Auralic Aries (Hardware) - Impressions and Information

[mikey8811]

Good idea.

IME every time a change is made, rebalancing the system needs to be considered.

Sometimes it's as simple as a minor change in speaker placement, height, tilt.

Yes, tweaks that pushed things in a certain direction may no longer be needed, or be in need of adjustment.

There are many many ways to push in a newly desired direction.

Good luck. Hope it works out for you --- and me.

 

I have always been confused by speaker rake, height and tilt. My speakers, Vienna Acoustics Kiss are quite adjustable. I can toe in or out the bass module. I can also separately toe in or out the midrange and treble drivers. I find toe in solidifies the image and toeing out gives a more open sound, wider soundstage with better instrumental separation and less sibilance.

 

However, what does speaker rake, height and tilt do? I can lower the mid and tweeter driver to angle down towards me or raise them to point higher but what effect would I get? I would like a warmer balance.

 

Thanks

[mikey8811]

I presume 4.0.0 sounds the same as 4.0 since it was out only a few days ago?

 

Someone just told me it had more weight to the sound but is unsure which previous firmware he is referencing that against.

 

Mine seems to have updated by itself and my Aries was on from sleep. I couldn't figure out why at first and didn't think of checking the firmware version until the posts here.

[mikey8811]

I've just tried it.

 

It updated and then found the Lightning Device.

 

But the Music Library is now empty. Do I setup Lightning Device or just go to Music Library?

 

I tried the latter and it seems to have automatically located the Network Drive. It is still scanning files after 20 or so minutes and the Music Library still has 0 songs.

 

I guess I just leave it to scan? How long does a full 2 Tb drive take to scan?

[mikey8811]

Just now, Leeuwarden said:

Scanning takes a while. There was a mention at the release of this beta that the library would be empty.

Thanks.

 

It's going on 40 minutes now.

 

Where do I find the IP address of the Lightning Server or Aries for the web browser interface?

[mikey8811]

I will need to get out of scanning to go back to click the wheel.

 

I presume I shouldn't do that or I will have to go through the whole process and wait again. I was hoping I could continue the scan through the web interface so as to free up my iPhone to use.

 

It is still running though on 93169 files.

[mikey8811]

It's done now. Took over an hour.

 

It now picks up single FLAC, APE and Wavpack files with a cue and splits them into constituent tracks which is a nice thing.

 

Some off the cuff remarks - after doing the entire rescan for about 1.5 hours for a 2 Tb SMB drive and a little longer to initialise the music library, it then decided the drive was not mounted and the Music Library it saw was greyed out. Restarting fixed it. I don't know if this dropping of a recognised library happens often and is part of the new code.

 

The web interface looks like it is only for settings? That's what I have seen so far. I can't see a playback screen or access to music library like you can from other software like LMS, from there.

 

If I am using a preamp, do I disable the Volume Control under Streamer Setup? The default is enabled.

 

I left the Decoding Method under MQA Playback Setup to Auto which was the default.

 

What did you guys do with the Sampling Rate settings under Resampling Configuration in Processor Setup?

 

 

 

 

[mikey8811]

33 minutes ago, Leeuwarden said:

Yes, web interface is for settings only. I changed all PCM to 384. No other changes for me so far. 

I bookmarked the IP adres on my iPad so I can experiment with other settings while listening to music. 

Curious if there is any difference audible between different filtersettings...

 

Is there a reason why 384 is set by default to downsample to 192, 705.6 to 352.8 and 768 to 192?

 

I left the filter setting on smooth

[mikey8811]

21 minutes ago, Leeuwarden said:

 

 

Do you have a Mini?

No, I have a regular Aries Femto.

[mikey8811]

20 hours ago, Leeuwarden said:

 

 

Do you have a Mini?

 

Further thoughts on the upsampling rates. My DAC, PS Audio Directstream maxes out at 352.8kHz so I guess that's why anything over that gets downsampled. Strange though why they default to 192kHz for 384kHz and 768kHz but for 705.6kHz it's set by default at 352.8kHz. Any ideas on why and what I should reset them to if needed?

