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USER GUIDE

This guide covers how to setup your Antipodes using the current latest user interface. We urge you to keep your software version up to date so that we can continue to support you through the resources provided on this page.

This page now shows how to use AMSv5 which is to be released shortly, so that you can familiarise yourself with it prior to the upgrade. You can still access the user guide for AMSv4.4.

INDEX LINKS

1. IMPORTANT BASICS

2. OVERVIEW

3. SETUP STORAGE

4. ASSEMBLE YOUR LIBRARY

5. SETUP PLAYBACK

6. SQUEEZE PLAYBACK METHOD

7. ROON PLAYBACK METHOD

1. IMPORTANT BASICS

CONNECTIONS

Insert your storage SSD disk(s) in the slots on the rear panel, and then place your Antipodes in your stereo rack, making sure that there is good ventilation for cooling (do NOT locate your Antipodes inside a closed cupboard).

You must NOT insert or remove disks while the Antipodes is powered up.

You must NOT copy or rip files to the Antipodes until you have inserted your disks and have setup your storage as shown in section 3 below.

Connect three cables to the rear of your Antipodes:

  • Power
  • Network
  • Output to your DAC

It is recommended that you connect only one output cable at a time to your DAC, to optimise sound quality by eliminating unnecessary earth paths that can increase noise.

STARTUP

To start an Antipodes, click the front panel power button – holding it in for half a second or so before releasing.

The Ready LED will begin to flash. When it has stopped flashing your Antipodes is ready to use.

SHUTDOWN

To shutdown an Antipodes, click the front-panel power button - holding it in for half a second or so before releasing, and it will return to Standby. NEVER turn the power off at the rear of an Antipodes before it has been shutdown.

LED LIGHTS

Some users will wish to turn off the front panel LED lights, particularly in a home theatre situation. Simply use a short click of the front panel Power Button to turn off the LED lights. The next time you do a long click (more than half a second), the LEDs will light again.

2. OVERVIEW

Setting up a computer audio solution is easier if you understand a few simple concepts first.

Historically, computer audio evolved with separate Server and Player apps. This was so that a single Server device stored the files, and served the files to multiple Player devices distributed on the user’s network. While some apps can perform both server and player functions, it is a good thing to separate the apps in most cases, as it can result in better sound, and it allows you to use a device optimised for the Server app and another device optimised for the Player app.

The image below illustrates the typical architecture of a computer audio solution, and lists the range of Server apps and Player apps available to be used on your Antipodes. (Note some people refer to what we call the Player as a renderer or as an end-point.)

Simple Process Diagram

You use the Solution Dashboard on your Antipodes to assemble your library and to select the Playback Method. To open the Solution Dashboard for your Antipodes, start it, open the Antipodes website, click on the Setup menu item, and this will list any Antipodes devices found on your network. Or download the My Antipodes app from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store and open it to list any Antipodes devices found on your network.

My Antipodes

Click the Open button to setup an Antipodes. If you will be using more than one Antipodes device (eg. a K41 as Server and a K21 as Player), then click to setup the Player device - the device that you are connecting to your DAC. If you are only setting up a Server (eg. a K41 as Server to stream direct to your DAC) then click on the Server device.

Solution Dashboard

At the Solution Dashboard, you can manage your storage disks, add files to your music library, setup your playback method, and enable additional server applications for streaming over your network and/or over the internet. If you will be using more than one Antipodes device (eg. a K41 as Server and a K21 as Player), select the correct SERVER DEVICE from the dropdown list (top-right of the Dashboard), to define the pair of devices you will use for this solution.

If your software version is not the latest available then Update buttons will appear on the Solution Dashboard. If you are up to date then the Update buttons will not be visible. Your current version number is shown on the Server Dashboard and Player Dashboard.

The follow video provides a complete overview of the Solution Dashboard, or check a specific topic in further sections on this page below.

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3. SETUP STORAGE

Your Antipodes is programmed to create a single common logical library location, that can span any number of physical disks that you insert. Therefore there is a setup process required to add a physical disk to the logical storage space. Simply sliding disks into the rear slots of your Antipodes will NOT enable them to be used until they have been added to storage using the Solution Dashboard.

Make sure you are managing the correct SERVER DEVICE (selected from the dropdown at top-right of the Dashboard), open Storage Manager and follow the prompts. During this process, your Antipodes will reboot to allow the changes to take place. Large disks can take a few minutes to prepare and to protect your data. A low-level format takes time but ensures that any bad sectors are disabled before you copy music onto the disks.

Storage Screen

This video covers how to add disks to your Antipodes.

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4. ASSEMBLE YOUR LIBRARY

THREE TOOLS

Your Antipodes management interface has three tools for assembling your library. You can attach any USB CD Ripper to auto-rip your CDs to your Antipodes. You can also copy music files from any network location to your Antipodes. You can also include, in your library, any music files that are on your network (such as files on a NAS) without needing to copy them to the Antipodes. As before, make sure you the correct SERVER DEVICE is selected (top-right of Dashboard), so that you are adding music files to the correct device.

