jglacken Posted November 19, 2014 Share Posted November 19, 2014 Those of you that know these products, which way would you go. I currently use Synology DS710+ Nas to mac mini playing pure music up sampled to 24/192. I can buy a used S-10 for similar amount of X100L new. Thoughts, benefits of doing it at all? Currently have approx. 1tb of music on Nas. Thanks, Jeff Aurender N100H, Kimber USB, Uptone Regen, PS Audio Directstream dac, Siltech 550I ICs balanced, Oasis S200 Monoblocks, AQ Red Wood Speaker Cable, Magico S5 speakers. Link to comment
wdw Posted November 19, 2014 Share Posted November 19, 2014 Those of you that know these products, which way would you go. I currently use Synology DS710+ Nas to mac mini playing pure music up sampled to 24/192. I can buy a used S-10 for similar amount of X100L new. Thoughts, benefits of doing it at all? Currently have approx. 1tb of music on Nas. Thanks, Jeff The one benefit that would sway me is the balanced digital out of the S-10...the X100 is only USB out. Wiser heads than mine have always advised digital be balanced if at all possible...hence, in my case, the Berkeley Alpha USB to my DAC. WDW Link to comment
AudioDoctor Posted November 19, 2014 Share Posted November 19, 2014 Can you get a dual AES connection out of the S-10? I thought that was the W-20 only. No electron left behind. Link to comment
AudioDoctor Posted November 19, 2014 Share Posted November 19, 2014 After a quick check of the specs. The S10 has one AES output, is that what you meant by balanced digital? The Wow has two AES outputs for dual cable AES connections. What's wrong with asynchronous sub one well? No electron left behind. Link to comment
AudioDoctor Posted November 19, 2014 Share Posted November 19, 2014 W20 No electron left behind. Link to comment
AudioDoctor Posted November 19, 2014 Share Posted November 19, 2014 It is also my understanding that the X100 has a dedicated USB output device designed for high quality music playback. The S10 uses the onboard USB out for music via USB. No electron left behind. Link to comment
Elberoth Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 X100 for USB DAC S10 for DACs with AES / SPDIF inputs. Adam PC: custom Roon server with Pink Faun Ultra OCXO USB card Digital: Lampizator Horizon DAC Amp: Dan D'Agostino Momentum Stereo Speakers: Magcio M3 Link to comment
Antoine Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 The one benefit that would sway me is the balanced digital out of the S-10...the X100 is only USB out. Wiser heads than mine have always advised digital be balanced if at all possible...hence, in my case, the Berkeley Alpha USB to my DAC. WDW An interface being balanced or not is only one parameter among 1000's determining the quality of signal transfer. In fact USB itself is balanced as well, it's a serial bus and pin 2 and 3 carry the differential signals DATA+ and DATA-. Link to comment
jglacken Posted November 20, 2014 Author Share Posted November 20, 2014 An interface being balanced or not is only one parameter among 1000's determining the quality of signal transfer. In fact USB itself is balanced as well, it's a serial bus and pin 2 and 3 carry the differential signals DATA+ and DATA-. Thanks for the comments. They say the X100 has the USB output of the W20 which seems very good. The X100L also has a larger hard drive capacity. Do you think it would improve my Nas - mac mini pure music source and mate well with my Antelope Zodiac Gold? I upsample in Pure Music now. Would I only be able to play native resolution from the Aurender? Thanks, Jeff Aurender N100H, Kimber USB, Uptone Regen, PS Audio Directstream dac, Siltech 550I ICs balanced, Oasis S200 Monoblocks, AQ Red Wood Speaker Cable, Magico S5 speakers. Link to comment
AudioDoctor Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 Typos belong to God Damned auto correct. No electron left behind. Link to comment
AudioDoctor Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 If you have the Aurender you won't need the Mac mini and yes it will improve it. Significantly. No electron left behind. Link to comment
