Cocktail Audio UK  Reviews 31

I bought the Cocktail Audio X35 in 2020 and for years it was an incredibly good device, worth 4-5 stars. Since the latest firmware update end 2022 it became a daily source of frustration. The newly structured database simply cannot handle compilation albums. As a result, several metadata including cover art has been totally messed up, with no way to fix it (firmware update april 2023 did not fix this major issue. e.g. When deleting 1 "Best Of" album, all albums with the same name are deleted, etc... Novatron is also out of business, but most distributors will not tell you that!! I've sent several mails in English and Korean to the manufacturer - website still online and pretending to be in business - but no reaction anymore. They left all their customers without any support in future. My only option now is to revert to the firmware with the old database structure, or buy a new device.

We spent a fortune on the X10 model; we've had items in storage for 2 years - now find 1) no internet radio and 2) no firmware updates for years. Basically, the unit is practically useless now. Cocktail Audio seemingly sold these units with no intention of providing support for them. Utter cr@p. Compounded by then not replying to messages requesting support/advice - with no phone number either.

So my advice - run a mile from Cocktail Audio. Our £400 +unit meanwhile is heading for charity at best or more likely recycling as it's as much use as a chocolate fireguard (like the company....)

Like with the previous reviewer I ask whether this company still exists. I have tried to contact them by email(twice) and on telephone numbers on their website and via a browser, and each I am told the phone numbers are not recognised and and no response to emails. I they are in existence do not use them as their service is worst than appalling

Does this company still exist , my X12 has stopped working and finding help is pretty hard , the phone number seems to be cut off and the company address is a storage unit

Non-existent customer service. I've written twice about a problem, and no so much as an acknowledgement.

My X10 worked perfectly but now won’t acknowledge that a CD has been inserted. Am I to understand from previous replies that a repair isn’t possible?

I’ve had two Cocktail Audio products - a X10 followed by an X12. Both have been unpredictable and at times unreliable and infuriating. On the plus side, however, the 4TB storage on the X12 is vast and will probably last me the rest of my life. The sound quality is pretty good, too, and comparable with many medium-range hi-fi separates. The unit is great if you, like me, have a massive CD collection. It doesn’t pretend to be über hi-fi equipment and it can be used as a world radio. There is also the ability to create infinite playlists. However, and this is where things get difficult: in the two years since I have had the X12 - a more sophisticated version of the X10 - I’ve had numerous glitches, it’s been back twice for repair and I must admit I’m getting to the end of my tether with it. I just want it to work properly. Problems I have encountered:

1, CD tray often fails to eject, even while using Autorip.
2, Spontaneous switching off or freezing.
3, Refusing to read CDs at all, even though a conventional CD player has no problem.
4, Failing to extract CD cover artwork despite having a new Gracenote licence installed.
5, An irritating grinding noise emanating from the unit when CD ripping.

Some problems were solved when I had a new CD drive installed and it appears some problems will be resolved when new firmware is released but who knows when that will be. Quite simply, this unit could potentially be very good if it worked every day, all the time, but the convenience of being able to infinitely switch between artists without using the old, tedious method of ejecting and inserting CDs is outweighed by the X12’s unreliability. I’ve had numerous hi-fi systems over 50 years and the idea of having my collection in one digitised place is wonderful but the practicality is that the NovaFidelity X12 is not up to the job. As it is, I’ll have to console myself that my many hundreds of CDs are stored in a ripper/streamer that will always have some fault. Not perfect, but that’s life, I suppose.

Lots of bad comments here about product and after sales. Well, my experience is somewhat different folks.
My X10, purchased in 2007 from Richer Sounds Maidstone Kent. Yes I had issues, some very frustrating in year one but the product was quite new then and I knew it was a niche (low volume) product, so there is always a risk.
However, I had fantastic service from Richer Sounds guys, they really stuck with it and never once made me feel I was bothering them. There was an ocasional fault that was proving troublesome and they put me in touch with the concessionaires near Sevenoaks, UK. These guys sorted it and I have never had a spot of bother since.
That was 2009.
It sounds great through Tannoy DC10's and Cambridge amp (playing from the hard drive) when compared to medium level CD players (£500 to £1,000), and better than some I might add.
Yes it's noisy on ripping and playing using the unit as a 'player', but that is not where this really scores, it was quite a 'brave' product & revolutionary at the time. I wish it was still manufactured. Not everyone wants to have their collection in 'The Cloud'
When it finally gives up the ghost I will miss it.
4 stars not five just because of early years problems.
Tip guys! Buy your gear from a good dealer and they will reward you with good service.

It has to be the second worst electronic product and service I bought in my life. The product stopped working, the service non existent after warranty.

This is one of those low budget companies selling patched together electronics, unfinished, and using paying customers at testers.
If you want to end up with a useless piece of garbage an write off your investment by cocktail audio or chinese solar shares.

Very poor and curt reply to my email regarding noisy fan hum or where ever its coming from (not the speakers) on my X10., Still waiting for a reply as to whether I am able to return the unit to them for repair.

This small digital player packs far-reaching potentials with great sound. Able to pIay uncompressed files plus the ripping capability? Wow! I partnered it with my pioneer amp and it explodes.

As much as I want to heap praises to the X12 I just can’t. The features are poorly supported by a weak processor. It’s like owning a two decade old pc. It sucks! On many occasions the X12 freezes wth nothing one can do but reset the whole thing.

