Article: Aurender S10 Music Server Review

[Audio_ELF]

Just a quick plea... When replying to posts can people please click "reply" to the particular thread they are replying to or reply to the original post where appropriate. For those of us who view the forum with threading this makes life a lot easier to follow...<br />

<br />

Thank you<br />

Eloise

[Priaptor]

busted quite intentionally. <br />

<br />

I said I "ask for one think" that doesn't mean I get what I ask for.<br />

<br />

[dummy]

You have an all Audio Research rig so... I won't shed a tear for you here you lucky bast#%*! <br />

<br />

And your nick is Priaptor for God's sake!!! You have it ALL!!! LOL<br />

<br />

I think you get more what you ask for than I! <br />

<br />

;-)<br />

<br />

[Priaptor]

my wife does know better than to question. <br />

<br />

What started out as a "reemergence" into a relatively low cost high end system underwent a metamorphosis to what most sane people would consider crazy and my wife chose to stop asking questions when she saw my Nola Micro Grands being replaced by Baby Grands. She asked no questions when she caught me sneaking up my Ref 5. She didn't even ask questions when I was exchanging out my MC2301s for REF 250s. <br />

<br />

The only time she got pissed was when I need her help to get the 100lb Silver Circle 5.0 power transformer onto my rack. Actually she got pissed when I also asked her to sit in the my listening chair measuring distances. She also got pissed when I asked her to hold up mirrors for setting up my tube traps. She really really got pissed when I asked her to help me tilt my Baby Grands to put some plastic under the spikes so I could move them properly.<br />

<br />

Then she learned to ignore my calls for help, which turned out to be best for both of us. All is now peaceful, which is nice.

[dummy]

I have no wife so... I have no problem! <br />

<br />

;-)<br />

<br />

[dummy]

I understand 2TB is a lot of storage but what happens in the future in the case that the internal HD gets full?<br />

<br />

Does connecting an external USB HD works like the inside one or does It works like a NAS, with no retrieving of the metadata?<br />

<br />

Thanks!<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

[catastrofe]

Chris, you hereby have an open invitation to lug the Aurender down to Saint Louis for a comparison against my Sonore server.

[Mark Powell]

It's a beautiful machine, but -<br />

<br />

While I agree with Chris about looks can be important, I am rather put off the pair of great big heat sinks on the sides that do absolutely nothing whatsover. Nothing is connected to them. Form should follow function to some extent, these are just a styling exercise.<br />

<br />

You are compelled, for all practical purposes, to buy a 'foreign attachment' (an iPad) or it wont't work at all. Such a gadget may be popular, but certainly not universal. It results in having to purchase a grossly overspecified remote control.

[barrows]

Agreed on the "heat sinks", although, some folks will probably like them! To each his own. What I really like is the purpose built layout and design of the interior: this really does show a "form follows function" approach, and good attention to detail.<br />

<br />

As to the remote, Ipad, etc, this is no different from many other products available these days-PS Audio, Sonore, Auraliti, etc.<br />

The fact is (and I have taken part in discussions about pricing this kind of thing out) there is no way an audio manufacturer could produce a dedicated, touch screen remote, anywhere near as nice as an Ipad, even with only the remote control functionality, at a cost anywhere near what an Ipad costs. Apple can only do it because they make millions of the things. The screen alone at low MOQs is super expensive. If Aurender had to supply there own touch screen remote, which would function as well as an Ipad, it would add $1500 to the price easily, and would not have the additional utility of an Ipad. This is just the tough reality of low volume products.

[Mark Powell]

I think we agree on it all. There is nothing 'wrong' with an Ipad. You probably are aware of my 'anti Apple' prejudice, but it is just prejudice, nothing else. The Ipad is a good machine.<br />

<br />

The Aurender got an equally good review in the most respected of the three UK magazines.<br />

<br />

I recently purchased the Naim ND5 XS, at about half the price of the Aurender, but as it has no internal disk, and no way of ripping, the value is about the same. It comes with a basic remote and a small display, but has an Ipod or iPhone app (no IPad support yet). So I will perhaps 'go with the flow' and buy one of the durned things. I bought the Naim precisely because of your "A laboratory experiment gone wrong" comment. It hasn't worked of course, (1) because I never throw anything away (2) because I still need the Laptop for ripping.<br />

<br />

A totally logical person would just buy the Auraliti.

