Audiolab M-NET Network player
Network players appeared quite a long time ago. But firstly it was very expensive devices (as for example Linn Klimax DS released in 2007), then they reached out and began to rise a greater fame. That is not surprising, because now audio technique is going through another revolution, even more radical than happened with substitution of vinyl by CD.
The matter is that not just change of generations, formats, equipment happens but a model of musical distribution changes. With increasing frequency we go for music not in a shop but in Internet; legal online-sales are steadily increased, compensating for the decrease in circulation of CDs. Already now music lovers, who don't recognize other media except CD and vinyl, turn out to be aside from many interesting music compositions, which go viral only online or released on the traditional media with minimum circulation.
We are in a transition period yet - CD-players are still produced and sold, the popularity of vinyl increases. However, young music lovers, not burdened with an extensive collection of CDs, increasingly dispense with disc player, choosing the link of computer with USB DAC for the role of source. File collections gradually grow, to store them in the laptop or desktop is not already convenient and the next step begins - setup of home network infrastructure with separate drivers (NAS) and dim desire to substitute the computer for network streamer is becoming more defined.
However, such sequence (converter first, then network player) is not mandatory: many prefer to catch two birds with one stone and thereby buy streamers with already built-in DAC (and with amplifier sometimes). And a total overbalance of such solutions is evidenced on the market. In the situation when the system is created from the ground up combination of two functions is absolutely reasonable, but what should do those ones who already bought a decent converter and is interested only inproviding a qualitative communication between it and the network resources and without a computer in the rack with audio equipment? There is the only solution: search for "clear" streamer, which is equipped with only digital outputs and due to this inexpensive. Their selection is small till: only one device of this kind was in our tests - Denon DNP-F109 (initially it was a part of D-F109, but then it became available separately). Now we will get acquainted with one more network player, designed for music lovers who already have DAC which completely satisfies them by quality. This is recently released model M-Net of popular British firm Audiolab which is included in the international IAG concern.
Due to the fact that it is spared from a built-in DAC, it needs an external one - we took its "brother", M-DAC converter, for this role.
The devices are not only made in one style, but look very similar. The most noticeable differences are Wi-Fi antenna in M-NET and headphones output in M-DAC with fewer buttons. "Laboratory" design, to my mind, is very good - laconic and will look relevant for a very long time.
OLED-displays in "brothers" are exactly the same, but rounded regulators in the center of the front panel perform a bit different functions - the flywheel in the streamer is used only for menu navigation and in the converter it also regulates the level of both outputs.
The power is from external pulse adapter, connected directly to the outlet. This is more than enough for the device without analog circuits. Fatal perfectionists can certainly try to replace it with a linear one; fortunately the parameters are standard - 12V/1A. Probably, you can even notice a difference, but I doubt it.
In addition to optical and coaxial inputs, also there is USB interface for flash drives. Personally I would prefer that it will be located behind, although I am ready to agree that there is no use in having extra holes on the front panel.
The algorithm of work and organization of interface are traditional (imagine, this technique has recently appeared and already has its traditions). Most network players, which we tested, were similar in this sense. This is normal - it's not for nothing that almost all CD-players have almost similar control principle. Actually a network streamer is not much complicated; the matter is that such operations like location of collection, search of wanted records and setup of chosen album in the transport are placed outside in a CD player and in a streamer they are integrated into the system. But as soon as a network device is configured and file bins are listed in the order, the handling with it becomes even easier than with CD player. And true paradise on Earth begins for lazy people - you can spend hours on the sofa, listening to music.
Actually, M-NET will be useful even for those who have not managed to get a music file storage - the built-in receiver of Internet radio opens access to endless streams of all kinds of stuff (about 15000 stations including lots of Russian). The function of saving favourites will facilitate the navigating over this richness, and, that is especially convenient, they can be saved and maintained on the computer through Frontier Silicon portal - this company is a partner of vTuner, the largest provider of Internet broadcasting.
It is the most convenient to control the streamer in the "near field", i.e. at arm's length. Certainly it has the remote control and you can iterate the favourites using it, but at playing files over the network (or USB drive) you will need the display and here it is small and easy readable only from a close distance. This problem, peculiar to the majority of such devices, is most quickly solved with a help of a program for smartphone/tablet, but M-NET doesn't have its own application yet. In the user guide it is recommended to use DOK App (iOS and Android) by the same company Frontier Silicon.
One more variant for control of the streamer - a help of DLNA/UPnP server, being installed on the computer. It can be Windows Media Player 11 (its setting is clearly described in the manual of M-NET) or any other program of such kind - Twonky, Plex and so on. Personally I prefer UPnP server on the basis of Foobar2000 player with UPnP MediaRendererplag-in. The algorithm is simple: you should choose a network device (M-NET in our case) in the customization section Output and start playback of the selected tracks. You can manage the process (with view of cover arts, song texts and biographies of performers) from Android-smartphone or a tablet with a help of FoobarCon app. After this phrase the inquisitive reader will wonder: what about the original message of this publication about getting rid of computer? I answer: actually it is important that computer wasn't in the rack with the equipment because it is an alien element there. But who forbids it to be in another room, in the closet, attic, to be invisible and at the same time - due to network- omnipresent?
Is it worth to go through all this fuss, does it work on the device?
I think, yes. Firstly, learning of network tricks will definitely be useful in future as we will get all content from almost exceptionally through the Network soon. Secondly, when the system is built and tested, the streamer M-NET is able to give a lot of treat. On condition, of course, that you will take its features into account and you won't demand the impossible from it. Particularly, the device does not play files with the resolution of higher than 48 kHz/24bit. Is it such a big loss? I don't think so, because there are very little records which would justify a sampling rate of 192 kHz and even 96 kHz. It is a clear marketing in the most of cases. One more feature of M-NET is a forced upsampling of all input signals in 48 kHz which cannot but affect the sound. I hope that this mess will be corrected in future F/W versions. By the way, the important advantage of modern digital audio technique is the fact that it can be improved after you purchased it.
