Article: Auralic Aries Review

[kunarx]

+1

 

You used the same language here as the review for the SSR. ".....sounds as good or better than anything.....including CAPS...." This device has more flexibility and costs less. Does it sound as good in your reference system as the SSR? 95% as good?

 

 

+3

 

Chris

 

Thanks for the review. Enjoyed reading it.

 

Can you please write more about the sonic differences between the Aries and SSR.

In the SSR review you have mentioned the the SSR is better than the Aires. Can you please let us know more of your thoughts on this.

 

regards

[TubeLover]

Chris-

 

Thanks for the review.

 

You just published a review of the Sonore Signature Rendu. Do you have a preference of one over the other in terms of SQ?

 

 

This is also the primary question that I have, since reading that review. Thanks for putting it out there firedog. Chris?

 

JC

[TubeLover]

firedog - Yesterday, 06:48 AM

 

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"Chris-

 

Thanks for the review.

 

You just published a review of the Sonore Signature Rendu. Do you have a preference of one over the other in terms of SQ?"

 

 

This was the first question that came into my mind. Thanks for putting it out there Firedog. Chris?

 

 

JC

[keeper]

Question: Do you or anybody else have any thoughts on the Aries ($1700) versus the Aries LE ($1000)? I'm running a mac mini with A+ into an Ayre QB-9. The QB-9 is relatively isolated from electrical noise, but maybe there's more to it than I understand.

 

Great review Chris. I'm seriously thinking about switching to the Aries, but it's an act of faith, given that there are no dealers in my small town: Chicago. A well thought out review from a reliable reviewer helps. See you at AXPONA?

 

I went the LE route to replace my Mac Mini, I'm very happy with it, it allowed me to put more money into my DAC.

[EdmontonCanuck]

I enjoyed this review but am still confused as to whether or not I would even be able to use this product. I had wanted to purchase it some time ago when it was first released but never quite understood how it would work in my setup. Perhaps someone could help me decide if this product would work for me. I plan to use it as part of a headphone setup in my den, but I don't have access to an ethernet port in that room. My internet speeds are pretty slow due to an old router (802.11b) so I don't think wireless would be an option either. I've considered using a Hard Drive, but as I download a lot of music, I wouldn't want to have to keep transfering new music to it everytime I downloaded something. Are there any other options or is there a way to make it work with what I've got. Also, I don't have an iPad, but I do own an iPhone, will that work with the Aries too?

 

@Goldendarko

 

I had a similar situation (wanting to set up a headphone listening station in a room with no ethernet ports). I bought a couple of NetGear 500mbps Powerline Ethernet adaptors and they work wonderfully. 500mbps is plenty fast enough to transfer even my quad-rate DSD tracks from my Synology NAS over the powerline ethernet to my Mac Mini with JRiver. Really, I'm quite impressed with the throughput I'm getting using my home's electrical wiring instead of having to try and run ethernet cables.

 

You may want to consider upgrading your 802.11b router though

 

Dave

[Deyorew]

Can anyone confirm if the Aries mates with the wavelength proton usb DAC? I am talking about powering it as well as appropriate volume settings since proton needs it's line level at 90% volume....

[Music Matters]

One thing that irritates me with the LDS is the light theme. I really want a dark theme like the Lumin app provides (too bad the OH Lumin app was not mentioned in this review, btw). The light theme (which does not dim) keeps disturbing the musical experience, so I have to put my iPad away from my lap during listening (yes, I know I am a demanding customer and probably the only person dissatisfied with this).

 

You are not alone...

[ignatz22]

+1

 

You used the same language here as the review for the SSR. ".....sounds as good or better than anything.....including CAPS...." This device has more flexibility and costs less. Does it sound as good in your reference system as the SSR? 95% as good?

 

+ 3

Inquiring minds....................................................

[nununo]

Yes exactly.

HUGE sonic upgrade by having an Aries replace my Mac Mini that was running A+ (though all my music is stored on a NAS).

 

Unfortunately this was not my experience. I currently have a non-optimized MacMini and when I had the opportunity to try the Aries I was really convinced it would sound better. And I was looking forward to retire the MacMini and take advantage of all the convenience and simplicity Aires provides.

 

But... much to my dismay, it sounded worse than MacMini+Audirvana. More harsh. Less natural.

 

I find it odd because MacMini has an internal HDD, a crappy power supply and is running a lot of extra unneeded processes. And because everyone else is reporting significant sonic improvements.

 

I ended up returning it and am stuck with Audirvana and it's awkward interface.

 

BTW, I also tried the SOtM SMS-100 and also returned it for the same reason.

 

I really hope to find a streamer sounding better than my MacMini soon...

 

Nuno

[miguelito]

Unfortunately this was not my experience. I currently have a non-optimized MacMini and when I had the opportunity to try the Aries I was really convinced it would sound better. And I was looking forward to retire the MacMini and take advantage of all the convenience and simplicity Aires provides.

 

But... much to my dismay, it sounded worse than MacMini+Audirvana. More harsh. Less natural. I find it odd because MacMini has an internal HDD, a crappy power supply and is running a lot of extra unneeded processes. And because everyone else is reporting significant sonic improvements.

