Auralic Aries (Hardware) - Impressions and Information

[MNG]

What are the two USB ports on the Aries for? One says DAC and the other USB.

 

One connects out to your DAC, the other connects to a hard disk drive and operates like a NAS.

[MNG]

Yes.

[MNG]

Maybe it is . Imo each dac has an output that is better than the others . With my Yggy , I believe

AES is the best one to use .

 

Yes, I agree, I think it is often DAC dependent but also output and cables can come into play. The Dave is very consistent in relation to source and many others seem to have a similar opinion, most of whom have been through far more DAC's than I have.

[MNG]

Thanks... A lot of people say AES is the way to go. Why did Wang tell me USB is the best sounding into my Vega?

 

It probably is, I was told that as well. The designer of the Dave reckons USB is the best input for that as well. I will try the Aries by USB when I get my main unit fixed and returned.

[MNG]

Has anyone downloaded .6 with a wired connection yet? Scared to!

 

Yes, it worked fine for me.

[MNG]

Hey:-) Got a mail from Auralic europe about my auralic not working with beta firmware. He sayd he should send ups label so i can ship it for factory reset but nothing happens. Tryed to send mail yesterday, anyone experience the same?? Miss my Aries, sounded exellent with new firmware:-)

 

Yes, they will send you an email to print out the shipping documents and arrange a collection.

 

I have asked twice how long I am going to be without my unit. The first request was ignored, the second was answered and all they've told me is that it takes them a couple of hours to fix the unit, so I've no idea what to expect. Quite poor really given that their update bricked the unit. I'm surprised that people seem so laid back about it really.

[MNG]

I've had a couple of things delivered (W4S RUR, Sbooster Ultra power supply and a power cable) which I was hoping would improve the SQ of the Aries and now I cannot test them effectively, which is why I am a bit frustrated by it all. The timing couldn't have been worse for me.

 

I have been considering the Microrendu as a possibility.

 

Interesting post from Doak though to remind me of my initial objectives!

[MNG]

Have the Sbooster ultra power with filter and its a BIG update!! Plays bigger

 

On the one hand, that is good to know as I had hoped it would. On the other, it is frustrating! I heard the new firmware briefly before the unit fried and I definitely thought I heard an improvement, and that was before I even knew there had been any changes. It seemed quite distinct.

[MNG]

I've received an email saying that my Aries has been fixed and shipped back to me. I shipped it to Auralic on 20th so that's just a week turnaround. I may not be without it for as long as I feared, which is good news.

 

I suppose that total timescales will be dependent upon UPS and location.

[MNG]

Put a Wyred Recovery in my system about an hour ago.

Was an early adopter of the Regen and microRendu.

Now making another run at maximizing performance of Auralic Aries after frustration with dual PC HQP/Roon/mRendu setup. Goal is to get the Aries>Lampizator sounding "good enuff" to let go of the complicated crap-ola so I can just relax and listen to music again. Already impressed with what I'm hearing.

 

I have been very pleasantly surprised by the W4S RUR in my system. It improves over time as well, so you may well be pleased.

[MNG]

Maybe some of us have our amp and speakers sorted and are looking to extract the most from the front end of the chain?

[MNG]

Well, granted, you can go to ridiculous levels, which I don't want to do. But I wouldn't believe that a cheap little USB device like the W4S would make any difference in my system, but it does. So I'm keeping it.

 

My problem is that my MBL CD transport sounds better than my Melco NAS via USB which sounds better again than the Aries via any output. In theory, I should be able to get them all sounding the same pretty much and that's what I'm after. With the W4S in line, the Melco is now indistinguishable from the MBL so, for £200, I'm happy.

[MNG]

Yes, it is.

The dual computer, microRendu, HQP setup is the ONLY one sounded better, overall, to me than my optimized Aries.

It proved to be a BEAR to make it work/keep it working, plus to do it RIGHT is WAY more expensive than an Aries.

 

Mr. Wang didn't say but it is also a fact that the Aries will benefit from the Regen, or even better the Wyred Recovery.

 

Yes, I found that the new firmware, which caches to internal memory, was an improvement. When I added a W4S and an Sbooster Ultra power supply, the sound quality from Aries was really elevated to a high level.

[MNG]

Would someone please tell me what the SBooster power supply does that the stock Aries LPS doesn't? Why is it better? Not challenging anyone, just really interested in knowing. The SBooster adds about another $600 to the price of the $1700 Aries.

 

Same just better really. There is some detail here: Audio Ramblings - The Auralic Aries and SBooster Linear Power Supply - Positive Feedback

 

I also have an Aries LE so I can use the Aries LPS with that and get a benefit, so that helps with the added cost.

