ARIES vs mini... Confused

[wanta911]

Thanks guys, I had no idea about MinimStreamer. I am now trying it out.....

[miguelito]

Can you try it at least? This will eliminate the Mini altogether. Just try it. Please. Use a jump drive even. It's super simple.

I could for laughs, but I am not interested in using the ARIES this way.

[miguelito]

My impression of b (Amarra) is that it's doing something to the music to make it sound richer. There's a sameness to the music that just shouldn't be.

 

Not my cup of tea as I prefer that the software just get the heck out of the way, even if it means that some material sounds thin.

I can't argue one way or another on Amarra coloring the output. I do get more involving reproduction from both Amarra (standalone), A+2.0.6 (A+ library), and A+1.5.10 (iTunes integrated) than ARIES over USB.

[miguelito]

A few other things to try:

 

1. Check whether minimserver is setup to transcode.

Not using MinimStreamer so no transcoding.

 

2. Are you using digital volume anywhere?

I am not. ARIES shows a plain line in LDS as the volume control (i.e. no volume control). My DAC does not support internal volume control.

 

3. Try Jriver as a DLNA server instead

Will try this and also try both (JRiver and minimserver) on my office mac pro.

[miguelito]

Try a Good aes/ebu digital cable.. I've been comparing a Shunyata Python, to an Audioquest Diamond USB, and definitely prefer the aes balanced.. I find the aes to sound bigger and meatier, more robust and toe tapping. The USB seems more detailed and maybe airier but less body.

I cannot use the ARIES over anything but USB as I have a fair amount of DSD files. My DAC does not support DoP over SPDIF/AES.

[ErikM]

I cannot use the ARIES over anything but USB as I have a fair amount of DSD files. My DAC does not support DoP over SPDIF/AES.

 

I get the need for a USB.. But you could try a good AES/ EBU cable and see if it sounds better and maybe have both, use the AES for everything except the DSD files.. Also if you found the AES sounds better you could try comparing different USB cables to the AES and see if you can find a USB that's closer in sound to the AES.. just my $.02

[jtwrace]

Can you try it at least? This will eliminate the Mini altogether. Just try it. Please. Use a jump drive even. It's super simple.

[speavler]

i say if the mini in your system sticks you to the couch, then why need the aries?

[jtwrace]

i say if the mini in your system sticks you to the couch, then why need the aries?

 

If you have $1 why do you need $2? ;-)

[YashN]

Shouldn't the proper comparison be between:

 

1. Wi-Fi streaming with the Aries

2. Wi-Fi streaming between two Mac OS X machines on the same network?

 

So I've had my ARIES for 2+ months. I've listened to it and have posted on the ARIES hardware thread some impressions - which seem to go against the general perception. So here's an honest question...

 

To narrow this down, this is what I'm comparing:

a- ARIES (fw 1.10, over wifi)

b- mini + Amarra 3.03

USB cable: Lightspeed USB split

DAC: EmmLabs XDS1v2 (mdat2)

 

And I am exclusively comparing PCM files (ripped CD's & HDTracks). I chose Amarra in this comparison because I find it to be better for PCM than A+2 (and possibly HQPlayer but I can't say the latter first hand).

 

Issue: I am finding the sound of 'a' to be thin and uninteresting, whereas the sound of 'b' is much more harmonically rich and involving. The difference is that between "gorgeous tune, stuck to the couch, I can't move, damn that voice" vs "sounds good - what else can I play?" type of music experience.

 

Yet I keep reading how enthralled everyone is with the AIRES so I start to think "how can this be"? All of the known mini "tweaks": RAM disk, linear PS, no internal fan, no HDs mounted, no extra unnecessary processes running, are there by default in the ARIES. So how can this be?

 

Thx.

 

Miguel

[miguelito]

Haha! Are you waiting? I have a day job!

[miguelito]

Shouldn't the proper comparison be between:

 

1. Wi-Fi streaming with the Aries

2. Wi-Fi streaming between two Mac OS X machines on the same network?

Frankly I only care to compare the setups that I would actually use. I'm not after some objective isolation of the issue why I find the ARIES worse than my mini. I am after something I have missed in the ARIES setup - possibly the reason is a USB cable, dunno.

[miguelito]

i say if the mini in your system sticks you to the couch, then why need the aries?

Two reasons:

1- ARIES could sound even better - on paper it has all the right traits for this.

2- I really like a good integrated remote like LDS

 

To me an important part of music enjoyment is access to all my files + TIDAL in a convenient manner. LDS is (almost) ideal in this regard. I hate dragging and dropping files over VNC. iTunes remote is not good enough - and no TIDAL. JRemote is great but I don't find JRiver as good as A+ or Amarra. And I have not tried HQPlayer yet.

 

So it's a mess. If I manage somehow to have ARIES charm me then I'm all set. Problem is it's not doing it for me and I don't know why since everyone else is ecstatic. Hence this thread.