wdw Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 If you have the Aurender you won't need the Mac mini and yes it will improve it. Significantly. Everything I've heard would agree with you....I have the Aurender on my radar as well. Doubt that we can push that mule, an Apple Mini, much further up the hill without throwing disproportionately large amounts of money on it...power supplies, fan controllers, etc. (Absolutely no doubt that these are vast improvements on the Mini but then the next software update occurs and ? You're at the mercy of Apple and our intended uses for their product are so far below their radar as to be in the range of statistical error) I have been in email correspondence with Aurender trying to tie down the "acknowledged" conflict between the BADA Alpha USB and the Aurender units and have email from their support team acknowledging these two units show a conflict at, to use their terms, 4x sampling rates, so 176.4 and 192. Apparently there is an audible "click" at about 30 seconds, continuously. This contradicts many users who have posted success at these rates so it is, at best, baffling. I would still go for the S10...read somewhere that the internal drives can be upgraded quite simply...paying a premium for the factory to do it or do it yourself....Cheers, Warren Link to comment
wdw Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 An interface being balanced or not is only one parameter among 1000's determining the quality of signal transfer. In fact USB itself is balanced as well, it's a serial bus and pin 2 and 3 carry the differential signals DATA+ and DATA-. Agree but my comment is to acknowledge the positions taken by Berkeley and DCS...I believe the double AES output is fashioned in answer to the various DCS stacks. Otherwise, dunno.. Link to comment
jglacken Posted November 20, 2014 Author Share Posted November 20, 2014 Agree but my comment is to acknowledge the positions taken by Berkeley and DCS...I believe the double AES output is fashioned in answer to the various DCS stacks. Otherwise, dunno.. So can the Aurenders upsample in their software like in Pure Music? Aurender N100H, Kimber USB, Uptone Regen, PS Audio Directstream dac, Siltech 550I ICs balanced, Oasis S200 Monoblocks, AQ Red Wood Speaker Cable, Magico S5 speakers. Link to comment
AudioDoctor Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 So can the Aurenders upsample in their software like in Pure Music? No. But you won't miss it. No electron left behind. Link to comment
One and a half Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 The question is would the Aurender N-100 be more suitable. From what I understand, the N-100 is the X-100 with the storage drives removed (other than the SSD for processing). This allows the Aurender to behave much in the same way as the Auralic Aries, in that it can pull files from a PC or NAS, however with finished software control point rather than a piece meal mess as it is now with the Aries. The N-100 is still on the drawing board, maybe give 2-3 months grace for the first presentation is made. It will have the USB output, but am unsure if there would be a coax/AES/EBU as well. This should lower the price of the X100 again, in hardware costs but there's the development. AS Profile Equipment List Say NO to MQA Link to comment
firedog Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 Where did you find info about the upcoming N-100? I Googled it and didn't get anything. Main listening (small home office): Main setup: Surge protector +>Isol-8 Mini sub Axis Power Strip/Isolation>QuietPC Low Noise Server>Roon (Audiolense DRC)>Stack Audio Link II>Kii Control>Kii Three (on their own electric circuit) >GIK Room Treatments. Secondary Path: Server with Audiolense RC>RPi4 or analog>Cayin iDAC6 MKII (tube mode) (XLR)>Kii Three . Bedroom: SBTouch to Cambridge Soundworks Desktop Setup. Living Room/Kitchen: Ropieee (RPi3b+ with touchscreen) + Schiit Modi3E to a pair of Morel Hogtalare. All absolute statements about audio are false Link to comment
