Auralic Aries (Hardware) - Impressions and Information

[Axiom05]

Metrum Hex, as per my signature

 

Were you previously doing any oversampling in A+?

[pl_svn]

Were you previously doing any oversampling in A+?

 

yes: x2 with some iZotope adjustments

but this wasn't affecting at all sound signature

 

and A+ was set to Integer mode 2, as mode 1 is definitely too bright for me

[Axiom05]

yes: x2 with some iZotope adjustments

but this wasn't affecting at all sound signature

 

and A+ was set to Integer mode 2, as mode 1 is definitely too bright for me

 

OK, thanks for the response. To make sure I understand: you were using two-times oversampling with a custom filter playing back through A+. Now, you are playing straight (no oversampling, no special filter) from the Aries to a NOS DAC? To me, this looks like a significant difference.

[pl_svn]

can play without any oversampling/custom filter from the Mac and sound signature does not change

 

Aries' sound signature is what I'm not (... yet?) fond of

 

 

re SQ instead... I've obviously been comparing the Aries to the setup I know, like and I'm used to, as the goal, purchasing the Aries, was to completely pull computers from my music system

and for this aspect, after the tweaks I mentioned, they are now on par

[Axiom05]

OK, I understand.

[kennyb123]

 

Aries' sound signature is what I'm not (... yet?) fond of

 

 

The Aries benefits from settling-in time. I think its clocks really need time to thermally stabilize. So maybe give it a few days.

 

The Aries beat two different Macs in my system, one running A+ 1.x and the other running 2.x. The music was blurred with the Macs.

 

The USB cable may matter here as to whether this will be apparent. The previous version of the WWPS did as much harm as the Mac, so I'm not sure I would have appreciated the Aries had I still been using that cable when the Aries arrived.

[pl_svn]

I'm sure a stock Aries beats a stock Mac and, probably, even a dedicated and "lightly" optimised one

it didn't beat, though, a Mac mini as in my signature. and this was by direct comparison: just a matter of switching input on the DAC

 

now that I added a Regen and Audiophilleo on the USB out they are on par, and I'm quite sure the Aries will improve further when I'll start using the JS-2 LPS to power it (this one alone was a dramatic improvement for the Mini)

 

tomorrow I'll know

[kennyb123]

it didn't beat, though, a Mac mini as in my signature

 

Downside of the iOS apps is the signature isn't displayed, so I was unaware that you had a JS-2 powering the Mac Mini. Not so obvious who the winner would be in that matchup.

[pl_svn]

Downside of the iOS apps is the signature isn't displayed

 

... ooops

[pl_svn]

so... this morning, to refresh my memory, I tried once more Aries on stock LPS vs Mac mini on JS-2 LPS

both using USB out + Regen + Audiophilleo (means I couldn't do anymore a direct comparison, having to move the USB cable between the two every time)

 

- Aries streaming from Qobuz -> hhhhhmmmm... well... "ok"

- Aries playing tracks from NAS -> definitely better and, as already reported, on par with the Mac. slightly coloured sound though

- Aries in Roon ready mode (Roon running on the Mini), tracks from NAS -> maybe an infinitesimal tad better than the above

- Mac mini, Roon, tracks from NAS -> it's great to be back home!!! (same SQ, no colour)

- Mac mini, Audirvana (x2 upsampling, custom Izotope settings) -> it's great indeed to be back home, sitting on my favourite armchair and sipping my favourite drink (a great Mojito, 2/3-1/3 white/black rhum, white sugar cane, fresh lime and mint) :)

 

then... I pulled the Mini and I'm now using the JS-2 LPS to power the Aries. all that comes to my mind is... HOLY COW!!! :) :)

(maybe still an infinitesimal little bit of colouration but... nothing that really bothers me)

 

WOW!!!

[mjb]

Amazing how it all comes together after a couple of mojito's, lol!

[pl_svn]

Amazing how it all comes together after a couple of mojito's, lol!

 

 

 

[hornytoad]

Amazing how it all comes together after a couple of mojito's, lol!

 

Lol . Yeah . In my system I have no doubt that LDS sounds better than Roon through my Aries (Femto) with any material . Not using HQ player .

[mikey8811]

Has anyone experienced loud pops through speakers when the playlist moves from a DSD track to a PCM track or vice versa?

