Auralic Aries (Hardware) - Impressions and Information

[baddog]

Looking for some guidance to get my Mac Mini out of my listening area and leverage Aries and Roon.

 

Question: In my office I would like to connect my Mac Mini via ethernet to my Netgear Nighthawk router and also connect a USB drive to the router. Keeping the Mini around to rip discs to storage. Would the Aries in another room "see" the storage on my network, as well as the Roon core that I would run on the Mini?

 

Thanks!

 

If you can publish the USB drive connected on the router as an SMB share then Roon would see it. But I would verify music playback performance. Similarly Lightning Server can access network drives as well.

 

What exactly would be your playback configuration? Or do you wish to switch between Roon for music playback and the Aries Lightning DS application?

[Booster MPS]

If you can publish the USB drive connected on the router as an SMB share then Roon would see it. But I would verify music playback performance. Similarly Lightning Server can access network drives as well.

 

What exactly would be your playback configuration? Or do you wish to switch between Roon for music playback and the Aries Lightning DS application?

 

Thanks for the reply baddog - I will look into the ability to publish the usb drive as you suggested (I have no idea what that really means or what SMB is, but I shall use my Google Box)

 

Great question on the playback configuration. I am very much drawn towards Roon/Tidal as the preferred method of playback simply because of the music discovery element. I am pretty devoted to A+ at the moment, so the sound quality of the playback does matter a lot to me. Is one better than the other? Again, thank you and interested in your experience on comparing sound quality.

[mikey8811]

I don't use Roon but feel it's probably straightforward.

 

I do however use a USB drive connected to a MacBook in another room that is on my network via 802.11ac wi fi. The Aries connects to the drive as a network shared drive without issues.

 

Best to fix the IP addresses on both the Aries and the Mac.

 

Thanks for the reply baddog - I will look into the ability to publish the usb drive as you suggested (I have no idea what that really means or what SMB is, but I shall use my Google Box)

 

Great question on the playback configuration. I am very much drawn towards Roon/Tidal as the preferred method of playback simply because of the music discovery element. I am pretty devoted to A+ at the moment, so the sound quality of the playback does matter a lot to me. Is one better than the other? Again, thank you and interested in your experience on comparing sound quality.

[miguelito]

So what is needed to obtain Galvanic isolation. Link please...

Maybe this helps?

 

SOtM - English | iSO-CAT6

[Doak]

Maybe this helps?

 

SOtM - English | iSO-CAT6

 

Would very much like to hear from those using the iSo-CAT6 in conjunction with the microRendu. Please.

[mikey8811]

Would very much like to hear from those using the iSo-CAT6 in conjunction with the microRendu. Please.

 

 

The other popular one is

 

https://www.acoustic-revive.com/english/pcaudio/lan_isolator.html

 

Doak, have you decided in favour of the microRendu vs the Aries already? Did you have further listening impressions?

[Doak]

The other popular one is

 

https://www.acoustic-revive.com/english/pcaudio/lan_isolator.html

 

Doak, have you decided in favour of the microRendu vs the Aries already? Did you have further listening impressions?

The recent firmware update for the Aries IMO pulled it about side by side with the mRendu/Roon in my system.

My fave setup as far as SQ remains the 2 computer Roon/HQP-NAA/mRendu setup. To me this is a game changer. Looking to optimise it. Certainly way more complicated than the literally plug-n-play Aries which remains impressive and highly recommended for "normal people." ;-)

[eligeorgia]

Need a bit of help. DS currently can't find my synology nas through DS settings. This occurred after a firmware updated. Any others with this issue? I've been running beta successfully with no apparent issues for about a week now.

 

I am able to locate and access the nas on my MacBook through the network so I don't think it's a network or nas issue.

[pl_svn]

same boat here

ethernet doesn't work anymore

 

Aries was playing and suddenly stopped

automatic install of *beta* fw updates is really stupid: I keep my Aries' display off so, maybe, I unplugged it while update was in progress

 

waiting an answer from support

[eligeorgia]

Is this what you're getting?

 

[eligeorgia]

Oddly things just reconnected. Nothing I'm aware of doing to make it recognise the network path all of a sudden, but it did. Maybe a factor of Beta being Beta??

[pl_svn]

can't even get there: Lightning DS can't find my Aries :-/

(I was using Roon)

 

 

and beta5 was *immediately* revoked

[Doak]

The recent firmware update for the Aries IMO pulled it about side by side with the mRendu/Roon in my system.

My fave setup as far as SQ remains the 2 computer Roon/HQP-NAA/mRendu setup. To me this is a game changer. Looking to optimise it. Certainly way more complicated than the literally plug-n-play Aries which remains impressive and highly recommended for "normal people." ;-)

I meant to and should have noted that the Aries firmware I cited is still in beta stage.

[pl_svn]

can you, please, check which beta fw version is installed on your Aries?

[eligeorgia]

Version 4.0.beta5

 

And FYI. Network error again. Can't find my library. Ugh.

[pl_svn]

in fact, as I wrote, beta5 fw was immediately pulled :-/

 

 

btw... what color is, on your Aries, the light beside the ethernet port, orange or green?

[eligeorgia]

Orange. Why do you ask?

 

So, I upgraded to 4.0Beta5, and it's since been revoked. What does that mean for me? How do I "go back"?

[pl_svn]

Orange. Why do you ask?

 

same as mine: means it is not working

 

So, I upgraded to 4.0Beta5, and it's since been revoked. What does that mean for me? How do I "go back"?

 

let's hope a fix is released soon. still waiting an answer to my email :-/

[mikey8811]

New Features since Version 4.0.Beta4:

 

• Device can detect Ethernet connection and switch to Wired connection automatically under WiFi AP mode.
  

 

eligeorgia, i guess that is probably the non discovery of library or network error, perhaps from switching from ethernet to wireless.

 

I guess I would disconnect the ethernet cable on mine since I prefer wireless ac anyway.

 

Luckily, I wasn't autonatically updated to 5.

[eligeorgia]

Just emailed them myself.

 

Mikey, I don't have any Ethernet connected to the Aries. Only using wifi. But yes, I suspect that something about the update that has changed Ethernet/wifi connectivity is likely playing a primary role in this. My only question is if the version has been "revoked" why not activate a software update back to the last latest beta version they are currently choosing to run.

 

I wasn't automatically updated either. I got the popup saying a new version was available and I took the bait!

[pl_svn]

mine is plugged to ethernet, always has, wi-fi is off, always has, and now... I can't get to it anymore

[mikey8811]

I am guessing you can revert to 4.04 by resetting to the actual non Beta firmware ie. under account, sign out of the Beta programme and then rejoin again.

[pl_svn]

My only question is if the version has been "revoked" why not activate a software update back to the last latest beta version they are currently choosing to run.

 

I wasn't automatically updated either. I got the popup saying a new version was available and I took the bait!

 

I was running Roon, Lightning DS was closed (quit) on both my iPad and iPhone, haven't got any pop-up nor any alert (I run the Aries with display off) or request to update the firmware

 

it just stopped playing and vanished from my network :-/

so, I guess, new beta was automatically installed

 

now I can't even reach my Aries to check what fw is running

[Doak]

can you, please, check which beta fw version is installed on your Aries?

Aries not currently on line/in sys. Will report when its up.

[MNG]

There is a problem with the latest beta firmware update. I have 2 Aries units, one is connected by wireless and the other is connected by Ethernet. The wireless one upgraded firmware and runs fine, the one connected by Ethernet upgraded firmware but now cannot connect to the network.

 

The defunct unit reboots entirely as normal but there is just no way to connect to the network.