When you rip a CD good luck on adding album art, title naming, etc. it’s not a breeze. It actually is hard labor. Better option to organize ones music is via a PC with an external HD.

The remote is worst of the problems. It does not work in more time than it should. Crazy but I don’t think it’s the remote’s fault. The communication between the X12 and the remote is very poor. I say this because even if with new batteries! The X12 suddenly freezes on a page and the remote can’t do anything. Sometimes when it works some buttons don’t. I can say that the quality of this product is suspect. I WILL NOT RECOMMEND THIS TO MY FRIENDS NOR TO DEAR READERS. What a disappointment.

Sadly I have had to replace my previous favourable review with this history lesson:
May 2012: X10 CD storage & Music streamer bought from Cocktail Audio. Cost £440.
February 2014: 2nd X10 unit bought from Cocktail Audio so 1st could be used for playback elsewhere in the house. Cost £463.
May 2016: 4-year-old 1st X10 failed catastrophically without warning. Motherboard replaced by Cocktail Audio. Cost £105.
January 2019: 3 years after repair 1st X10 failed again in exact same way. Cocktail Audio declined to repair, stating spare parts not available. Note: less than 5 years after purchase of 2nd X10. Their 'best' advice: buy a used machine on E-Bay!
May 2020: 6-year-old 2nd X10 failed in exact same way.
Specialist electronic company has since confirmed units are unrepairable due to lack of spare parts.
Summary: After 8 and 6 years respectively and a total cost of over £1,000 both units are now unusable junk. Not good for items marketed as a storage solution so you can 'unclutter' your CD collection. 3 identical failures strongly suggests fundamental design/manufacturing flaw. Cocktail Audio walked away. A sad failure of product support.
Message from history: Don't buy Cocktail Audio products if you are looking for long-term reliability and good customer support. If you have an X10 (or X12 or anything similar from this supplier) do not waste time loading your CD collection into it and ABOVE ALL do not 'unclutter' your CD collection!
Footnote: Happily, I still have my CD collection and have since purchased a Brennan B2 unit on the strength of their impressive product support record.

Initially bought the earlier models found the musicDB not well designed despite the numerous updates.
Now the Cocktail Audio Pro X100 is simple and straight forward more on the current trend. Heaps of services, enhanced …no issues, easier to manage and versatile.
Will be purchasing another for my Parents now living in Paris.
Thank you for this model cocktail audio.
Great support UK forum too.

Purchased an X10 a year or two ago and believe it or not had only recently started ripping my CD collection, went well until had loaded about 300 at which point the eject mechanism started to malfunction until eventually a CD became stuck inside the unit.
I took the unit to a electronics and computer specialist in the city who removed the offending CD and returned the unit to me with the comment that it might now work properly or not.
In the event the eject mechanism still proved faulty with the inevitable result that a further CD became jammed in the unit.
I contacted Cocktail Audio in the personage of Koby who was helpful and he advised that I should forward the unit to the company for repair at an agreed price which I felt was reasonable.
The unit was mailed to the company via the Post Office special delivery service and having paid £11.00 for the privilege I was confident that the package would be treated with care.
In spite of advice given to me by Koby on the packing of the unit for postage I had obviously not parcelled it securely enough for upon delivery to Cocktail the packaging had burst open and damage had occurred to the X10.
Right, now for the nub of my tale, throughout this episode Koby treated me with patience and courtesy, additional repairs (necessitated by the damage caused by my inadequate packaging and the obvious rough handling this received by the P.O. Parcel Service) were carried out without further fuss or cost from Cocktail Audio plus the repaired X10 was returned to me within four working days of me having mailed it for repairs.
The unit now appears to be working correctly plus Koby kindly updated the DB for me.
In this day and age when after sales service is often poor and difficult to
obtain it is refreshing to be able to record the excellent service that I received from this company and I must also add my complete satisfaction with the performance of the X10 subsequent to the foregoing events.
I should not hesitate to recommend this product and the company that markets it.

I had a problem with my media streamer and tried for weeks to get it fixed. Spent money on so called audio repair experts and came away with Nada. Called these guys and although there was no sale in it for them they bent over backwards to help. Without them I would still be pulling my hair out. I was on at my wits end and these guys came riding in and saved the day. Great communication and patients to deal with a non tech person. Cannot recommend them enough. If its broken don't go anywhere else until you have talked with these guys. A1 *****

No doubt about it arrived quickly and when I had problem setting up the support was amazing saves me a lot of time works like a charm . highly recommended !

I have recently purchased the Cocktail Audio X10 with 500GB HDD. I found the user manual a bit hard to understand so contacted Cocktail who put me straight and were extremely helpfull. After a couple of months of playing it every day there was some loud fan noise. Not only did they change the fan but gave the machine a complete upgrade all in just 3 days. I can honestly say i would most certainly buy from them again and recommend them to anybody. Fantastic piece of audio equipment with excellent after sales service.

Product delivered on time and was as expected.

Early problems made me sceptical about the machine and wondered if I had got a "Friday Job" The problem was sorted without any fuss and I am just getting the confidence back to load my cds. Haven't tried all the bells and whistles yet, just a playlist.

Easy to load and store your cd's .Have loaded about 800 cd's complete with covers . Radio works well as you can pick and choose stations for blues, rock, classical etc, Looks good as well.