 

Quite unnerving if not speaker damaging.

[Doak]

Has anyone experienced loud pops through speakers when the playlist moves from a DSD track to a PCM track or vice versa?

 

Quite unnerving if not speaker damaging.

 

What DAC are you using?

[mikey8811]

What DAC are you using?

 

Cary DAC 200ts - XMOS USB implementation I believe. I also have a W4S Recovery before the DAC not sure if that should affect things in this manner.

 

Thanks

[kennyb123]

Has anyone experienced loud pops through speakers when the playlist moves from a DSD track to a PCM track or vice versa?

 

Quite unnerving if not speaker damaging.

 

Is your Aries connected via wireless?

[mikey8811]

Is your Aries connected via wireless?

 

 

Yes, wireless.

[kennyb123]

Yes, wireless.

 

I was suffering through massive pops when playing DSD through the Aries via wireless. They were so bad that the protection circuits in my preamp and amp were tripped. Not good.

 

The issue went away when I switched to wired ethernet.

 

It turns out that the Aries wasn't picking up the wireless signal from the Airport Express in my listening room. It chose instead to connect to the Airport Extreme downstairs, so the signal was weak.

 

The massive pops were due to choppy playback of DSD, something the Aries doesn't handle well at all. I reported this to Auralic, but they didn't seem interested in solving the popping problem. They focused only on my connectivity issues.

[mikey8811]

I was suffering through massive pops when playing DSD through the Aries via wireless. They were so bad that the protection circuits in my preamp and amp were tripped. Not good.

 

The issue went away when I switched to wired ethernet.

 

It turns out that the Aries wasn't picking up the wireless signal from the Airport Express in my listening room. It chose instead to connect to the Airport Extreme downstairs, so the signal was weak.

 

The massive pops were due to choppy playback of DSD, something the Aries doesn't handle well at all. I reported this to Auralic, but they didn't seem interested in solving the popping problem. They focused only on my connectivity issues.

 

Another one down against the Aries. If I were to go wired - which is with great difficulty, no ethernet ports in my listening room - I would just get a microRendu.

 

Recently, since the last update, the Aries is constantly "Refreshing Library Information" and my library is gone. I need to manually refresh cache for it to reappear. It didn't use to happen. So far like you say, Auralic is good for laying the blame on "other" issues in the setup. The network, running of SMB attached USB drives, etc.

 

Mr. Wang is good at returning emails but promised features are just that and always in the pipeline. If they do not fix existing issues, I don't think i'll be hanging around much longer.

[Distinctive]

I was suffering through massive pops when playing DSD through the Aries via wireless. They were so bad that the protection circuits in my preamp and amp were tripped. Not good.

 

The issue went away when I switched to wired ethernet.

 

It turns out that the Aries wasn't picking up the wireless signal from the Airport Express in my listening room. It chose instead to connect to the Airport Extreme downstairs, so the signal was weak.

 

The massive pops were due to choppy playback of DSD, something the Aries doesn't handle well at all. I reported this to Auralic, but they didn't seem interested in solving the popping problem. They focused only on my connectivity issues.

Is this the AE latest generation?

I believe Auralic recommend 5GHz band for WiFi.

[kennyb123]

Is this the AE latest generation?

I believe Auralic recommend 5GHz band for WiFi.

 

Not latest version, but definitely 5 GHz.

 

I suggested that Auralic add a visual indication of wireless strength in LDS. Having that would have helped me see that the Aries was not connecting to the wireless router in the same room.

[ja4244]

I use dedicated router with dedicated SSID and fixed IP.

[kennyb123]

I use dedicated router with dedicated SSID and fixed IP.

 

The iPad that controlled the Aries roamed the house, so three routers ensured a good signal throughout.

 

I could have made it work with the Aries, but shortly thereafter discovered that I got a significant upgrade with optical fiber.

[mikey8811]

The iPad that controlled the Aries roamed the house, so three routers ensured a good signal throughout.

 

I could have made it work with the Aries, but shortly thereafter discovered that I got a significant upgrade with optical fiber.

 

 

Did you rewire and get ethernet outlets installed or get a powerline or wireless bridge/ access point solution from which the ethernet went to your Aries?