Questions about Auralic Aries

[Kippyy]

Hope some of you early adopters can assist me:

Present set up=2009 Mac Mini-USB hard drive-Ayre Dx5 DAC

Questions:

1-If I wait for the Aries USB upgrade, I can then avoid setting up a NAS system, and I'd just connect the music on my hard drive to the Aries, and connect the Aries to DAC?

2-I assume I'd still have to have the Aries on my Airport Extreme network to use it?

3-If I want to rip a new CD into my library, would I have to connect the Mini to the Aries via USB to do this?

4-To download hi-res music from the internet,connect Mini to Aries?

5-Using itunes-Amarra now, my iTunes library is not identical to my hard drive library. That is, I've deleted tracks I don't like from my itunes library. Can I still do this if I use the Aries? Would I have to re-edit my library?

6-Are there advantages to using the Aries over the network with NAS drive instead of connected to a USB hard drive, or is it personal preference?

 

Any help is appreciated .

[Cebolla]

Hi Barry

 

Not an adopter, early or otherwise, but I have been keeping up with the proposed spec of the Aries's mass storage USB input. BTW, your more likely to get an answer from an actual Aries user, or even Auralic themselves, if you post your questions on one the existing Aries threads.

 

1-Yes

2-Yes, either wired or wirelessly, otherwise you won't be able to use the Lightning DS app on a handheld device and thus loose quite a lot of functions.

3-No. My understanding is that you transfer the ripped files to the external HDD from the computer, then connect the drive to the HDD to the Aries. The Aries is supposed to use its own internal media library for the handling of USB storage connected music files.

4-No. Similar to 3, use the computer to place the downloaded files on the USB drive first, then attach the USB drive to the Aries.

5-No idea, but hopefully Auralic will provide some editing features for the Aries's media library, without you having to resort to physically removing files from the actual drive itself, for example.

6-In theory there should be no difference, but of course much will depend on how good this internal media library will be, how good your network connection is, the choice of UPnP media sever which provides the (external) media server to compare to, etc.

 

BTW, have you considered using your computer instead of getting a NAS? So install a UPnP media server, like the excellent MinimServer, on the computer and use that to supply the music files for network streaming to the Aries.Of course it'll mean you having to have the computer switched on and connected to the network while you need to play music from it on the Aries.

 

John

[firedog]

The question remains how well the external USB will actually work. Will it work just like the NAS? Or will it be slow and problematic?

[Cebolla]

Indeed.

 

Must point out though that the Aries, in common with other UPnP/DLNA supporting streamers, doesn't require a NAS for network streaming. Just any device that can run a UPnP/DLNA media server, so a networked computer, a Raspberry Pi type device, even some routers have built-in UPnP media servers - so not just a NAS.