Hot on the heels of a new premium 10th anniversary DAC comes a new digital component from Wyred 4 Sound. Making its debut this weekend is the MS Music Server, still in pseudo-prototype form. The new server packs in a Roon-ready infrastructure along with Air-Play and DLNA compatibility.
In addition to all the streamy goodness a single slot CD drive will be located on the front panel for easy access CD ripping. Internal drive space will be available for storage and outputs include USB, I2S, Coax and Optical. The board is powered by a Intel Core i7, which is complemented with 8-16 gigs of available RAM for playback.
The connection of choice for the display units was USB, filtered through W4S’s own Recovery reclocker for extra flair. Rounding out the setup was the new flagship DAC-2v2SE ($4499) to a pair of SX-1000R Monos ($1,799 each) with the DAC acting as the pre amp for the system. Pushing sonic duties at the end of the chain was a pair of KEF Reference 1 ($7,999), which we were mightily impressed with at the recent AXPONA show. Its always refreshing to see this type of digital-forward system on display, full one-stop components from end-to-end (W4S also makes cables) for a total system cost (sans loudspeakers) of audiophile-reasonable $12k. You can read more about the new DAC in our show coverage here. Expect even more from Wyred 4 Sound on the music server front, as with many new product showings the demo unit had only recently been assembled and a small badge was yet absent from the back panel, but applicable functionality was nothing less than full-on rock and roll in the room. The street date for the new device is projected for summer 2017 and an estimated price point of $2k-3k based on options.
More info: https://wyred4sound.com/