[MNG]

The different Aries software/firmware configurations do sound different but a constantly changing sound structure is not what I am after - I want consistency. I have spent a lot of effort in getting my system tuned and getting the 3 sources in the main system sounding as close to each other as possible. I've switched to Roon now for the control software - because it has an excellent user interface, is quick, robust and, importantly, will control all my devices around the house, irrespective of brand. You can even multi-room with different brand hardware. After several years, I'm tired of switching software all the while for different devices and, as for my wife, forget it! She just drops a CD in and presses play.

 

Using Roon with the Aries does have the advantage of protecting me from the sonic variances which come with new software releases as well, which is a bonus. The latest Aries SW/FW combo which utilises a memory cache for playback does have merit, but there is too much bass emphasis for my liking.

 

The new forthcoming high level Aries sounds interesting, but I don't think that its intended audience will welcome constant changes to the sound signature. It will be interesting to see how that developes though.

[MNG]

Why do you think that Roon will never make changes to its playback engine?

 

That is a fair point. However, I haven't experienced such wide variances in tone as with the Aries updates and I am after consistency. From comments made by users, it is clear that what are considered improvements to some are seen as adverse by others.

 

I don't want variances and inconsistencies in tone. My MBL CD transport is my benchmark and it sounds almost identical to my Melco NAS, both being played through my Chord Dave DAC. To my mind, that is how it should be as I believe that means that I am getting pretty accurate results from both. The Aries deviates from the other two by some degree which, to my mind, means that it must be inaccurate.

 

Of course, everything sounds different through different systems and to different ears, but if one item stands out significantly, then I suspect that that item is inaccurate. The Aries currently sounds a bit like a loudness button on old style Hifi amps to my ears - that is a slight exaggeration, but it makes the point.

[MNG]

though on their forum... the prevailing attitude is "bits are bits" and all bit perfect players sound the same so... must be something else in your settings/system

 

I agree with that. I love the software whilst on trial period, but was not convinced initially by the sound quality I was getting and, when I raised it with them, I got a similar response. In fairness, there are so many variables that they are probably safer staying well out of it.

 

I did resolve the sound quality issues in the end which persuaded me to go for a Lifetime subscription.

[MNG]

Where are you reading about the forthcoming high level Aries sounding interesting?

 

Mr Wang himself commented on this forum that a new high level Aries is due this year.

[MNG]

I went for lifetime too

in the end sound is good enough and when I want something better... I use the Aries in standalone mode

 

. In my system, Aries is a clear third behind MBL and Melco. It lacks a degree of subtlety, transparency and finesse by comparison and compensates with an exaggerated Ooomph factor. Ooomph can be fun sometimes, but it isn't necessarily accurate.

 

After I substituted the LPS with an Sbooster and fed it from a balanced power supply, it got quite a lot closer. It's at the point now where it is really quite good, until I play one of the other two sources....... So I just use it for casual listening and background music, which means it actually gets more use than either of the other two!

[MNG]

Interesting. One device has updated from 4.0 beta 7 to 4.0 whilst the other is on 4.0 beta 7 and says that firmware is up to date. I'm not bothered, but it seems odd.

[MNG]

4.0 no longer allows Roon to control Aries volume, has anyone else experienced this?

 

I'm trying to figure out how to go back to 4.0 beta7. I've done this before but for some reason I can't figure it out now. Suggestions would be gladly received.

[MNG]

Are you referring to Aries control software or Roon? With mine, it works ok when using Lightning DS but not when using Roon. If you adjust volume in Roon, it just keeps jumping back to whatever it is set to under LDS.

 

Bizarrely, my other Aries is still stuck at 4.0.7 and I have software volume control disabled on that unit! I can't just swap them over as one is LE and one is full fat.

[MNG]

Ok, thank you for confirming it's not just me.

[MNG]

4.0 loaded on my wired Aries but can get my wireless Aries to update .

Turned it off and on again but 4.0 won't show .

 

I have exactly the same here. Ethernet connected Aries updated to 4.0 and then 4.0.0 (the latter one has fixed the Roon volume control).

 

The unit connected wirelessly shows 3.0 beta 7 as FW up to date.

[MNG]

Seems like they are trying to lock users in to their LDS control software, which is perhaps understandable given how much they are investing in it. When LDS first came out, you could use it to control other streamer/player devices until one of the firmware upgrades stopped that and you can now only use it to control Aries devices. I'd rather not have to keep changing apps for different devices and, as for my wife, forget it!

 

I understand the strategy and it will suit many, but I think they'll lose some customers along the way. I was close to buying an Altair for my home gym and was also interested in the forthcoming high end Aries - I have two Aries currently. However, I'm not really keen on the direction of travel of late, as well as not liking the fact that they are constantly changing the sound quality. Consequently, I am now using Roon and the microRendu has replaced the Aries in my main system. I've gone from 9 apps to just one and can control all my devices as well as multi room - even my wife really likes it. I was hoping that LDS might have delivered that at one point.