Auralic Aries UPnP Renderer: Double DSD Over Wi-Fi

[bmoura]

This sounds like a very interesting product introduction at CES 2014 in Las Vegas. A new DAC from Auralic that features Double DSD (DSD 128) playback over Wi-Fi.

 

See the announcement at AURALiC Introduces Industry

[Hiro]

This sounds like a very interesting product introduction at CES 2014 in Las Vegas. A new DAC from Auralic that features Double DSD (DSD 128) playback over Wi-Fi.

 

Indeed.

 

BTW, I hope that we'll also see players/DACs capable of streaming DSD over Ethernet. I wouldn't mind if, say, Pioneer stepped into the game with a 5.6MHz DSD Reference Network Streamer.

[Wang Xuanqian]

There are some misunderstanding on this topic. AURALiC is going to launch the Lightning streaming technology on CES.

 

ARIES is the first product in Lightning family. This is not a DAC but a DAC bridge. It can stream DSD, double rate DSD and DXD though WiFi or Ethernet and output though USB host to a DoP capable DAC to achieve bit-perfect DSD streaming for your existing Hi-End DSD DAC.

 

There will be lightning demonstration using a prototype ARIES on different system during the CES show at Venetian Suite 30-212.

[bmoura]

There are some misunderstanding on this topic. AURALiC is going to launch the Lightning streaming technology on CES.

 

ARIES is the first product in Lightning family. This is not a DAC but a DAC bridge. It can stream DSD, double rate DSD and DXD though WiFi or Ethernet and output though USB host to a DoP capable DAC to achieve bit-perfect DSD streaming for your existing Hi-End DSD DAC.

 

There will be lightning demonstration using a prototype ARIES on different system during the CES show at Venetian Suite 30-212.

 

Hmm, so you would use "Aries" with a DSD DAC like the exaSound e28 and a server or NAS like the Synology 1813+, for example, to bring DSD Download files to the DAC via Wi-Fi? That actually makes it even more interesting!

[Hiro]

ARIES is the first product in Lightning family. This is not a DAC but a DAC bridge. It can stream DSD, double rate DSD and DXD though WiFi or Ethernet and output though USB host to a DoP capable DAC to achieve bit-perfect DSD streaming for your existing Hi-End DSD DAC.

 

So it basically transforms a plain vanilla DAC into a Network Player with Wi-Fi and Ethernet connectivity?? Now, that's fricking amazing!

[Wang Xuanqian]

Yes. This is a bridge between your NAS and your DAC via 802.11ac Gigabit WiFi or Gigabit Ethernet depend on your preference.

 

If you have a DoP capable DAC, you can use the USB host output on ARIES and stream DSD, DSD128 and DXD though ARIES from your NAS. If this is a legacy DAC, you can use AES/EBU, S/PDIF or TOSLINK from ARIES but DSD, DSD128 and DXD will not be available, we can do down sampling to other sampling rate to make sure the DAC can play it.

 

Lightning is a very strong platform we have been developing for a while. This is not just about file streaming but with a lot of other important features such as Songcast, built-in radio such as Spotify. AURALiC will maintain the platform software and keep adding new function for free, the new functions such as Airplay, DSD upsampling, room acoustic correction and more you can image.

 

And we will bring the best control software with industry's best user experience

[dr.sah]

Please, make simple, nice, fast and smooth control app. Some mix between Sonos app, and jremote maybe. That would be nice.

[ejn1]

Mr Wang, Any pics?

[Wang Xuanqian]

Not yet for ARIES, we are going to do live demonstration using a prototype using a not-official case

[jtwrace]

Price?

[Vitor]

Price?

 

"ARIES will be available in May 2014 at suggested prices starting at $999 (MSRP)."

[jtwrace]

"ARIES will be available in May 2014 at suggested prices starting at $999 (MSRP)."

Thanks. Very very cool Mr. Wang.

[wisnon]

So it basically transforms a plain vanilla DAC into a Network Player with Wi-Fi and Ethernet connectivity?? Now, that's fricking amazing!

Agreed.

[One and a half]

Lovely, and good riddance to DLNA.

[One and a half]

Can Aries work with media servers like Jriver, Pure Music?

IOW, Jriver's endpoint is the Aries device, rather than a USB DAC.

I wouldn't expect that to be toooo difficult.....Jriver to chime in?

[Wang Xuanqian]

Can Aries work with media servers like Jriver, Pure Music?

IOW, Jriver's endpoint is the Aries device, rather than a USB DAC.