One and a half Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 Where did you find info about the upcoming N-100? I Googled it and didn't get anything. From the manufacturer. I emailed Aurender whether it was possible to remove the storage drives since the files are on another machine, it didn't make sense to have two storage locations. I wasn't that impressed with the spindown and then startup and peak currents etc., and their reply was not for the X100, but the N-100 an idea they have, still in development. The timing is also from Aurender. All I know. It would make sense, since the Aurenders already are a standalone music server, where they obtain the files from would be immaterial and reasonably simple to implement over wired Ethernet. If the Pioneer N-70A can pull files from a computer or NAS with cover Art, gapless, DSD over a wired connection, then the Aurender has a challenge, which shouldn't be that difficult. AS Profile Equipment List Say NO to MQA Link to comment
planner Posted November 30, 2014 Share Posted November 30, 2014 Is there a difference in sound quality between streaming from NAS and playing from internal hard drive? I'm trying to save a few hundreds by ordering the X100S instead of X100L. And of course the hassle of copying all the music files over. Link to comment
blaven Posted November 30, 2014 Share Posted November 30, 2014 The issue with the S 10 is the small amount of storage. If someone could confirm that that is upgradable, I would bite on an S 10 before an X100 L. I think it is certainly more future proof to have a SPDIF output, then USB alone, unless your deck is only USB in. Can anyone confirm that you can upgrade the internal storage of an S-10 unit? Aurender N10--> DCS Bartok w Rossini Clock—>Audio Research REF6 Pre --> Vandersteen M5HPA—>Vandersteen Quatro CT Speakers; AMG Giro Turntable w Lyra Delos Cartridge —> Audio Research Ref 3 PhonoPre Link to comment
rwwjr44 Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 I had the same question that the OP posed and ordered a X100L (this past Saturday). The fact that the USB circuit is the same as the W20 was the deciding factor. Initially, I was opposed to having a unit with HDDs located in my rig's rack but after seeing an S10 in operation (in a friend's rig) I was sold. We compared the same files from the S10 and from his NAS and the S10 won out. Mind you, that he has a spectacular rig and I am not at all sure that I'll hear the same difference in my modest rig. Aurender N10, Esoteric F-05 Integrated Amplifier, Synergistic Active USB, Oppo 203, Synergistic Atmosphere Level 3 UEF Speaker cables, Legacy Audio Focus SE, Rega Planar 10 turntable with Aphelion 2 cartridge. Link to comment
mdat Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 I bought the X100L with the Meitner MA-1 in August this year. My dealer send me the Aurender S10 as a demo, a month ago. The conclusion is: the S10 is the better combination with the Meitner MA-1. The X100L sounds nice with the MA-1, but the S10 reaches a higher level (more brilliance, more details, sounds more natural (tested with the JCAT USB cabel)). I have read in a aurender review, that the HDDs in the aurender S10/X100 can be changed by the customer. The dealer must initalize the changed HDDs with a special version of the aurender app. Link to comment
jglacken Posted December 1, 2014 Author Share Posted December 1, 2014 So mdat, are you saying that the Aurenders are DAC dependent? I wonder which one would be a good match for my Zodiac Gold? Yikes! Aurender N100H, Kimber USB, Uptone Regen, PS Audio Directstream dac, Siltech 550I ICs balanced, Oasis S200 Monoblocks, AQ Red Wood Speaker Cable, Magico S5 speakers. Link to comment
mdat Posted December 2, 2014 Share Posted December 2, 2014 Hi jglacken, i think so. In the part-time audiophile review, John is excited, excempted the combination with the Meitner MA-1. Link to comment
blaven Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 Read the Part Time Audiophile review which was somewhat concerning to me, as I am interested in the X100L and have an MA-1 The review indicates a "fuzziness" when feeding USB from the Aurender, not encountered with SPDIF coax-/ possibly attributable to poor Meitner USB implementation? Can anyone using this combo comment? I also found it interesting that Aurender might have a USB-SPDIF converter in the works. Aurender N10--> DCS Bartok w Rossini Clock—>Audio Research REF6 Pre --> Vandersteen M5HPA—>Vandersteen Quatro CT Speakers; AMG Giro Turntable w Lyra Delos Cartridge —> Audio Research Ref 3 PhonoPre Link to comment
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