[joeling]

A plus point of the S10 for me is that it supports Mandarin characters both in traditional & simplified fonts. This cannot be said of many streamers / audio servers out there although an Apple machine can do so too.<br />

<br />

A negative point is that why the digital output jack is not BNC ?<br />

<br />

Regards,<br />

Joe Ling

[Mark Powell]

I don't think that BNC is inherently superior to RCA. Thogh some 'hi-end' machines use it for marketing purposes.

[Royphile]

Hi Chris - thanks for your comprehensive review of the Aurender. My main issue is the high price. My question is if you have had a chance to listen to the Bryston BDP-1 and compare it to the Aurender (have seen the BDP1 mentioned in forums but have not seen you review it). I have not heard the Bryston BDP-1 yet (I do have a Bryston amp among other amps, which I am very happy with), but have seen several favorable reviews on it, and am keen to purchase it. <br />

<br />

The BDP1 seems to be sensibly designed, with smart features (e.g. SSD buffer for the music file being played). Two potential big pluses versus the Aurender: price (at just $2200 or thereabouts), and ability to plug in 1-3 external hard disks or USB thumb drives, i.e. lots more flexibility and choice not to mention lower cost, as opposed to being stuck with the hard disk inside the Aurender.<br />

<br />

Thanks again for the review.

[Audio_ELF]

BNC is actually at least theoretically superior as it is a true 75ohn connector. In fact many engineers would point to this being superior to the AES3 standard using XLR connectors for this impedance matching. <br />

<br />

Eloise

[Audio_ELF]

Just for the record, the capabilities of the Asunder probably more closely match Naim's UnitiServe device. <br />

<br />

Chris... Have you investigated Naim's range of digital audio players / servers and looked at reviewing them?<br />

<br />

Eloise

[Mark Powell]

The UnitiServ costs more than the ND5XS, so I did not buy one. A laptop and NAS combined costs a third the price and anyway I already had the laptop. Naim use BNC for the digital outlet, as they also do on their other boxes. Their analogue connection are DIN, though they have now bowed to market pressures and fit RCA as well.<br />

<br />

The BNC connector is theoretically superior for the reasons you mention. But when the BNC to pc board connection at both ends invariably ignores what is usually accepted as 'good practice' in the high frequency world I suspect the theoretical advantages don't matter at all.<br />

<br />

PS - And as, I believe, though happy to be corrected, the frequencies we are using are so far below the nominal 50 ohm or 75 ohm impedance frequency specifications that the theory does not come into it.<br />

<br />

Regards<br />

[Audio_ELF]

@Mark, I wasn't suggesting that the UnitiServe would have been a better option for you, just that it was closer in functionality to the Asunder device being tested. <br />

<br />

Eloise

[Elprior]

Mark,<br />

<br />

<i><br />

Nothing is connected to them. Form should follow function to some extent, these are just a styling exercise.<br />

</i><br />

<br />

What about cooling the cpu ?<br />

It seems to me it should be connected to those (somewhere).<br />

<br />

Elp

[Mark Powell]

As far as I can see from some nice big pictures in a UK magazine the 'heat sinks' are connected to nothing. Nevertheless, from the two reviews I would seriously consider it had I not already bought something else. If they did a black one... and the blue VU display....on top of my McIntosh - WoW!

[taurus3]

<br />

It is now available in black. Still has the blue VU display. Sounds fabulous. Go stimulate the economy!<br />

<br />

Amir

[ted_b]

There is a fine app called mpod which uses the iPod (touch, phone, etc). Chris even mentioned in his review that it would be nice to not have to lug the ipad for every remote use.

[fjmcsu]

Very interested in product but I do not have ethernet access in my stereo enclave(basement). For those with the unit would it be possible to use a USB wireless router instead of the ethernet connection to access the internet. I realize that the connection would be too slow for music file transfer & would not use it as such.

[taurus3]

<br />

<br />

I had the same problem. It was very easily solved by using a Netgear powerline AV+200 kit. It is plug and play and uses your home power lines to transmit ethernet signals. My Aurender works beautifully with it.<br />

<br />

Amir

[Audio_ELF]

Best to use a Wireless bridge (such as Airport Express) than try to use a USB wireless adaptor.

[fjmcsu]

Amir<br />

Thanks I will take a look at it. As an aside, I have the Oppo BDP-95 & it has a wireless USB router that comes with the unit that works quite well for firmware updates et al.