I wouldn't expect that to be toooo difficult.....Jriver to chime in?

 

 

It works if JRiver is implying such function by following UPnP standard. It is also possible for gapless if JRiver can send out correct commend (SetNextAVTransportURI).

[Adyc]

Does it support chord DAC?

[MikeJazz]

Yes. This is a bridge between your NAS and your DAC via 802.11ac Gigabit WiFi or Gigabit Ethernet depend on your preference.

 

If you have a DoP capable DAC, you can use the USB host output on ARIES and stream DSD, DSD128 and DXD though ARIES from your NAS. If this is a legacy DAC, you can use AES/EBU, S/PDIF or TOSLINK from ARIES but DSD, DSD128 and DXD will not be available, we can do down sampling to other sampling rate to make sure the DAC can play it.

 

Lightning is a very strong platform we have been developing for a while. This is not just about file streaming but with a lot of other important features such as Songcast, built-in radio such as Spotify. AURALiC will maintain the platform software and keep adding new function for free, the new functions such as Airplay, DSD upsampling, room acoustic correction and more you can image.

 

And we will bring the best control software with industry's best user experience

 

I will be very interested in testing this product when it arrives in Portugal.

I hope it will have a competitive price here...

The sentence that I highlighted in bold there is where I think your vision matches mines...that flexibility to enhance product and features makes it very appealing and almost future proof. Congrats, it's a very smart move...

[bmoura]

Yes. This is a bridge between your NAS and your DAC via 802.11ac Gigabit WiFi or Gigabit Ethernet depend on your preference.

 

If you have a DoP capable DAC, you can use the USB host output on ARIES and stream DSD, DSD128 and DXD though ARIES from your NAS. If this is a legacy DAC, you can use AES/EBU, S/PDIF or TOSLINK from ARIES but DSD, DSD128 and DXD will not be available, we can do down sampling to other sampling rate to make sure the DAC can play it.

 

Lightning is a very strong platform we have been developing for a while. This is not just about file streaming but with a lot of other important features such as Songcast, built-in radio such as Spotify. AURALiC will maintain the platform software and keep adding new function for free, the new functions such as Airplay, DSD upsampling, room acoustic correction and more you can image.

 

And we will bring the best control software with industry's best user experience

 

Does it have to be used with 802.11ac? Or would it work with 802.11b/g and Powerline/Ethernet AC adapters ?

[Paul R]

I guess I must be thickheaded. How does this product improve on say, JRMC or iTunes in terms of functionality? I am looking for what there is about it that is exciting people - but I must be missing the boat. It sounds like the key to this is the new 'Lightening App' which appears to be pretty much just a player. How that player handles metadata and such is what would be important to me. And if it runs on all the listed platforms, what capabilities are available on each? For example, can you have a Player under Windows that can stream DSD to a iOS based iPhone? If so, does it transcode to something the iPhone can play? Or are iOS devices just remote control devices?

 

Too many questions, not enough answers. One big question would be how proprietary this is? Does it only drive Auralic hardware? If I have a USB DAC I really love, can I drive it from a Lightening App on a PC, or do I have to buy an Aries *and* a PC to run it? Or an Aries and a NAS and a platform to run the Lightening App on to control the thing?

 

-Paul

[Kal Rubinson]

Hmm, so you would use "Aries" with a DSD DAC like the exaSound e28 and a server or NAS like the Synology 1813+, for example, to bring DSD Download files to the DAC via Wi-Fi? That actually makes it even more interesting!

It is interesting that you mention the exaSound e28 because there is no mention whatever of whether the "Aries" can support more than stereo.

[Hiro]

too many questions, not enough answers. One big question would be how proprietary this is? Does it only drive auralic hardware?

 

fyi

 

it can stream dsd, double rate dsd and dxd though wifi or ethernet and output though usb host to a dop capable dac to achieve bit-perfect dsd streaming for your existing hi-end dsd dac.

[Paul R]

fyi

 

Hi Hiro - what do they mean by "usb host" - typically that is a computer interface.

 

-Paul

[Hiro]

Hi Hiro - what do they mean by "usb host" - typically that is a computer interface.

 

-Paul

 

From what I understand it's the USB output of this device (not computer's).

[Paul R]

Well, one can only go by what is written, and that is terribly unclear. I suppose we will have to wait until Chris writes it up from CES next week to get a better understanding of Auralic's vision for all this. It is quite confusing and most unclear at the moment, at least to me.

 

From what I understand it's the USB output of this device (not computer's).