Pachanko Labs Constellation Mini SE server/streamer
Made in La Réunion is not something I have seen on anything before let alone a high end audio component, and yet Pachanko Labs is based in the French Department in the Indian Ocean thousands of miles from the nearest hi-fi retailer. Apart from the active volcanos and persistently pleasant 26 degree C climate a bonus of its political status is that the currency is the Euro, which must make life a lot easier for Pascal, Patrice, Chan and Miko whose names are combined to form Pachanko Labs, a brand that specializes in music servers but which also make cables and power supplies.
The company started just over a decade ago making digital cables including the SATA variety, the first server appeared in 2019 and now they have five in the range of which the Constellation Mini SE is almost the least expensive, the standard Constellation Mini is the base model albeit with rather more fancy casework. The Constellation Mini SE is available with anything from none to 8TB of SSD storage; Pachanko Labs realise that those who get all their music from providers like Qobuz or Tidal also need decent server/streamers.
As standard this model is supplied with a 12V AC adaptor but the Constellation Mini SE sent for review came with a Stellar linear power supply that sits in a case which is slightly bigger than the server itself. This is quite an ambitious piece of kit in itself, it uses cryogenically treated OCC internal wiring and in-house built O core transformers that have been created for “the lowest possible noise”. The Stellar has two outputs which can have supply voltages between 5V and 19V, making it suitable for running a DAC or network switch etc alongside the server.
The Constellation Mini SE differs from the majority of the competition by running on Windows software using either Roon, Audirvana and other playback software, it cannot be driven with UPnP control systems and the way that music files are added to the library is rather unusual. So unusual in fact that Pachanko does it remotely for all of its server customers, yet in practice I found it relatively easy to manage music myself from my desktop. It involves an application called Anydesk which is a bit like Teamviewer inasmuch as it allows one computer to access another through a Windows interface, but you don’t need to be running Windows to use it. I used this to transfer files from my Melco server over to the Constellation Mini SE and Roon was able to add these to the library for playback.
The Constellation Mini SE is essentially a PC that has been built from the ground up for high quality server and streaming functionality. It has a four core Intel CPU, 8GB of low latency custom RAM and a heavily tweaked operating system with low noise and low latency being the main goals. The most unconventional part of the Pachanko servers is that they do not use a clock for the outgoing signal, relying instead in the clocks in attached streamers or DACs.
Diretta effect
Another uncommon feature is a Diretta output on ethernet, this is designed for use with a Diretta target or bridge which converts an ethernet input to a USB output. This is a Japanese streaming protocol that averages the data flow in order to reduce fluctuations in the load on the power supply. The theory being that with lower variations in power requirement parasitic noise from the PSU is reduced. It’s an intriguing system that has a few high end brands behind it in Japan with Spec, Sforzato and Soulnote among them.
The Constellation Mini SE under consideration had a Roon core built into it so all that’s needed to run the unit is a license from that particular corporation. In the past I have not always found Roon to be a particularly enthralling system when it comes to sound quality, the interface is second to none but in many instances the timing produced by devices under Roon’s control left something to be desired. I have used to units that were an exception to this however, the Grimm MU1 and Aqua Acoustic Linq both delivered exceptional timing and overall sound quality using Roon, which proves that, as often proves to be the case, implementation is key.
Build and finish quality are high in both server and power supply, the socketry is not particularly fancy but appropriate to the price. Melco and Innuos put their servers in more elaborate boxes but the Pachankos are professionally built and proved totally reliable in use. The Constellation Mini SE has typical PC connectors for ethernet, USB and HDMI with dedicated audio outputs on USB. The money they save here is spent on the inside where it really counts, something that’s immediately obvious when you plug the Constellation Mini SE into your DAC or streamer. This sample came with one additional upgrade in the form of a silver SATA cable between the SSD and the motherboard, something that Pachanko discovered early on to be beneficial in streaming audio yet is never mentioned by the more established players in this arena.
Sound quality
I started out listening to the Constellation Mini SE with its USB output connected to a Merason Reuss DAC using Network Acoustics muon2 USB cable and found it hard to stop. This is a phenomenally quiet and revealing server/streamer, one that’s capable of producing huge depth of image with a good recording and making the music as engaging as the soundstage is impressive. It has a tranquillity that you rarely get with digital sources at this price and this means that all the tiny details join the fundamentals to produce a richer, more realistic audio picture. The tension and reach out and touch it realism of good recordings is quite uncanny, electrifying in fact, which as you can imagine makes it very easy to become fully immersed in the performance.
The Constellation Mini SE achieves this by having extremely low noise, this is what allows it to resolve the quietest sounds, and that resolution makes for a more complete sonic picture. It’s a bit like an ultra high definition TV, one that’s playing the demo reel in the show room but without the hyped colours and excessive brightness. This Pachanko unveils virtually all the aspects of every recording that you play, the timbre of the instruments and voices, the dynamic swings and the feelings inherent in the performance. It does this almost as well as the recording allows by adding no apparent colourations or noise of its own, and timing is extremely good for a server/streamer. In fact the Constellation Mini SE is better than all the other devices of this nature at this price that I have had the opportunity to review.
I discovered that adding a Lumin streamer improved timing to a useful degree but undermined the uncanny degree of transparency of the Pachanko alone, but this was a compromise that proved more enduring via the less revealing iFi iDSD Pro DAC that replaced the Merason when it had to be returned. As ever matching components in a system is a key factor in getting the best result but the results continued to enthral to a rare degree even with a lesser converter. And when the mighty Vivid Moya loudspeakers arrived it became apparent that the Constellation Mini SE was even more revealing and expressive in tonal and dynamic terms than had been apparent before. Here I found that the Mutec MC3+ reclocker and Ref 10 Nano word clock pairing delivered even more enthralling results than the Lumin, the balance was drier but the timing bang on the money. With a good live recording such as Bill Withers’ Live at Carnegie Hall I was transported back to the concert in 1972, the depth of image, the atmosphere and the excitement were all palpable. However moving over the the SPL Diamond and using the word clock on that brought a more natural and ultimately more enjoyable result that made everything from Mendelssohn to Tom Waits sound beautiful.
Results with Qobuz were also exceptional, another live recording Tripping with Nils Frahm proved as much by revealing so much energy from the event that it once again felt like being there. I have played my own copy of this quite a bit but never realised just how good the track Fundamental Values is, the Moyas certainly played a part in this revelation but it was nonetheless a genuine musical epiphany and you don’t get many of those to the pound.
Pachanko verdict
The results I got with the Pachanko Labs Constellation Mini SE removed all reservations I had about Roon sound quality, this server proves that when you get the fundamentals right, when you build a digital audio source that is so well thought out, magic will come out of it. You need a decent system to appreciate just how much magic there is on your favourite recordings but it was ever thus, a great source can only get you so far. The intriguing thing about this particular source is the Diretta factor, if its makers are to be believed all you need is a target to bridge between the server and your DAC and musical ecstasy will be yours.
The key point however is that the second least expensive server/streamer in the Pachanko Labs catalogue is phenomenally good. It proves that when you apply enough know how to building an audio specific computer the results can be astonishing. I have to say that I am very tempted to invest. Vive La Réunion.