 

Also, I tried turning on Lightning DS today with the Aries still in Sleep mode but it says Lightning Server not found. I had to power off and on again before it worked. Is this what you guys have experienced too with the new firmware?

[mikey8811]

Hi

 

Has anyone figured out how to add a library path to another USB network attached drive?

 

My existing library is on a USB attached drive (named My Book) to my Macbook. The path name is SMB and the path type is SMB. The path is MIKE-MACBOOK/Music It is mounted and is reflected in the Lightning DS app.
 

I wish to add another library path to another external USB drive (named Old Files Recovered). The path is MIKE-MACBOOK/Volumes/Old Files Recovered/Mike's PC 3.
 

I am unsure if this is the correct way to add a library path. I added it under the name of Mike's PC 3 as an SMB Path Type, with the same Username and Password as the original SMB library.

 

There was probably a similar way which I pointed to the original USB drive in the first place but I cannot recall and the name of that USB drive does not show up in the path for the original library ie. MIKE-MACBOOK/Music

[mikey8811]

On 13/04/2017 at 4:36 PM, mjb said:

 

Not sure if I'm imagining it, but I'm sure it sounds better with the volume control disabled, versus enabled and set to 100%.

Disabling the volume control stuffs up your iPhone's audio output - it mutes it for other purposes and you then have to turn up the volume with the iPhone volume buttons.

 

Hopefully Auralic will make the disabling of volume control ONLY for Lightning DS control purposes.

[mikey8811]

I've tried the Smooth and Precise filters now.

 

In my system with an Aries Femto and USB output into a PS Audio Direcstream DAC, I preferred the Precise setting over the Smooth.

 

The files I played were standard redbook with no upsampling selected and there was a difference in sound so I guess the filter settings are applied even sans up(or down)sampling.

 

Precise like someone else said in an earlier post had better leading edge and transients. In my setup, it was also a fuller sound with more timbre all round and a killer bass which gave a kickass sound. I heard more sounds distinctly in the mix and there was better layering of instruments with a more 3D soundstage. Not much sibilance or harshness in the treble.

 

Smooth in comparison seemed weaker and less engaging but sweeter and more refined.

[mikey8811]

49 minutes ago, austinpop said:

Well, the plot thickens.

 

Here is what Wang responded to me with:

 

The filter mode inside Processor setting only effect resampling process, if the original sampling rate and destination sampling rate are the same, the resampling plug-in is bypassed and the output is bit-perfect (without any change).

 

That may well be the case but I did hear a difference between the Precise and Smooth filter settings when playing un-upsampled redbook files.

 

I wonder why that is the case now if the filter settings only kick in with resampling.

 

The only other difference in setup from when I tested both filters is changing the wall outlet to which the distributor with the Aries, preamp and DAC are plugged in from a Maestro to a Furutech GTX D Gold. But I am sure when I last listened to the Smooth filter, I had just switched the outlets so this should not be a factor unless it takes time for a used outlet to settle in again.

[mikey8811]

Austinpop, are you still using the Aries?

 

Your signature shows you as having switched over to the SoTM SMS 200. If so, how does the sound differ?

 

 

[mikey8811]

8 hours ago, Doak said:

When PCM Auto Detect is enabled everything is upsampled to upper limit of the DAC being used.

I would expect this to make a difference in the sound.

 

I have PCM Auto Detect enabled but my PCM sample rates are still set to the original rates without upsampling.

 

Could it be that you have to choose the destination upsampled rates to perform upsampling?

 

In my case, I had read PCM Auto Detect to be more useful for downsampling purposes ie. one may have an older R2R DAC with a ceiling sampling rate of 96 kHz - indeed I have one of those too. So when you feed a higher resolution file to it, it will not decode the signal. However, when PCM Auto Detect is selected, it will appropriately downsample to the lower ceiling sampling rate that DAC can handle.

 

Of course, that works with upsampling too.

[mikey8811]

I'm still on 5.0 beta 2.

 

I came back after a week away with the Aries in standby. The playlist I had left from the last time was still playing OK. Weird thing though, the library was now empty. It did continue to play tracks on the playlist though from this allegedly empty library.

