Indeed, with an EX + CX setup, you’d have two half-size boxes totaling a width of 49 cm. Compared to the H390’s 43cm. 5 cm. / 2” extra width is quite minimal. It’s hardly noticeable. With the H390, you’ll undoubtedly be able to experience all the sonic goodness of the combo.
By reading around a bit I am kind of accepting that adding a CX would also benefit a Squeeze setup, even though it is a much lighter load on the system.
And now I see a CX for sale in my area so that’s tempting. However a friend of a friend is also selling a CX/EX combo with the Oladra upgrade for only 2000€ more than the CX alone…
But for that price I could also find a K30 std which has the benefit of the single box (one less Ansuz power cable to buy), maybe that’s what I should do ???
I think the K30 should be quite close to the CXEX Oladra setup for the same price and also be slightly younger?
Started with S30/S60 plus S20 reclocker which are a considerable improvement over EVO432 server/player I had prior.
Then I bought an EX and Mark recommended using EX as server and S30 as player.
Well, funnily enough after much to and fro, I do prefer the EX as server/player by quite a margin.
The sound seems to be a bit drier but more focused whereas with the S30 in the mix, there’s a certain sheen or haze around things.
1 Like
Hey, thanks for sharing.
Just a heads up, the choice of power supply can significantly impact the performance of the S30. Typically, using two separate boxes, each with its own power supply, tends to result in better sound quality, unless the power supply isn’t up to par.
Having said that, the S30 + S60 are more recent and different sounding versions. I wonder how you connect EX and S30, direct with an ethernet cable in between or through a switch?
Did you try use S30 + S60 as server and EX as player or exclusively EX as player / server with USB out to a DAC?
What about the S20 , do you use it with the EX to obtain these better results?
Thanks!
Have sold the S20 as I couldn’t hear much of a difference and preferred Matrix DDC(mostly use I2S into DAC).
S30 has the S60 power supply.
EX and S30 are connected via sotm Ethernet cable.
No, I actually used S30 as player and EX as server( as recommended by Mark) but will try the other way round…thanks for the tip.
My money is on the other way around - the EX as a player 
Hi,
I would not suggest using S30 as server. It has a player board as has the EX. But if you try please share.
I was just trying to understand what possibilities you compared with what connections and what output for a single EX to outperform a dual setup in SQ.
It seems you are close to also having a server now?
Of course the EX+CX Oladra combo is very tempting. And with some luck you can find a K30 for under 4k Euro.
Tempted indeed!
If 4k€ is within reach for a K30, what can I dream to pay for an EX+CX Oladra in your view? More or less than the K30?
Definitely more and remember it is a G3 upgrade not G4. How much is the oladra ex+cx from a friend you found? You can PM me if you prefer.
So I went ahead and bought the CX/EX Oladra kit, it even came with a P2 that I need a digital cable to try out.
I first tried the new EX Oladra as server/player to listen to the Oladra upgrade - and yes, that was definitely more organic and natural sounding music
Then I plugged in the CX Oladra and set up a classic CX Server/EX Player config with a direct ethernet (stock) and that was also yielding a big difference. Not so much in the organic direction, but there was definitely more control over things - and better timing. More details and more silence.
The combo also seems to emphasis a little more on the upper midrange vs the EX alone, something I must get used to I guess.
I am now looking forward to receive the digital RCA to test the P2.
And now that there is actually music flowing in the ethernet (vs the EX alone), I guess I will need to check out a decent ethernet cable, too. Finally I noticed while setting up that both EX and CX seem to reward power cable upgrades, too!
Thank you for pushing me in this direction, the Oladra EX/CX combo is indeed another world compared to the lone EX - even using Squeeze!
And oh I forgot, this is with old 4.x software since the 5 is no longer available. I had 5 on my EX and quite enjoyed that upgrade, so looking much forward to 5.01!
Hi Kjetil,
That is great news. I know you considered your options carefully so I am very happy for you it worked out so well. I will ship my K30 this Friday from the Netherlands to have it transformed in NZ and than send back to Stockholm ;-). Honestly I have been thinking until the last moment what else US$3000 can get me, because the rest of my setup is not on par with a K30 Oladra, but I trust over time I will sort that out.
Reading about your good results I very much look forward to the G4 version. I did not read much on the forum the last months but it seems Antipodes is having a hard time getting the latest AMS working 100%. I hope mine will run at least AMS5 when it comes back? Otherwise it will be nice to look forward to, as is the try out of different AC and ethernet cables, that I luckily already own a few, for the time it lasts of course.
Cheers
Paul
My K30 G4 is running AMS 5 with no issues. Looking forward to your G4 impressions.
1 Like
Even using squeeze? Many prefer squeeze to the other options for its clarity and purity. And again, it is reported it takes several hundred hours for it to fully break in, so it should sound even more organic and smooth if you haven’t accumulated this yet. Perhaps the “upper midrange emphasis” might become more balanced also.
So we are breaking in software also now?
I wrote « even » in reference to my earlier posts in this thread where I speculated that Squeeze was so light compared to Roon that the need for a CX should be lesser. When I find the time I will try again Squeeze server/player on my Oladra EX to see if that is really inferior to the EX/CX combo. I won’t bother with Roon as it’s quite obvious there and besides I prefer the Squeeze sound - and price!
The “it” refers to the hardware, power supplies in particular.
If you haven’t listened to roon lately, you might get a pleasant surprise …
Thank you but I am also a great fan of the Squeeze price
And right now I am busy testing the P2!
Just received an Ansuz Digitalz X2 coax cable and moved the Ansuz A2 USB from the Hegel H390 to the P2, fed by the EX/CX combo running squeeze.
What did I expect? I suppose something like a subtly better timing in the music, the P2 being a reclocker, a more precise rhythm perhaps (I was a drummer once).
What am I witnessing? First of all, an explosion of energy! Some tracks now sound dull without the P2, on my new Oladra CX/EX combo! Wow.
But once that is tested on more tracks and accepted, what more is there? A whole new world of musicality, a finesse that I did not think my H390 capable of. I was actually looking for a new amp for my Kaiser Furioso Minis when I ran into this CX/EX Oladra combo bargain, thinking my new Kaisers were way out of the H390’s league. Now I have to say, my new source has really upped the game of the Hegel! Oh and I also got a new Ansuz Mainz8 C2 power distributor that helped quite a bit
This is really playing well now !! And the upper midrange is now smoooth with the P2. Glad I got that one !
2 Likes