+1

 

See thread: http://www.computeraudiophile.com/f22-networking-networked-audio-and-streaming/aries-vs-mini-confused-22664/#post374285

 

My aim when listening is to get to a state where the music just comes through effortlessly and I am simply appreciating it. When this happens I am not listening for "sound effects" but rather I am just enjoying the music.

 

I am using four configs:

A- Mini + HQPlayer 3.5.1

B- Mini + Amarra 3.0.3

C- Mini + Audirvana 1.5.10 + iTunes

D- ARIES

 

In my system, A for DSD files and B for PCM files deliver such an experience. C is close and has the convenience of the (not great but never breaks) iTunes iPad remote. But C isn't as good. D simply isn't there.

 

I really really really want to like ARIES because of the convenience and TIDAL integration. Alas. It's not effortless. Air is lacking. Tonality and color is lacking. It sounds good, it's just not bringing it home for me.

[kennyb123]

But... much to my dismay, it sounded worse than MacMini+Audirvana. More harsh. Less natural.

 

Air is lacking. Tonality and color is lacking. It sounds good, it's just not bringing it home for me.

 

How can we be having exactly the opposite impressions? The improvements I've been hearing from the Aries over my former Mac Mini running A+ have been blowing my mind.

 

Most important improvement was probably the reduction in glare and harshness. I now find enjoyable many CD rips that were difficult to listen to previously.

 

Clarity improved significantly. This has been the thing that has most had my jaw on the floor. You could not pay me to go back to the Mac Mini.

[miguelito]

How can we be having exactly the opposite impressions? The improvements I've been hearing from the Aries over my former Mac Mini running A+ have been blowing my mind.

 

Most important improvement was probably the reduction in glare and harshness. I now find enjoyable many CD rips that were difficult to listen to previously.

 

Clarity improved significantly. This has been the thing that has most had my jaw on the floor. You could not pay me to go back to the Mac Mini.

Well simply put this is not our experience. My mac mini - save for a linear power supply - is fairly carefully optimized. I even tried putting the ARIES on other platforms and such with no noticeable improvement (maybe a little but still not "it").

 

As I said in the other thread, I find the ARIES more "gentle" in the high frequencies but in a way that sounds constrained.

[stevebythebay]

Well simply put this is not our experience. My mac mini - save for a linear power supply - is fairly carefully optimized. I even tried putting the ARIES on other platforms and such with no noticeable improvement (maybe a little but still not "it").

 

As I said in the other thread, I find the ARIES more "gentle" in the high frequencies but in a way that sounds constrained.

 

When I recently replaced a 2 year old MacBook Pro (Early 2011) with the most recent Mac Mini the sound improvement, all other things being equal (incl. Yosemite, Amarra 3.0.3), was substantial. Must be the hardware differences. The new PCI-E based SSD may be part of this but there may have been changes in many other parts of the system, hardware wise, that in conjunction with the latest OS X drivers, just make for a cleaner transfer of bits. And I tried the most recent release of A+ just for grins to see if it would sound better than Amarra. Not a chance, though it's quite a bit closer than all other software I've used. Wishing that JRMC were nearly as nice, since it's far easier to use, especially with iPad app access using JRemote.

 

Wish that Chris would respond to the many questions that have come up as to the differences he perceives with the various music servers he's used in his system. After all, we're all looking to get the absolutely best sound source, no matter the way the bits get into the DAC of choice.

[miguelito]

When I recently replaced a 2 year old MacBook Pro (Early 2011) with the most recent Mac Mini the sound improvement, all other things being equal (incl. Yosemite, Amarra 3.0.3), was substantial.

When I replaced a 2009 mini (8gb RAM, SSD, ~ 2.6 GHz Core2Duo) with a 2012 mini (the one in my profile) I too experienced a big improvement in the sound.

[kennyb123]

When I replaced a 2009 mini (8gb RAM, SSD, ~ 2.6 GHz Core2Duo) with a 2012 mini (the one in my profile) I too experienced a big improvement in the sound.

 

Maybe that explains the difference in our impressions of the Aries. The Aries replaced my 2009 Mac Mini.

[nununo]

Maybe that explains the difference in our impressions of the Aries. The Aries replaced my 2009 Mac Mini.

 

Maybe that explains it because I also own a 2012 MacMini...

[miguelito]

Maybe that explains the difference in our impressions of the Aries. The Aries replaced my 2009 Mac Mini.

Possibly. I was quite surprised by the difference from the 2009 to the 2012... Not subtle at all. Why there's a difference I have no idea, but the hardware is markedly different.

[wdw]

When I replaced a 2009 mini (8gb RAM, SSD, ~ 2.6 GHz Core2Duo) with a 2012 mini (the one in my profile) I too experienced a big improvement in the sound.

 

But this is a fork in the road not anticipated....using newer Apple Hardware will still compel use to be futzing around with half-baked software solutions whereas these newer appliances should be offering a superior user interface and, at least in theory, far more discreet hardware.....sheesh!!!! Time to get a turntable...shouldn't sold my Linn some time ago.

For clarification, which version of Amarra are you guys using? Thought the interface for this software was as buggy as a stray dog, at least from reports on this site.

