Auralic Aries (Hardware) - Impressions and Information

[mikey8811]

Doak

 

I had a think about your review and you are correct - the Aries keeps a computer out of the system so you needn't bother with one -at least at this stage.

 

How do you power your WD USB drive? Through the HDPlex or its own wall wart? Do you leave the drive on all the time?

[mikey8811]

For the first time since I have had it, I tried the Aries with ethernet as opposed to 802.11ac wi fi. I was surprised that wi fi sounded better - smoother, more open, less edgy. I was using just run of the mill Cat 5 patch cable, run directly from the router. The lengths were 2m each, patched to 4m via a connector as I didn't have a 4m cable. I don't know if this caused signal degradation or noise.

 

If I replace the Cat 5 with a BJC Cat 6a, will I get sonic improvements? If so would someone be so kind as to explain if this is due to the higher data transmission speed the Cat 6a is capable of? I understand from another poster here that the Cat 5 cable has ample bandwidth for sound - 16/44.1 is 1.14Mbps and hi-res is no more than 10Mbps.

 

I did this initially to accomodate getting a microRendu for comparison. At the same time I also got a Curious Regen Link to go from a W4S RUR, replacing the generic USB. The results were pretty good overall, with the wi fi and firmware Beta 4.04 so much so that I don't have as strong an inclination to try the microRendu as before as it only runs off ethernet.

[mikey8811]

Do ethernet to fibre converters give you optically isolated ethernet? Or is that something else?

[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.

[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?

[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.

[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.

[mikey8811]

I am relieved I preferred the wi fi connection and just switched to that last weekend and that my Aries was in standby when the new Beta was launched. I use LDS so I gather I would have been safe anyway but just in case, I yanked the ethernet cable from the router.

[mikey8811]

Or get a dcs Rossini with Roon inside and tell y'all to go play with your toys while I listen to music...

 

Haha you may well have to. The fabled upsampling by the Aries probably ain't coming...

 

Did you try firmware Beta 4.04 and if so what did you think?

[mikey8811]

MNG

 

I use a W4S Recovery and it improved my Aries connected to DAC via USB. But that is with a good USB cable and a separate power supply for the Recovery. The other outputs are simpler - no need for any fixers.

 

I think though that it is DAC dependent. I haven't tried the coaxial or other outputs and it would be interesting to do so.

 

By all means in your case, it will only cost you around $150 or so to try one of these devices and compare the USB output against the coaxial or optical you are using. At the end of the day, only you can tell.

[mikey8811]

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.

 

 

You aren't wrong. It is their inconsistency not yours

[mikey8811]

Really is a bit much. I ordered some fiber optic ethernet conversion equip today ... that'll prob benefit from LPSUs too!! There truly does appear to be no end to this stuff.

 

Did you follow the setup on Audiostream? Think I will try that too - pretty low barrier to entry.

 

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...

[mikey8811]

Do let us know if it bricks your unit OK?

 

I just updated to Beta 6:

 

 

Current Beta Version: 4.0.Beta6 (Released on 22nd July 2016)

Fixes since Version 4.0.Beta4:

 

• Fix the issue that click 'next' track icon in App lead to device not responding (reboot required) when device queue contains only one track while playback mode has been set as shuffle play.
  
• Fix the issue that changing LED status to 'Always On' will not light up LED (ARIES MINI).
  
• Fix the issue that floating point type of WAV wont play under 4.0.Beta firmware.
  
• Fix the issue that MP3 radio station will play with strange noise.
  
• Fix the issue that particular AIF files won't play.
  
• Fix the issue the Qobuz track may not play properly under bad network connection.
  
• Fix the issue that Lightning DS wont pop error message if the USB DAC is been unplugged or non responding during playback session.
  
• Fix the issue the device will update automatically without giving user notification when use as Roon endpoint
  

Improvement since Version 4.0.Beta4:

 

• Bump Roon RAAT version to 1.1.1.
  
• Bump audio decoder version to 3.1.1.
  

Known Issues:

 

• DSD to PCM resampler (disable DSD over PCM option) has not yet been added in current firmware.
  