 

I had to do a rescan which took a helluva long time and it repopulated the library.

 

Same observations as before soundwise. "Precise" is what I like and the sound is big, full with lots of timbre and instrumental layering. From what I remember, I prefer it to the current non beta version.

[mikey8811]

Back to the MQA story - I read on the PS Audio Directstream forum that full unfolding at the streamer level is possible.

 

They are apparently working on it on the Bridge II module firmware update in conjunction with a new firmware update for the Directstream DAC FPGA.

 

Wondering if that is similar to the Aries proposed upsampling.

[mikey8811]

1 hour ago, Doak said:

Do you know if PSA is developing their own SW to process MQA?

Mr. Wang has stated emphatically Auralic's position on using MQA's technology.

From the thread, according to Ted Smith:

 

" MQA plans to have the bridge do a full decode (including probably their customized “prewarping” for the DS FPGA.)  It’s my understanding that I’ve given them enough info so that they can do what they want without restricting the kinds of changes I’ve been making to the FPGA.  They think of having the bridge doing the decode to be like hardware doing the decode.  It’s my guess that since there’s no chance for someone to snag the decoded MQA as PCM that they’re happy.  (Of course I could have misunderstood Bob.)  They will be checking that the bridge module works properly vis-a-vie MQA and that the DS w/ bridge and an MQA input get’s the quality they expect of a full decoder.  We’ll make sure that none of that gets in the way of our expected sound quality when playing non-MQA via the bridge."

 

The Bridge is the I2S connected ethernet module in the Directstream and so would be an Aries equivalent.

 

I guess MQA is working with some manufacturers on full software decoding, just not Auralic.

 

 

[mikey8811]

Yes, I realise that.

 

As I said, I was wondering if the Aries proposed upsampling does the same job.

 

I have a Direct Stream DAC so if the Aries unwrapping works fully then maybe I'll have full MQA.

[mikey8811]

I've been trying Beta 5.04.

 

I keep getting Aries and Music Library not found whenever I leave the room and return.

 

I have had to do a few physical switch off's and on's to resume playing music.

[mikey8811]

I'll pass on this one - it's too rich for me.

 

There is a SoTM SMS-200 Ultra and a Sonore UltraRendu coming up - maybe at not such big ticket pricing.

 

 

 

[mikey8811]

Anyone try the latest Beta firmware?

 

My library just disappeared after restart and it's doing a rescan. It has been about 7 hours now and still going slowly on 3 x 3 Tb network drives

 

 

[mikey8811]

1 hour ago, Doak said:

When this happens to me I reboot Aries and restart LDS. This has always "fixed" the problem. 

Thanks. I wonder what causes it.

 

I restarted and it seems to scan quicker now. Still hasn't finished though.

[mikey8811]

7 hours ago, Morph said:

No. It was mentioned in the final line here, https://www.audiostream.com/content/auralic-g2-series

Makes sense though.

 

It was said in an email reply to me to. G1 is the lower model and so on.

 

I think if you are in the market for a streamer,you will be spoilt for choice later this year. There is now the SOtM SMS-200 Ultra (also rumoured to be coming in a larger form factor incorporating all the separate box tweaks), Sonore ultraRendu (maybe you don't need the ISO Regen for this),ELAC Discovery Q in the pipeline.

 

For slightly less than the G2 you can also get the dCS Network Bridge.

 

I hope there is a suitable one box solution that doesn't require any external USB, galvanic and/or ethernet  isolation, linear or battery power supply, etc.

[mikey8811]

On 30/05/2017 at 0:00 AM, mjb said:

If you're running beta software and have issues, don't forget to notify the developer - which is what beta testing is all about... In other words: expect bugs in beta's, but report them.

 

I did notify Auralic about the missing library issue and the slowness in scanning, as well as errors with splitting tracks from a single FLAC, APE file with cue.

 

Anyone facing the same should also do so as in their reply to me, they seem to blame it on a slow network connection even though I can stream 1080p material at 20 Mbps on the same network and did not have slow scanning with previous firmware.