereo
Its sound is extremely difficult to distinguish it from an analog recording.
A refined, well-thought-out, sophisticated product.
Wojciech Pacuła
chief editor, HighFidelity
XACT S1 delivers signal translated by Pacific 2 (and other DACs) into astoundingly analog, or non-digital, non-fatiguing, natural sound.
Marek Dyba
Hifi Knights / 6moons
XACT S1 music server tends to break the rules. To say the S1 is unlike other digital components is an understatement.
Marshall Nack
Positive Feedback
Maybe its crazy talk to say it, but the S1 with the right DAC gives me more of those qualities than vinyl right now so in my instance I think its fair to say the XACT S1 sounds more analogue than analogue which is very high praise.
Terry Ellis
Pursuit Perfect System
Dirk Sommer
HIFISTATEMENT
Christiaan Punter
HIFI-ADVICE
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Digital that doesn’t sound like digital. More like vinyl. Or a private concert.
XACT S1 delivers on my vision of audiophile sound: natural, organic with analog sophistication and lifelike imaging. It’s hard to believe it’s digital.
Any rest of “digital” sound is gone. (…) Voices have a texture and energy that is incredible. The immediacy of the piano attack is so real as never before. And so on…
If you have the sound of a nearly perfect vinyl setup as a reference in your ears, you should try the XACT S1. That is what I can say tell you with a clear conscience.
Thomas, Austria
The music comes out of a dark invisible background. More dynamic, richer tonality and clean. Bass is deep and articulate. Imaging seem more 3D in space. (…)
The XACT sounds like analog, is how I can best describe it, but without the analogue limitations.
Celebrat, United States
What impressed me the most, compared to the other two streamers, was the realism of the reproduction. This mix of richness of timbre and definition, which I had never experienced before, never falls into an analytical effect that quickly becomes tiring.
It was like the XACT S1 created a emotional human connection between the music and the listener.
Chupi, France
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A personal dream come true. Six years in the making.
Personal audio quest fulfilled.
The creation of XACT S1 stems from my quest to create superbly sounding digital audio transport for myself, which brought me into high-end audio hardware development.
A lifetime of experiences inside.
S1 synthesizes all my audio research findings and experience in developing innovative audiophile hardware (JCAT) and software (JPLAY). Every product I’ve developed over the years has made an important contribution towards the creation of XACT server.
6 years of development and tuning.
XACT S1 is a unique device created entirely from the bottom up. The development of the server in this shape started in 2016. After 3 years, I’ve had a final motherboard. The following 3 years were strictly dedicated to fine-tuning. This is a device I’ve worked on the most in my entire life.
A lifetime of experiences inside.
S1 synthesizes all my audio research findings and experience in developing innovative audiophile hardware (JCAT) and software (JPLAY). Every product I’ve developed over the years has made an important contribution towards the creation of XACT server.
Designed and developed from square one. Fine-tuned by ear. Obsessively.
Not an another PC.
A completely new device.
Most streaming products available today are made with standard, ready-to-use mini-PC motherboards designed for office or home entertainment. However, these motherboards have noisy power converters that interfere with other hi-fi components and produce an irritating “digital” sound. Some companies try to mitigate the issue by upgrading their power supplies, but this doesn’t address the root cause. That’s why developing an entirely new motherboard from scratch with only audio playback in mind was the only way to go with XACT S1.
100% linear power delivery.
Truly everywhere.
It’s the first music server that puts so much emphasis on power quality ever. The motherboard itself has only linear regulators and runs solely on linear power. The dedicated power source is 100% linear without any switching components. XACT S1 delivers unmatched electrical performance. There’s nothing else like it.
Extensively ear-tested with every tweak
Hardware and software in harmony. The definition of synergy.
Over more than 10 years of developing JPLAY,
I’ve learned firsthandedly that the software has as much impact on the sound quality as the hardware platform itself. Through meticulous testing, I’ve explored all possible optimizations of the operating system and player’s code, ultimately identifying the most harmonious combination for the S1’s hardware.
