Cocktail Audio X40Price: $2695

Website: www.cocktailaudio.com

Sathyan said: I was, on the whole, very impressed with the Cocktail Audio X40. In the X40, one gets a ripper, a server, a renderer, a tuner of both Internet and FM radio, and an excellent DAC, all tied together with a well-thought-out user interface. What’s not to like about that?

Read the SoundStage! Hi-Fi review.

The gist: Less-expensive alternative to the Aurenders of the world.