BAETIS AUDIO REVOLUTION X4 STREAMER - REVIEW

BAETIS AUDIO REVOLUTION X4 STREAMER

Streamers are an interesting lot. Some would say that streamers are stripped-down computers freed of all the “noisy bits.” Others would add that, “Yes, the noisy bits are gone, but also added are some high quality bits, with a singular purpose—the delivery of a pristine signal that is virtually free of noise, jitter, and with reduced electromagnetic interference, etc.” 

Well, I have encountered an array of streamers that have adopted the former approach, the latter, or a combination of both. Suffice to say that there have been “wins” on all sides and “losses” as well. This discovery, in the end, appears to point to how well one actually engineers the streaming component, regardless of the approach. And some, despite their size, their lack of an industry name, or their lack of so-called reputation, can apparently do a far better job than those with size, a name,  and a sterling reputation. I have sent a few big name, very well-known, high-priced streamers packing of late. And I have kept a few relatively bereft of reputation and name, etc. that have proved quite remarkable. This brings me to a small Canadian company based in Montreal, Baetis Audio, run by Joe Makkerh.

I met Joe Makkerh at the Montreal Audiofest in 2022, I believe. The first thing I noticed about Joe is how genuinely nice and how kind he is. And given Joe’s academic bona  fides—PhD cell and molecular biology, MBA—his humility is quite a refreshing surprise and, indeed, rare. Suffice to say that I wanted to work with him immediately. 

It would take a bit of time to arrange for our first review of a Baetis product. The trials and tribulations and dislocations that beset us all in the preceding years had turned upside down, at least for a while, parts procurement, supply chains, etc. 

However, when the tumult diminished and normalcy began its slow, tentative return, I would have a Baetis Audio Revolution X4 streamer ($6,000) in-house to review. And so began the journey with a no-name, no-nonsense, “moderately-priced” streamer from a small Canadian manufacturer run by a consummate gentleman (of whom there are few in the audio industry).

REFRAIN: Unlike most reviews, this review will be non-sequential, as it will start with how the headphones actually sound and not the process of physically “undressing” them and/or laying out their various parts, specifications, etc. Think of this review, then, as a non-linear movie—Memento, Kill Bill, Arrival, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, etc.—that likewise starts at the end and winds its way to the beginning

THE SYSTEM

• Baetis Audio Revolution X4 Streamer

• Silent Angel Rhein Z1 Plus Streamer

• Silent Angel Forester F2 Linear Power Supply (LPS)

• Silent Angel Bonn N8 Network Switch

• Mola Mola Tambaqui DAC

• Mojo Audio Mystique X SE DAC

• Dan Clark CORINA Electrostatic Headphones

• STAX SR-009S Electrostatic Headphones

• Blue Hawaii SE Electrostatic HPA

• Kubala Sosna Cables/Wires/Power Cords

• Black Cat TRØN Signature Digital Cable

• TORUS RM20 Power Conditioner

THE SOUND

The first thing that immediately grabs you is the Baetis Audio Revolution X4's naturalness, its shoulder-dropping analog quality, its sweetness, engaging you immediately. Did I mention its naturalness? Yes, and it is there to a degree that spells out refinement and nuances, air and ambiance, which few components embody. The lack of these and its, well, “digital on parade,” which speaks to a marked diminution of naturalness, nuance, and refinement. In the end, this can result in soul-sucking transparency and resolution and often little else. Have you ever attended a concert or musical event where the music being played was soul-sucking and entirely un-engaging?

I have attempted to review “digital on parade’” components, be they streamers or DACs, etc. You’d wonder how their respective voices could, in truth, engage anyone. And here we experience the very subjective nature of this musical/audio pursuit. This type of “voice” is quickly eschewed at AKRMedia in favour of the voice that synthesizes both technical ability and engagement/musicality. People do indeed have a preference for bitter dark chocolate, exceedingly sweet milk chocolate, or “interestingly” flavoured white chocolate. Go figure. 

The Baetis Revolution X4 proved itself exceptionally talented at rendering transparency and resolution, whole cloth, while zealously unearthing detail regardless of where it attempted to hide. Perhaps in the Revolution X4’s case this was just the signal being exceptionally well preserved, free of artifice, with greatly reduced jitter, etc. Regardless, its abilities gave additional insight and dynamics, life and sublime naturalness to recordings that compelled me to listen for many hours. A component that can do this despite a reviewer’s looming Sword-of-Damocles deadlines is very rare indeed!