I’ve learned firsthandedly that the software has as much impact on the sound quality as the hardware platform itself. Through meticulous testing, I’ve explored all possible optimizations of the operating system and player’s code, ultimately identifying the most harmonious combination for the S1’s hardware.
XACT OS written from scratch and optimized for the hardware
Fine-tuned by ear with every minor change. For years.
I’ve done extensive listening on S1 every time I tweaked something. Every minor change was tested and logged by me personally. Every hardware component, every OS update, every modification of settings.
XACT OS written from scratch and optimized for the hardware
Extensively ear-tested with every tweak
High-class everything. Not only the sound.
Excellent user experience is something that the high-end category essentially lacks. I believe that high-end shouldn’t be just about the top sound but the entire listening experience.
1-click setup.
The simplest.
Simple as it can be.
Just click the button.
One app to rule them all.
Effortless management and discovery with JPLAY™ app.
JPLAY™ app brings unrivaled convenience of managing your library and new music discovery.
- Streaming & local files accesible in one place
- Native Tidal & Qobuz discovery features
- Extended playlist management
- Advanced search and sort
- Aggregated activity stats
- Multiple library views
- …and many more!
LIFETIME SUBSCRIPTION INCLUDED
JPLAY™ app brings unrivaled convenience of managing your library and new music discovery.
- Streaming & local files accesible in one place
- Native Tidal & Qobuzz discovery features
- Extended playlist management
- Advanced search and sort
- Aggregated activity stats
- Multiple library views
- …and many more!
LIFETIME SUBSCRIPTION INCLUDED
1-click setup.
The simplest.
Simple as it can be.
Just click the button.
Connection setup
XACT S1 as a music server / player
basic setup
Connection setup
XACT S1 as a a network switch / router
+ S1 as a music server / player
dual setup for best sound quality
Only the finest components.
Obsessive attention to details.
Every component in XACT S1 is hand-picked or developed from the ground up and thoroughly tested by ear. No other company has gone to such lengths in music server design.
Extremely low-jitter OCXO clock with ±5 ppb frequency stability
Nichicon Muse flagship capacitors delivering exceptional resolution and natural sweetness
XACT Link™ drive cable developed exclusively for S1
Industrial-grade SSD carefully selected for its unique sound properties
Extremely resistant OS SD card developed for military conditions
Easy music importing from usb drives and over network
Audiophile network
switch & router
(alternative functionality)
- 100% custom motherboard developed exclusively for high-end music playback (world’s first 100% linear powered motherboard)
- OPTIMO™ X1 linear power supply section delivering 140 000 uF
- State-of-the-art ±0.005 (±5 ppb) stability OCXO
- (oven controlled oscillator) clock delivers the most stable timing in the presence of environmental stressors such as airflow, temperature perturbation, vibration, shock, and electromagnetic interference (EMI)
- Digital outputs: 2x USB Audio 2.0 (main and without 5V power bus) via gold plated high durability EMI shielded USB connectors
- Specially selected 4TB SSD drive for audio performance (8TB capacity available on request)
- XACT LINK™ SSD drive cable developed exclusively for
- LAN inputs: 6x Gigabit Ethernet for audiophile network switch & router (alternative functionality) S1
- Gold plated high durability EMI shielded RJ-45 connectors with built-in 12-core transformers for improved isolation
- LED-off feature for LAN ports to counteract noise
- Chassis made of aluminum; fanless design
- Custom made XACT OS™ loaded from a specially selected SLC SD card
- JPLAY™ playback software supporting TIDAL & Qobuz streaming services and local files (from internal SSD)
- Native bit-perfect playback for DSD up to DSD512 & PCM hi-rez up to 768 kHz, 16-32 bits
- Supported file types: DSD: DSF, DFF, PCM: FLAC, Apple Lossless (ALAC), WAV, AIFF; Lossy: MQA (pass-through)
- Remote control: JPLAY™ iOS app (lifetime license included)
- Dimensions (W x D x H): 439 x 315 x 86 mm
- Weight: 9 kg
