AMS Web Interface
Naturally, the Oladra can be controlled from tablets, phones, and computers, using the apps’ native control apps, such as Roon. To start other apps and adjust their settings, Antipodes has created a super-slick web interface that works on any device that has an internet browser, meaning that it could be a phone, tablet, or any computer, either Windows or Mac.
The AMS web interface has lots of clever features and is super easy to navigate. As before, you can still find your Antipodes device(s) by typing myantipodes.com in a browser, and when you already know the Antipodes device’s IP Address, you can approach its user interface directly by entering it into an internet browser.
But the most intuitive way to approach the interface is by going to the Antipodes website and clicking the My Antipodes link.
This will bring up an overview of all the Antipodes servers and players that are found on the local network along with highlights and links to access them directly. If no servers are found, the website automatically shows you the most common causes and helpful tips to restore the connection(s).
The Oladra Solution page offers high-level control of both the server and player on a single screen. A Presets pull-down menu offers “smart” presets to create a working server-player pair using the App of your choice with the most likely digital output selected automatically in a single click. You can also create custom presets, and of course, you can still manually select the desired source, player app, digital output, and more.
The Player Dashboard provides a wealth of information and gives access to all the sub-options of the various player apps.
The Server Dashboard allows the selection of server apps and all their associated settings. You can have multiple or even all apps running at the same time. For the best sound quality, however, it is usually best to only have the required apps running.
User Guides, the Community section, and an extensive help section are all at your fingertips and updates can be carried out with the click of a button.
Below: Community Forum section
Below: Infobase, Guides section
Below: Infobase, Design section
You can even book a Consultation Call or Remote Access Support Session
Next: Review Context
Hi Christian,
Could you share your opinion about Oladra and Pink Faun Ultra 2.16 ?
Is there one better that the other or is there a matter of taste ?
Kind Regards
It’s been a while since I heard a Pink Faun server in my onw system. That was the 2.16x that I reviewed here on HFA in 2019 and I’m told that it changed since I heard it back then. Now in its Ultra incarnation, strides may certainly have been made and it may indeed no longer be the same machine. Nevertheless, following on a 2021 comparison that I did as part of a show report at PUUR AVD between the 2.16 Ultra and the Antipodes K50, I still found the Pink Faun to deliver a recognizable performance and my feeling is that the brand, like Antipodes, stayed true to its roots. So, while I have not compared the Pink Faun Ultra to the Oladra directly, I think it is safe to say that the relative differences still exist (Pink Faun tighter, more precise and analytical; Antipodes more relaxed and organic) although the Oladra has now gotten closer to the Pink Faun in terms of precision and transparency. With that, I would say it is mostly a matter of taste. But this is only an educated guess. Without hearing them side by side, that’s really all I can say on the matter.
Hello Christiaan,
Very informative review, thank you.
How would you rate the Oladra vs the Taiko Extreme ??
Thanks and regards,
Disclaimer: HFA is not my main job. I actually work for Taiko which is why there is no review of the Extreme music server on this site. As such, to avoid a conflict of interest, I really should not say anything about this in the comments either. All I can say is they are both great and both belong to the very select group of the best there is.
I am the happy owner of a K50 (mark1) and following all positive reviews of the Oladra, decided to have a 1 on 1 comparison with the K50 at the importer, expecting to be sold at the spot. Or the leave the K50 for an upgrade. But that did not happen.
Yes, I heard more detail and more distinct detail due to the overall very quiet background of the Oladra. And its soundstage was broader than that of the K50. And on technically perfect recordings, like the bass intro of Nils Lofgren live, the bass sounded more like a real bass on the Oladra, more natural and it was easy to conclude that the Oladra was the technically far more superior streamer.
But than I started to listen to the music I normally listen to. In when poets dreamed of angels (David Sylvian) all elements of the recording were presented more individually and more distinct on the Oladra, but I lacked the coherence which turns it into music. The K50 on comparison brought a certain energy which pulled the various elements together, created a certain ambiance, and it was in the end perhaps less detailed, less relaxed, less broad in its projection, but far more emotionally engaging to my ears. The voice of David Sylvian had that dark timbre again which I always loved so much. The same happened when I listed to War Baby (Tom Robinson twee meter sessies): his voice sounded far more desperate on the K50 than on the Oladra, giving this song its uniqueness. Ella on Round Midnight had that velvety layer attached to her voice which I missed on the Oladra. Same with the bite of Billie Holiday’s voice. This may be artifacts or a result of the power supplies, but the K50 created a certain energy, an ambiance, which I felt lacking in the Oladra.
For me the most convincing thing was when I listed to Dark necessities (RHCP) and Smoke on the water live (Deep Purple). The Oladra presented these songs with detail, but it simply lacked energy. It lacked punch. It lacked ambiance. Yes, I could hear the voice of Ian Gillan better, but the music did not grab me at all. Switching back to the K50, the energy in the music was back again and I was again taken by the music.
It remain obviously personal references, but for me it was clear that a technically superior apparatus does not mean that the end result is more enjoyable music. Nice to hear how a song is being recorded in all its detail, but I prefer to hear how it was meant to sound as a song. I remember the same feeling when I compared Naim to Linn ages ago.
So I am glad that I gave the Oladra – thanks to my wonderful importer – an extensive listening session and I am also glad that I did this time not automatically jump on the “this must be better, I need one” bandwagon. Listen to the music you normally listen to and let your belly speak I would say.