Having stumbled across the existence of the Cocktail Audio X10 a couple of months ago, I've now had time to absorb some of the best and, er, some of the not so good

.
Like others in this thread, I'm not sure the structure of the poll is particularly helpful. It *may* have been better to allow posters to award marks out of, say, 10 for EVERY aspect listed in the poll. As the invitation was to provide opinions, here goes...
Importance to me (out of 10) / Feature 7 - FreeDB/TagEdit (metadata)
2 - Web-interface
5 - Regular Firmware updates
5 - Internet Radio/Online services
10 - Noise/Fan/HDD
9 - Menu Navigation
0 or 10 - Sound Quality
7 - Ripping speed/optical drives
10 - Support/Guide
FreeDB/TagEdit (metadata)I know the content of the database is provided by an external organisation and Cocktail Audio has no control over that content. Its inclusion is very useful when doing a first-time "virgin" rip of a complete collection. However, that diminishes thereafter because the infrequent nature of updated databases downloadable for the X10 means new CDs can't be recognised. Is there a way that the database can be updated more frequently, say monthly?
Web-interfaceNot a priority for me at the moment due to an ongoing internet problem (BT) that is unlikely to be resolved before I jump to a new ISP in the new year.
Regular Firmware updatesSurely, this is fundamental to the X10 and any bugs (distinguished from other changes affecting user convenience) should be fixed as a matter of course. For updating non-bug matters, I hope CA keeps providing the updates. In the long term, it keeps users happy and avoids negative publicity.
Internet Radio/Online servicesNot currently a priority (to me) due to above mentioned problem with ISP.
Noise/Fan/HDDFan noise is definitely an issue and it is difficult to ignore during music that is inherently quiet or is played at low volume. As well as the X10, I have a Marantz M-CR610 which is fanless. The difference is instantly noticeable.
Menu NavigationThe search facilities within the Music DB could be further improved. Would it be possible to add an option to search across ALL fields (i.e. not being limited to search one aspect (field) alone, such as album or a artist or genre etc).
Also, it would be very useful to have one further field in the Music DB; this being user-defined.
Sound QualityI put "0 or 10" because it depends how the sound is output. Using the optical out to an external DAC, as I do, effectively reduces the X10 to the status of a transport unit (due to the internal amp & DAC being bypassed).
But, if I was using the line-out or the onboard speaker terminals, then the sound produced by the X10's own amp & DAC would plainly be VERY important.
Ripping speed/optical drivesFundamental. Faster ripping speeds may seem appealing but, for me at least, not at the expense of accuracy.
Support/GuideAs others have noted, the manual really isn't good enough. Howabout creating a section on CA's website for an X10 (& X30) "wiki"? In essence, CA and Xxx users create the manual from scratch, with it being overseen by someone who genuinely knows the Xxx inside out. The current manual isn't useless but it could be sooooo much better.
Now, please can I have a job at Cocktail Audio?