In comparison, the Baetis Audio Revolution X4 streamer proved more dimensional, more natural than the Mola Mola Tambaqui, though streaming is the Tambaqui’s secondary mission. Given that, it must be said that as a streamer the Tambaqui performs incredibly well. The Baetis Audio Revolution X4 and Mola Mola Tambaqui, however, were remarkable together, coming just a hair behind the Grimm Audio MU1 ($12,500) and Mola Mola Tambaqui duo, both DIAMOND AWARD winners. 

The Baetis Revolution X4’s volumetric cube—its soundstage—via the AES/EBU or SPDIF configuration with Mola Mola Tambaqui, Blue Hawaii Special Edition HPA—projected beyond the plane of the various electrostatic headphones, which was a first and quite astonishing. That is saying something, as the reference electrostatic headphone configuration has always provided an exceptional soundstage in terms of great width, depth, height, and layering.  And this was new, which often resulted in surprised looks to determine where “that sound” had come from. Ultimately, it was at a layer of the soundstage that happened to fall well beyond the plane of the electrostatic headphones. And to date, it has been an exception tied solely to the Revolution X4. Suffice to say that staging—positioning, separation, layering—with the Revolution X4 was outstanding.

BASS

I began the Bass review medley with Dave Holland’s “Emerald Tears” (Emerald Tears, ECM). Once the music began, the “dynamic contrasts” between the various bass notes was the first descriptor that came to mind. It would be followed by superb tonal/timbral shading, generous inner-detail, and tight well resolved bass notes. “Emerald Tears” seems a rather sparse piece of music, though a good reference system will quickly ferret out the subtleties and intricacies that most systems cannot see. The Baetis Audio Revolution X4 rose to the occasion, unveiling micro-detail and the most subtle tonal shadings, often obscured or buried beneath the noise floor. Malia and Boris Blanks’ “Celestial Echo” (Convergence, Boutique) then opened with daunting stage depth, sumptuous tonality, and a mad, energetic “echo” wrapped in a pristine, black-quiet envelope. Malia’s gravel-esque voice at center stage, her ethereal tone/timbre are captured to great effect. There is a whole-cloth rendering via the Revolution X4 that brings whole-cloth fullness, with power and nuance and engagement.

MIDRANGE

I cue Khatia Buniatishvili’s Schubert (Sony) via the Baetis Audio Revolution X4 and the movement comes alive with superb resolution, a sweetness, refinement, and nuance that much more expensive streamers have been unable to match. The Revolution X4 renders a natural musicality and a profound sense of engagement that weaves its magic through the entirety of my midrange vocal collection—Joan Shelly, Andy Bey, Kandace Springs, Elina Duni, Sophie Hunger, Malia, etc.

Everything is there: there is no part of the performance, any performance, that is not summoned, that does not participate fully, regardless of whether it lies in the most expansive soundstage or the least. Transparency, air, ambiance, detail are consistent players, and when coupled to the Revolution X4’s natural way with music, immersion is immediate and long-standing. There were many moments when I sat mesmerized by the performance, the music. Understand: I have had all manner of equipment reviewed through the electrostatic headphone reference system—which is uncanny at getting to the truth of things—but the beauty of this performance is something new.

The Revolution X4 technical bona fides saw it again and again, bettering much more expensive, quite well-known streamers at multiples of its asking price. The differences were not at all subtle: they were in fact remarkable, and with vocals even more so. Splendid.

TREBLE+ 

I trot out a number of my well-known treble pieces for the Revolution X4’s continued review, to display what has to date been its exemplary way with frequency response from bass to midrange and now to treble. 

First up is Dave Brubeck's “Take Five” (Time Out, Columbia-Legacy). As the music rolls in, there is that naturalness again offered up by the Revolution X4 that prompts my shoulders to drop, my brow to un-furrow. Joe Morello’s stage-right drum kit, its cymbals energetic, highly resolved, and “air-infused,” projects a palpable presence that is captivating, while Eugene Wright’s bass no longer hides in the background underrepresented—it now has gravitas and greater weight. On Hilary Hahn’s  “Chaconne from Partita No. 2 for Violin in D minor, BWV 1004” (The Essential Hilary, Sony Classical), the notes are energetic, beautifully resolved, of pristine clarity, as she stands forward in bold relief from a black quiet background. I have always enjoyed this piece, though this time the level of naturalness and my subsequent immersion are greater still, as violin notes drive skyward undaunted by the dizzying treble heights. 