RIP CDS

The auto-ripper software will get you a very high quality rip using any functioning USB CD Ripper. Great things take time, and rips will take two or three times longer than normal, because the software is programmed to get the best possible rip from your CDs. Click on Rip CDs in the Solution Dashboard to check ripping progress or if you wish to abort the rip.

Ripping

The following video shows you how to rip music to your library.

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UPLOAD MUSIC FILES

Click on Upload Files at the Solution Dashboard and then open Windows File Explorer or Mac Finder on your PC. You can then ‘drag and drop’ your music files/directories into the box shown below. Note that the security features in some browsers may not support this feature fully, and if you strike this problem, we cover an alternative upload method later in this section.

Upload Files

INCLUDE FILES ON NAS

You can include music files that you have on your NAS in your Antipodes library, without having to copy them to the Antipodes. Click on Include Files in the Solution Dashboard, enter the network address of the folder to include, and the login credentials for your NAS – see below.

Includes Files

But you do not have to use the first two of these tools. You can rip CDs on another computer and/or copy your music files to the Antipodes using Windows File Explorer or Mac Finder. You will find your Antipodes under the Network tab in File Explorer or Finder, and this will allow you to copy your files to or from the ‘/storage/music’ folder using your computer.

The library location ‘/storage/music’ has already been pre-set as the library location within every Server app on your Antipodes, and so you must put your music files under this location.

Important Notes.

Copying Files To The Antipodes. You must NOT copy files to your Antipodes before you have setup some storage capacity.

Roon Watched Folders. You must NOT set any watched folders within Roon. Simply place your files in the ‘/storage/music’ folder on your Antipodes, and/or include (mount) any network folders in the ‘/storage/music’ folder, and Roon will automatically include them in its library.

Roon Background Audio Analysis Speed. Using a number of cores at 100% to do this is only suitable for computers that are low-power or fan-cooled. Because your Antipodes is passively cooled for optimal audio quality, you should leave this Roon feature at its default or perhaps just run one core at 100%, and monitor temperatures.

The following video shows you the ways you can add music files to your library.

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5. SETUP PLAYBACK

PLAYBACK METHOD

Your Antipodes has several intelligent preset Playback Methods. Just select from the Playback Method dropdown list. Whether you are using a single Antipodes device, a dual-computer Antipodes device (eg. Oladra, K50 or K30), or a pair of Antipodes devices (eg. a K41 & K21), the Solution Dashboard will setup the relevant devices with the required software and settings automatically. If you are setting the device to act only as a Server, then simply select the option 'None - Disable Player', and open 'Manage Server Apps' (covered later).

For example, if you wish to use Roon, you just need to select Roon from the Playback Method dropdown, and start using Roon on your remote control device to play music. Or if you set Squeeze as the Playback Method, a Play button will show beside 'Server App'. Click on the Play button and start playing music.

Auto Preset Selection

The following video shows you how to set the Playback Method.

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AUDIO OUTPUT

Set the output you will use when connecting to your DAC. The Audio Output dropdown will show the available outputs for your device. If your device is an Oladra, K50 or K22, then you can select Digital Outputs, which are S/PDIF, AES3 and I2S, and all will be enabled. If you are going to use Ethernet to stream to your DAC over your network or using Direct Streaming then select 'None'.

Auto Preset Selection

The following video shows you how to set the Audio Output.

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DSD HANDLING

When first shipped, the DSD Handling setting is to use DoP. You can change this setting to match your DAC's capabilities by selecting from the DSD Method dropdown list.

DSD Handling Selection

SERVER DEVICE

Note that you can change the Source Server and the Playback settings will manage the changes without you having to re-configure anything. Note also that any change you make to the Playback settings will cause your Antipodes to be immediately re-configured, possibly stopping and starting applications, and so may take several seconds to be implemented. Dual computer model setups are locked so that you pair its player with its server, but single computer models can change the source server device to any Antipodes model on your network.

Source Selection

NETWORK STREAMING

In the Server panel, click on the icon to expand the 'Manage Server Apps' section. Here you can enable more Server apps for network distributed music to Antipodes and third-party Players. Note that you can lock the Server apps on so that they cannot be inadvertently turned off. Normally, when switching between, say a Roon Playback Method to a Squeeze Playback Method, the Roon Server app would be turned off. Locking it on makes sure it stays on even when you change Playback Method. You can also perform other tasks such as restarting a Server app, rescanning the library, or opening it to access further settings (some apps have no further settings, and some do).

Adding More Apps

6. SQUEEZE PLAYBACK METHOD

The following video introduces the SQUEEZE Playback Method.

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7. ROON PLAYBACK METHOD

The following video introduces the ROON Playback Method.

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