I dare to ask the question. Are there any plans to offer an Ethernet only (server only) version of the Oladra server? Just like the K41 which is the server version of the K50 (server + player).
Thanks for sharing this honest opinion and very interesting information, not many manufacturers dare to do that. They let a marketing section share âinformationâ.
One can also be sarcastic to propose a case around the smps that looks like a transformer to keep many audiophiles happy. That reminds me of a large manufacturer of loudspeaker driverunits (Visaton) that said that at audio fairs they showed very âshowyâ high end cables on the floor that werenât even connected because they were sick and tired of audiophiles that liked the sound and were running up to the back of their (DIY-) speakers to see what cables they use.
Or the Luxman amps with valves on show and lit up at the front that WERENâT IN-CIRCUIT 
This is interesting reading and I commend your courage to share your views, approaches and findings. When all.is said and done, you products will demonstrate your achievements and it really shouldnât matter to consumers how.
I am curious if you experiimented with LiFePO4 batteries to compare with your various PSU typologies?
I know these amps with valves, never knew even Luxman would do this. Probably they read something about the power of placebo. I wouldnât like that if one of my devices has that. So Antipodes: keep on developing and innovating for us! One should never stop anyone to be curious. We will benefit from that attitude. No one benefits from a marketing point of viewâs attitude to just build another lps while there now is a better way.
Mark Cole and I are at Munich playing prototype Oladras in two rooms. The K50 is being played by Marten in their room and by Soulution in their room, as they own K50s. A couple of other major brands have K50s on loan from us as the chat between the manufacturers is very positive about the K50, and it was good to meet these guys and get the very positive feedback direct from them.
A common response was to ask if the Oladra is really better than the K50, so you guys are not alone in having a little scepticism. Yesterday was exclusively for the trade so it was possible to make some kind of comparison between them as we set up.
The stone-cold Oladra was fired up and there was an immediate reaction in the room that this was a very big step up from the K50. As much as Mark Cole and I already knew that, it was good to get some third-party recognition, for the first time, of what we have achieved with the Oladra.
As usual, most rooms sound pretty bad. The power is very dirty once all of the rooms fire their stuff up, but the Puritan power filtering we are using is damn good, and the sound we were getting got a lot better during the day as the electronics warmed up. It is a shame that music servers tend to take around four days to sound anywhere near their best, when shows only run for around four days.
The Marten, Soulution and MSB rooms were sounding amazingly good, despite all that.
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@antipodes Thanks for that feedback from Munich which is obviously very encouraging. I think that a direct comparison by switching between the K50 and Oladra in the same system is a very compelling way of demonstrating any differences.
Well done.
How would you describe the difference in sound between the K-50 and the Oladra?
Itâs hard to describe, but more open and immediate, with a greater sense of flow would be the description.
As mentioned above, we could happily live with K50 sound, but in the best systems the OLADRA will grab you.
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First shipment of OLADRAâs has sold out, delivery to dealers will begin early August, assuming of course that they have a confirmed order.
Next shipments will be available in September.
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Early August has arrived.
Hopefully not too much longer to wait�
I am told mine left NZ for the dealer in Canada. Expecting it in about 10daysâŚ
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Not so lucky in the UK, beginning of October for me and I ordered as launchedâŚ
Mine is a week or two away, apparently.
Anyone got their Oladra up and running yet? Any comments?
The dealer ordered 3 units, one shipped and the next 2 will make the September batch. Mine is at the distributor and should be home mid week⌠will keep everyone posted.
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Oladra arrived last Wednesday and is hooked up to MSB Premier in my system. Roon set up is:
- AES (Digital audio on dashboard) Oladra selected in Roon with AQ Wel Sig cable
- USB (USB Audio MSB on dashboard) MSB selected in Roon to MSB ProUSB with Habst USB
- Direct Stream (Digital audio on dashboard) MSB selected in Roon to RendererV2 with Aim NA7 ethernet
During the first few days I was quite overwhelmed. It feels like Iâve got an entirely new DAC and new speakers too. Oladra makes everything feel connected. The bass, especially mid, is incredible, micro details and decay a new experience.
My previous source was Auralic Sirius 2.1 and Aries 2.1 hooked up with Audioquest Firebird. This was an amazing combo and I went out on a limb to invest in source at the time. It sent me on quite a focussed path to arrive at the Oladra.
All Oladra outputs above are really outstanding with minor differences in presentation. All have that brilliant new bass and timbre that I didnât get with previous system. USB has brought in some micro details that I have enjoyed with classical. At this stage, I prefer AES overall. I keep coming back to this.
All Iâve done over the past few days is plug in the power and a few cables. No tweaks, no thought of doing anything but listening to a lot of music and then absolutely enjoying everything I have heard.
I think Oladra is a very important product in the development of digital audio. I want to stress that for me, this isnât just another component. Oladra is a source âorchestratorâ, it connects me to everything in my system. The Antipodes team have done something extraordinary and I want to congratulate them on the release of this product.
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Oladra update - When I disconnect Direct stream ethernet and just have AES and USB, MSB zone drops off in Roon. I can now play USB through the Oladra zone. I could not do that before when using RendererV2.
I will delve into reading experiences with MSB RendererV2 and K50. Iâll go back to sessions without the USB and Direct Stream connected at the same time.
As mentioned above, AES with Oladra reclocker is what I keep coming back to and leaving on with each listening session.
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Thanks for updating us