Yes, generally systems at this level do not serve “breakup” or “distort,” but even in the rarified air of reference, this rendering was beautifully moving and natural. And as the other tracks played through— Lara St. John’s “Gypsy Nocturne” (Gypsy, Well Tempered), Emmanuelle Bertrand’s “Tout un Monde: Énigme” (Dutilleux & Debussy: Works w/Cello, Harmonia Mundi), Benjamin Grosvenor’s Chopin/Liszt/Ravel (Decca)—the music was beautifully resolved, engaging, and natural, as the treble notes always raced skyward, blissfully free of constraints. 

DESIGN—LOOK, FEEL

The Baetis Audio Revolution X4 is a rectangular black metal case with heatsinks applied to its left and right sides. Its top face is an unperforated black or silver metal panel.

Its front panel bears the Baetis Audio logo centered left to right and just below the top-to-bottom dividing line. Four screws near each corner secure the thick front aluminum panel to the chassis. 

It is a minimalist, clean, and unassuming design that does not draw attention to itself, and as such can be placed easily and unobtrusively in all manner of systems. 

FUNCTIONALITY

The Revolution X4’s functionality begins at the input terminal of its Gigabit ethernet connector, once its Neutrik Power connector has been attached and anchored in-wall or into a high-functioning power conditioner and its power button on its left front side panel.

Its back panel features an array of inputs and outputs, as detailed below:

• Digital XLR (3-pin) output

• Digital SPDIF (BNC or Coaxial) output

• Two USB 2.0 outputs

• Four USB 3.0 inputs

• HDMI 2.0 output

• Gigabit Ethernet Network connector input

• Neutrik Power connector

In the words of Baetis, when it comes to operating functionality the Revolution X4 can play:

“DSD via the optional USB, I2S and network outputs, as well as DoP and PCM through our AES-EBU connection. MQA is easily handled via Roon or Tidal, and any other streaming service such as Qobuz is a breeze to install.”

And the Revolution X4 can be controlled via:

“Tablet, phone, from another computer of any flavour, or even via a keyboard and trackpad transmitting directly to the Revolution X3.”

The Baetis Audio Revolution X4 is a very straightforward affair and can be up and running in minutes, though if you should need a bit of help in getting things going, CEO Joe Makkerh will happily assist new customers in setting up the system from start to play. 

SPECIFICATIONS

Baetis Audio Revolution X4

• Reference SPDIF (BNC or RCA/Coaxial) and AES-EBU daughterboard with Revelation Audio Labs CuPID copper cabling

• Runs Roon, Tidal, JRiver Media Center 26 and any other streaming service available on Windows or the internet

• Internal CD/DVD/BluRay drive available as standard, with dBpoweramp CD ripper included

• HDMI 2.0 for 4K HDR video

• 8x USB 3.x ports, including one Type-C

• AMD Ryzen APU

• 16 GB DDR4 3200 MHz RAM

• 1x Gigabit Ethernet (audiophile grade network card optional)

• 250 Gb OS drive SSD

• 4TB External USB 3.1 gen1 drive for media storage/backup, or custom storage option

• Neutrik DC power inlet

• Windows 10 Pro, stripped down to remove “bloatware”

CONCLUSION

The Baetis Audio Revolution X4 brings a naturalness, an ease, and a sweetness to recordings that will have analog-lovers fully engaged while also providing the high-fidelity technicalities—soundstaging, resolution, transparency, detail retrieval, etc.—for those long wedded to the evolving digital audio world. 

The Revolution X4 is an outstanding digital streamer that I am certain believes itself to be a synthesis of both digital and analog. At least, that is what it has shown me as it has served my musical collection and every genre therein as such.

In truth, I had been a holdout on digital as my absolute and only means of rendering/reviewing music/audio components. I had planned with much deliberation and research to reassemble a dedicated analog system to both enjoy and review other analog components. I am no longer searching for that which is analog, as my assembled systems— two-channel and headphone reference systems—have fully come into their own as headed by the best of the best streamers. The Baetis Audio Revolution X4 entirely cements that perspective, and with its sibling—Baetis Audio Reference X4 Mingo—soon in for review, I imagine it may well call Casa Heartsong home. 

The Baetis Audio Revolution X4 easily wins our Golden Key Note Award for exceptional musicality, high fidelity, engagement, and superb naturalness that few other streamers, at any price, have been able to match. 

Pros: Natural to no end and beautifully musical, while confidently ticking off all the audiophile technical check boxes. Exceptional preservation of the musical signal.

Cons: None.…

THE COMPANY

BAETIS AUDIO

Revolution X4 Streamer ($6,000) 
Joe Makkerh
www.baetisaudio.com
1-888-357-0035