Auralic Aries (Hardware) - Impressions and Information

[MNG]

Any ideas on when DS v2 will be released?

Thanks

 

I received an email on 6 March saying that:

 

Lightning DS V1.8 coming in about 10 days time.

[MNG]

One of the things that it seems the new firmware release does is to disconnect the Ethernet input when wireless is selected as the connection option and I wonder whether this is causing some confusion for the device.

 

I had this wifi problem happen as others have described and I had an Ethernet cable plugged in to my Aries whilst performing the FW upgrade. What I did was to disconnect the power, from Aries, remove the Ethernet cable, power back up and then proceed as others have described above to connect to the Aries and set it up for wireless connection to my network as usual. This worked for me so I hope it may work for you.

[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.

[MNG]

If the firmware has been withdrawn, there must be a known issue and I'm sure they will be working on it. It is a bit frustrating, but that's the risk of being a beta tester.

 

The new firmware was the best sounding yet and multi room was working a treat and something I'd been waiting for.

[MNG]

Yes, that was my concern as well. Let's hope they can sort us out. Maybe there is a way of doing a hard reset - not the reset on the base of the unit.

[MNG]

My wireless Aries was still fine this morning so it does seem to be an issue affecting Aries that are connected by Ethernet. I have downgraded to 4.0 b 4 though as a precaution.

[MNG]

Unfortunately, it needs a return to manufacturer for a factory reset.

 

ah, we must have responded at the same time. I was told return for factory reset whereas you are under the impression that the unit needs to be replaced. Either way, at least I can stop messing with it trying to fix it.

[MNG]

Did you try 4.05???

 

I sincerely hope not.

 

I always preferred the sound of my Melco N1A to my Aries, which I used for Qobuz mainly. With 4.04, I hadn't had time to conclude anything, but it did seem to bring the Aries up to a similar level as the Melco. Interestingly, with my Aries now defunct due to 4.05, I have put my Aries LE into my main system and am using it with the full Aries power supply and the sound seems not quite as good. I'm not sure what the difference is between the two units, but it seems to be audible.

[MNG]

Yes, if you are connected by Ethernet, then 4.05 will likely have bricked your unit and you can no longer connect to your network. Auralic are aware of the issue and 4.05 was quickly withdrawn.

[MNG]

Aries ... has 2 Femto clocks,

 

Believe the difference you are hearing between Aries & Aries LE, is that the Aries LE has a very good clock , while Aries has a better Femto clock.

 

Must be. When I bought them, I got one of each to test whether the full version was better than the LE, enough to justify the extra price. I ended up keeping them both - I thought the difference was primarily due to the power supply, but there's apparently more to it than that.

 

I've had a dispatch note to return my defunct unit to China for repair. Has anybody been given any idea as to how long the whole turnaround process is going to take? I've raised the question twice but had no response. I'm not impressed given the circumstances.

[MNG]

Don't forget that they have to repair them as well. No knowing how long that may take but will depend upon how many units are bricked and how long the queue is. It doesn't sound very promising.

[MNG]

HOWEVER, what I would love to see is Aries doing NAA and using the AES out on Aries, avoiding USB altogether...

 

Curious as to why you want to avoid USB out from Aries - I presume that you don't like the sound quality? Is that the Aries or your DAC?

 

I have found different inputs on different DACs can sound quite different. I currently use USB, Optical and AES into my Chord Dave and the differences are very subtle and much more similar to each other than previous DACs I have tried. Of course, there are other variables as well, so it's not a straightforward comparison.

[MNG]

I think his dac sounds better through AES .

 

I hadn't found the Aries USB to sound any worse than the other outputs, so that makes sense, thanks.

[MNG]

That is very interesting Doak, I thought that these USB devices were aimed at noisy computer feeds, but you are saying that the Aries benefits. By much? You seem to imply that it is a significant difference. I am very interested in this if I can improve the Aries.

 

I have a Chord Dave DAC with 3 connected sources, a Melco NAS connected by USB, an MBL 1521A CD transport connected by AES and the Aries which is connected by optical. Of the 3 sources, the sound quality is MBL just slightly edging the Melco, then Aries. Consequently, I only use the Aries for exploratory listening via Qobuz or convenient, casual listening and it has been pretty good for both. The differences are not down to the Dave inputs as I have tested different inputs across each source and drawn the same conclusions.

 

Ideally, I'd prefer to have the MBL plus just one source for streaming - that could be the Aries or the Melco. When the Melco gets its own app and I can play Qobuz, I may no longer need the Aries. Alternatively, if I can get the sound quality of the Aries up to the Melco, then I only need the Aries and can use the Melco just as a NAS.

 

I did think that the Aries beta firmware was sounding better which is why it is frustrating that my unit has been bricked - UPS collected it today. If I can get the Aries SQ up past the Melco, that will help to simplify my setup as I could use Aries for everything except CD's. I'd like that as the control app is making good progress now and the multi room function seemed to work quite well.

 

Sorry, that has become quite a long post - I could have just said that I'm interested in any solutions that may improve the Aries SQ! I had not considered these USB solutions previously.

[MNG]

Some interesting replies, thanks all.

 

I have a regen, a JS2, and a w4s RUR. It kinda bothers me that a device optimized for audio (Aries) benefits from a regen/RUR... LPS I can see though. Call me inconsistent.