[miguelito]

If you have $1 why do you need $2? ;-)

Amen.

[miguelito]

I get the need for a USB.. But you could try a good AES/ EBU cable and see if it sounds better and maybe have both, use the AES for everything except the DSD files.. Also if you found the AES sounds better you could try comparing different USB cables to the AES and see if you can find a USB that's closer in sound to the AES.. just my $.02

I do find SPDIF sounds better. To compare USB cables I can just use the mini as reference. After all if it doesn't sound as good as the mini then it's out of the system.

[jtwrace]

Haha! Are you waiting? I have a day job!

 

Frankly I only care to compare the setups that I would actually use. I'm not after some objective isolation of the issue why I find the ARIES worse than my mini. I am after something I have missed in the ARIES setup - possibly the reason is a USB cable, dunno.

 

Yes, I like to solve issues. It's what I do. What do you mean that you might have missed something with the USB cable? Do I need to send you one to try?

[miguelito]

Yes, I like to solve issues. It's what I do. What do you mean that you might have missed something with the USB cable? Do I need to send you one to try?

The reason I posted the original post is to find some info as to why the ARIES is not doing for me. It is perfect on paper: Every recommended tweak for the mini - many of which I have not tried - are there by default in an almost perfectly implemented way (on paper at least). Which is why I am puzzled I am not just plain blown away by it.

 

I do use a "peculiar" cable: Lightspeed USB split which requires that I put the power leg in the secondary USB port. I have tried another, much cheaper cable that I have (Transparent Performance USB) and the sound is indeed different. I will try some more this weekend, we'll see.

[Bloodwound]

Maybe, just maybe, the mini is in fact a better source than The Aries. I mean, if it was better than anything out there, one can almost shut down this forum. Which is an exaggeration of course but...

[YashN]

It seems you make the assumption that the Aries with Wi-Fi streaming should sound he same or better than your non Wi-Fi streaming mini setup?

 

Frankly I only care to compare the setups that I would actually use. I'm not after some objective isolation of the issue why I find the ARIES worse than my mini. I am after something I have missed in the ARIES setup - possibly the reason is a USB cable, dunno.

[miguelito]

It seems you make the assumption that the Aries with Wi-Fi streaming should sound he same or better than your non Wi-Fi streaming mini setup?

I tried ARIES with both wired (gig Ethernet, cat6 throughout, gig switch) and wireless over 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. I did not hear a difference between any of these methods.

 

Additionally, I am not using the mini as a streaming bridge but rather as computer-based player to the DAC using either A+ or Amarra. I exclusively care to get the best sound possible - regardless of the solution - not compare ARIES streaming vs mini streaming - using the mini as a streamer is of no interest to me.

 

Additionally, Auralic's recommendation for sound quality is actually that wifi sounds better than wired. I suppose this is due to electrical noise possibly being introduced through the wired ethernet cable. I tried all configs, no marked diff in sound quality.

[YashN]

There's a lot of configs that you could try and then settle on the best sound, but comparing your Aries in Wi-Fi streaming mode to Mini in a non-Wi-Fi streaming mode (and no the Mini isn't the source in the Wi-Fi configuration I mention, but an iMac with internal router which shares the Ethernet connection over Wi-Fi would be, and the mini would be connected by Wi-Fi to the Internet shared connection over the air), is like comparing apples to oranges and asking "why does one taste better than the other?".

[miguelito]

There's a lot of configs that you could try and then settle on the best sound, but comparing your Aries in Wi-Fi streaming mode to Mini in a non-Wi-Fi streaming mode (and no the Mini isn't the source in the Wi-Fi configuration I mention, but an iMac with internal router which shares the Ethernet connection over Wi-Fi would be, and the mini would be connected by Wi-Fi to the Internet shared connection over the air), is like comparing apples to oranges and asking "why does one taste better than the other?".

 

I'm comparing music reproduction. Also care about convenience (ie a good remote such as LDS). There are certain configs I am willing to consider and some not. This is a clear definition of the problem.

[Paul R]

I'm comparing music reproduction. Also care about convenience (ie a good remote such as LDS). There are certain configs I am willing to consider and some not. This is a clear definition of the problem.

 

Long shot - have you got both the Mini and the Aries plugged into well grounded power filtering? If so, try plugging or unplugging the Aries and see if the sound changes/improves.

[Distinctive]

If I understand this correctly the personal taste in music reproduction may also play a role? Could it be that the Mini is less neutral? Assessment of sound quality is a personal thing.....

[miguelito]

If I understand this correctly the personal taste in music reproduction may also play a role? Could it be that the Mini is less neutral? Assessment of sound quality is a personal thing.....

Possibly, but I listen to live music often so I know what that sounds like, and that's what I want my system to be close to.