[mikey8811]

Working fine....but I use wifi

 

 

Me too. I prefer that to ethernet. I'll try it this weekend.

 

Actually, come to think of it I may not need the ethernet isolation if I stick with the Aries.

[mikey8811]

Any chance you could add HQPlayer's NAA to this?

 

Like you, many have been asking for this. But Auralic doesnt seem to think it is important. By the time they get around to doing it, it probably won't matter anymore because most of the folk here will have decamped for the microRendu or something else that does it by default.

[mikey8811]

I am trying firmware beta 4.0.6 now.

 

Is it just me or does it sound even cleaner than 4.0.4? The bass has tightened up a notch and everything sounds more open BUT the highs are now more strident than before and there is some treble sibilance that wasn't there with 4.0.4.

 

I think I prefer 4.0.4 overall.

[mikey8811]

Maybe there is a case for being able to choose your software version based on your setup and library?

 

Yes, that would be akin to a filter setting I suppose. Or DSP. The much touted but never present HQ Player type upsampling too.

[mikey8811]

Can't imagine that Auralic "touted HQP type upsampling." Can you provide a pointer to this statement?

The Aries is great and getting even better at what it was designed to do, though it purposely lacks the processing power required to do the heavy lifting required to do serious upsampling.

 

That was just a tongue in cheek comment on my part.

 

Auralic themselves have alluded to upsampling and DSP functions being added in initial emails to me and I presume to others as I read on this board. As recent as a month ago, they said in an email that they were working on enabling HQ Player NAA with Jussi although I did email Jussi about this and never received a reply.

 

It was just wishful thinking on my part since you commented that it was the HQ Player upsampling that was the game changer in your comparison against the microRendu.

[mikey8811]

By the way, anyone using an Aries with PS Audio Directstream DAC?

 

Interested in hearing about experiences.

 

Thanks

[mikey8811]

Also, just tried the Aries with SPDIF coaxial output. I preferred it to USB. There is more presence and bloom with a cleaner more open sound as well. Instrumental lines are more precise and clear but not at the expense of musicality. Soundstage depth improved and layering of instruments too. USB sounded more veiled, opaque and dirty even with a W4S Recovery. Granted different cables - Cardas Clear Hi Speed for USB and KCI Pegasus for coaxial. YMMV

[mikey8811]

A comparison of the PS Audio Directstream DAC being used with its own directly connected (I2S) UPnP/DLNA supporting network audio player card, the PS Bridge II, vs it being used as an external DAC to the Aries would certainly be very interesting.

 

Another comparison of interest would be an Aries + VEGA DAC vs an ALTAIR (essentialy an Aries internally connected to a VEGA).

 

Indeed - has anyone done this here? I would have thought that would be a natural move for DS owners - the Bridge 2 looks like a slot in microRendu and eliminates need for 1. Power supply 2. USB and associated shenanigans.

 

May need optical isolation from router though or not?

[mikey8811]

Try the BNC with a BNC to RCA adapter and let us know what you find.

 

I found USB + Audiophilleo better, by far, than AES-EBU

 

even though my DAC has both RCA and BNC coax... I only have a Kimber BNC cable (for the Audiophilleo) and the Aries uses instead RCA so... no: haven't tried

[mikey8811]

Slightly OT... We really really really want NAA in Aries Mr Wang!!!

 

To paraphrase the immortal quote from Heart Of Darkness, Mr Wang - he don't care...

 

Meanwhile the Sonore guys are laughing all the way to the bank.

[mikey8811]

Here's another question: What's the "big deal" about Aries doing NAA?

I'll assume it will allow it to be worked into a setup using HQP.

If so, why use an Aries to do that when there are many other and prob better ways?

 

Wasn't the HQ Player thing about it sounding better even at its basic mode without any upsampling?

[mikey8811]

Lightning DS Beta 4.1 has expired. You need to download Release 3.1. It doesn't revert automatically via an app update as other apps do.

 

Going back to 3.1, it seems to sound different. Less open and more midrange - less sibnilance in the highs.

 

It also seems to work slower when you skip to tracks in the queue.