Silent Angel
Rhein ZX
Silent Angel introduces Rhein ZX flagship music server
The new Rhein ZX combines local storage and digital transport duties for systems built around an external DAC. Native Roon Server functionality allows it to handle server duties without an external NAS or computer.
Georg S. Kuklick
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Silent Angel has introduced a new flagship digital music hub. The Silent Angel Rhein ZX includes a built-in 500GB SSD and costs US$9,499 in the United States.
The Rhein ZX runs Silent Angel's proprietary VitOS platform on an Intel Core i5-12450H processor with eight cores, 12 threads and a turbo frequency of up to 4.4GHz. Memory configurations comprise 16GB, 32GB or 64GB of DDR4 RAM. An independent M.2 expansion bay accepts PCIe 3.0 ×4 2280 NVMe SSDs with capacities up to 8TB. Two USB 3.1 ports provide connections for external storage.
USB Audio and HDMI-format I2S outputs support PCM from 44.1kHz to 768kHz at 16-bit to 32-bit resolution, alongside native DSD64 through DSD512. Coaxial, optical and balanced AES/EBU outputs handle PCM up to 192kHz/24-bit and DSD64 via DoP. An XMOS XU316 asynchronous USB audio processor operates with dedicated LDO power rails and physically separated circuitry. Clocking comes from an oven-controlled crystal oscillator rated at ±0.05ppm, with a 25MHz BNC input and selector for switching between internal and external clocks.
Two physically isolated Gigabit Ethernet ports separate audio traffic from background system services. Control is through the VitOS Orbiter app, with support for Qobuz Connect, Spotify Connect, TIDAL Connect and Amazon Music HD. Network playback options also include DLNA Renderer, HQPlayer NAA, ReadyMedia and AirPlay 2. The server supports simultaneous playback to up to 10 endpoints, with independent music selection and volume control.
A purpose-built audio motherboard is powered by an AC linear supply with a custom linear power matrix. Cooling is passive and fanless, using a CNC-machined pure-copper heatsink coupled to the chassis. The dual-layer enclosure uses 5mm-thick 6061 aluminium alloy and measures 439 × 63 × 250mm, in width, height and depth. A ground terminal with a Ground/Floating switch provides selectable grounding.
Key specifications
Product type | Flagship music server, local-storage hub and pure digital transport |
|---|---|
Operating platform | VitOS with native Roon Server; VitOS Orbiter control app |
Processor | Intel Core i5-12450H; 8 cores (4 Performance + 4 Efficient), 12 threads; 2.0GHz base, up to 4.4GHz turbo |
Memory options | DDR4: 16GB, 32GB or 64GB |
Cooling | Fanless passive cooling; CNC-machined pure-copper heatsink coupled to chassis |
Power supply | AC linear power supply with custom linear power matrix |
USB audio processor | XMOS XU316 asynchronous architecture |
Internal clock | OCXO master clock rated at ±0.05ppm |
Built-in storage | 500GB SSD within a dual-NVMe architecture |
Storage expansion | Independent M.2 NVMe bay; PCIe 3.0 ×4 2280 SSDs up to 8TB |
Digital audio outputs | USB Audio ×1; I2S via HDMI physical connector ×1; coaxial ×1; optical ×1; balanced AES/EBU ×1 |
USB and I2S output resolution | PCM 44.1–768kHz, 16–32-bit; native DSD64/128/256/512 |
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