 

Were any of these devices a clear winner, or was it just different shades?

[MNG]

I thought that the point with the latest beta firmware is that, when using LDS, the data is stored into the Aries RAM memory before playback which gives the sound improvement. I don't think that this is the case when using control apps other than LDS, so you will not get the improved SQ.

[MNG]

I agree with this . AES does sound better . And that's into any dac with AES I've tried . Maybe 4 dacs total .

 

I think that this is more to do with the DAC than the Aries in my, limited, experience. I now have the Chord Dave DAC and the different inputs are much more consistent in SQ than with other DACs I have heard where certain inputs are clearly better than others.

 

I tried Aries into Dave with the free Optical cable that came with Dave, a Nordost Blue Heaven USB cable and a £3,000 AES cable and there was very little difference between them all.

 

The only input on Dave that is clearly worse is Coax and that is likely because the Dave is BNC whereas the Aries and my CD transport are both RCA, so you have an inconsistency there which will affect SQ.

[MNG]

I have a fairly good DAC (EmmLabs XDS1v2) and still find a diff between USB and AES (very subtle).

 

That would be a fairly good DAC! Yes, that would be similar to my experience with the Dave. The differences are very subtle rather than obvious.

 

 

Nah... Coax is the same impedance as RCA.

 

I was under the impression that RCA to BNC on the same cable introduced inconsistencies which impaired the SQ. A more accurate transport is achieved either BNC only or RCA only. In any event, coax is my least favoured input on the Dave. I didn't much like it on my DSX1000 either, which was also BNC. On previous equipment, I don't recall disliking it and there was no BNC/RCA involved, all terminals were RCA.

[MNG]

That doesn't help with Roon.

 

I haven't used Roon because I don't want to have to have a computer running, but the point I was making was that, if you are not using LDS, then you won't get the SQ improvement. I didn't have long with it, but I did think that the SQ improvement was noticeable, more so than with previous firmware changes.

[MNG]

If you have'nt tried 3-wire unshielded USB cables (with GND on a distance from data wires to reduce capasitive coupling) with SBooster Vbus2 both before and after the USB Regen powered by battery supply (disconnected to mains) plus externally grounding the BPS you do not quite know what USB audio is capable of! My personal 2 cents!

 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Computer Audiophile mobile app

 

You guys on this forum make me chuckle. I come here looking for answers to simple questions and just end up bamboozled!

[MNG]

Just gotta learn to separate the wheat from the chaff.

 

Well, I've gone and ordered a W4S RUR. Next someone will be telling me that I really need a fancy power supply to get full benefit! Then something else on top of that...........

 

I'm going to have to stop coming here!!

[MNG]

But seriously there is no end to this stuff and I will probably stop there. Getting sick of the litany of extra "fixers", power supplies, cables, etc that are in a big mess behind the rack...

 

Ha, that was my point. I'm going to try the W4S out of curiosity, but I'm not going to get into all of that stuff. I'm aiming for simplicity and the fewer components, the better from my perspective. I currently have 3 sources and, ideally, I'd like to end up with just 2. A CD transport and a streaming device.

 

I'm using 2 devices for streaming currently, a Melco for files and an Aries for Qobuz but, once the Melco app is released, they will bother cover file playback and Qobuz/Tidal. I'm hoping that the Melco will end up as my only streaming solution because then I can remove the Aries.

[MNG]

No, the impedance is the same and no it doesn't matter that one end is RCA, the other BNC.

 

Ok. That is not what I have been told by a couple of cable suppliers, but I've learnt that nothing is straightforward.

[MNG]

From a strictly technical perspective an RCA plug can not achieve 75ohm impedance whereas (the right) BNC can. In fact most RCA plugs are lucky to be 50ohm.

From a real life perspective does it really make an audible difference? I dunno.....

 

In my experience, yes it definitely does.

[MNG]

I have seen others say that they prefer the Aries via AES. I have never used that output so I have tested mine today, albeit using my Aries LE with the full Aries LPS - my main Aries is en route back to China having been inconveniently bricked by beta update 4.05.

 

My system is Chord Dave DAC > Chord SPM 1200 MKII power amp > Dali Euphonia MS4 loudspeakers. Everything has been built and upgraded over a few years around the speakers.

 

I ran the Aries into the Dave using optical and AES, played some high resolution files from my Melco NAS which connects to the Aries using Melco Ethernet cable. Comparing is easy as I can just switch seamlessly between inputs using the Dave's remote control - you do not hear the input switch at all, so it is great for testing.

 

My wife could hear no difference at all, and she usually can. I thought that I could detect a subtle difference and would put the AES over optical at a level of 100% to 97% but admit that I could not reliably identify either on a blind test. Interestingly, the optical cable was the one that came free with the Dave whilst the AES cable costs £3,000! (it's not mine but on loan). Easy choice there anyway I think.

 

Running my MBL 1521A CD transport into Dave via coax using an Atlas Mavros Ultra cable terminated RCA>BNC, then the difference compared to the same AES cable is significant, easy to tell and, once you've heard AES, you would not choose to go back to Coax.

 

Final point, the MBL over AES definitely sounds better than the Aries over optical. The MBL (just) edges it over the Melco by USB as well, so those citing the death of CD players may be slightly premature imo!

 

This may be of no interest or use to anybody but I thought I would share it anyway.