 

Cheers,

wdw

[miguelito]

But this is a fork in the road not anticipated....using newer Apple Hardware will still compel use to be futzing around with half-baked software solutions whereas these newer appliances should be offering a superior user interface and, at least in theory, far more discreet hardware.....sheesh!!!!

Trudat! I really want an appliance like the ARIES but that really sounds better than anything else. I am not sorry that I bought it and tried it, it is perfect on paper - and in reviews! But it's just not doing it for me. I will wait a little longer though, maybe a new firmware will change the outcome, but I am not that hopeful.

 

I am SICK AND TIRED of futzing around with this. I want perfect sound in an appliance! And I would prefer a upnp/openhome type appliance because I am very picky about my library and like to have everything clean and properly tagged. In an encapsulated server (with discs inside) this is harder to do.

 

Time to get a turntable...shouldn't sold my Linn some time ago.

My DAC is also a CD/SACD player - and it always incredibly refreshing to pop-in a disc. I think I will get a turntable soon, but the whole process is oh-so-mo complicated.

 

For clarification, which version of Amarra are you guys using? Thought the interface for this software was as buggy as a stray dog, at least from reports on this site.

3.0.3. Darn Windows 3.1 interface design, sucks!

[miguelito]

+3

 

Chris

 

Thanks for the review. Enjoyed reading it.

 

Can you please write more about the sonic differences between the Aries and SSR.

In the SSR review you have mentioned the the SSR is better than the Aires. Can you please let us know more of your thoughts on this.

 

regards

+1

[stevebythebay]

Seems to me that whatever server is interfacing with your DAC is not just a simple hardware/OS/SW player. Many choices are being made my the designer/manufacturer. Apple has spent many years on perfecting the platform. The combination of hardware design and OS is not like other options, though I'd say we're finally seeing smaller firms like Aurender create a purpose built system. After all, the Mac Mini, a design that seems to reflect a server mentality, is still not purpose build for any specific type of application. Even here specialty companies need to work the open source community along with vetting device drivers for the parts they incorporate unless they've got coders working every aspect of the software. And choosing the optimal pathway to the DAC (USB, vs less popular methods) may mean that some DACs will not always sound best. I'm guessing that decisions made by server designers and DAC designers may differ in some small ways. It certainly would be great if say Berkeley would collaborate with say Aurender or Auralic or others on design/build. But that's really unlikely. Some seek to be in more than one product space. It's often a case of the tail wagging the dog, I'm afraid when it comes to getting the optimal situation for us users. In the past all we had to concern ourselves with was electrical stuff like impedance matching. Now we worry if using USB or Ethernet or ... is the right way to go in connecting to a DAC, let alone the best means of storing and transporting our music bits to the server, or keeping that inside the server. And finally there's the software player and just how it is managing its library of songs and whether it is doing its own caching of bits or not. The chase continues...

[miguelito]

Seems to me that whatever server is interfacing with your DAC is not just a simple hardware/OS/SW player. Many choices are being made my the designer/manufacturer. Apple has spent many years on perfecting the platform. The combination of hardware design and OS is not like other options, though I'd say we're finally seeing smaller firms like Aurender create a purpose built system. After all, the Mac Mini, a design that seems to reflect a server mentality, is still not purpose build for any specific type of application. Even here specialty companies need to work the open source community along with vetting device drivers for the parts they incorporate unless they've got coders working every aspect of the software.

My understanding is that this is exactly what Auralic is doing.

 

I'm guessing that decisions made by server designers and DAC designers may differ in some small ways. It certainly would be great if say Berkeley would collaborate with say Aurender or Auralic or others on design/build. But that's really unlikely. Some seek to be in more than one product space.

Not to mention that the Berkley Alpha RS will not do DSD at all when connected to an Aries as it requires transcoding of the DSD files to PCM - I think this is assumed to be done on JRMC for the Berkeley, and could possibly done with minimstreamer I seem to recall.

 

It's often a case of the tail wagging the dog, I'm afraid when it comes to getting the optimal situation for us users. In the past all we had to concern ourselves with was electrical stuff like impedance matching. Now we worry if using USB or Ethernet or ... is the right way to go in connecting to a DAC, let alone the best means of storing and transporting our music bits to the server, or keeping that inside the server. And finally there's the software player and just how it is managing its library of songs and whether it is doing its own caching of bits or not. The chase continues...

Ehhh... Sort of agree... I think the Aries is -on paper- perfect, and there's some little something there that is just not quite there yet. I think the overall architecture of something like Aries is my preferred solution, I would just like it to sound better in my system.

[ted_b]

Aries is an ethernet appliance built to a price point. There are not many DLNA or OH renders at $995 or $1500 that sound better than Aries, nor have the flexibility of outputs or richness of features (Lightning app, Tidal support, external USB storage option,etc). The company behind it is well-funded and proven. That said, there are better sounding DLNA or OH renderers than Aries...but not at that price point. If you want to spend 2X go listen to a Sonore Signature Rendu, for example. Not as flexible, forced to use 3rd party OH or DLNA control points, but better sounding....of course it is 2X the price of the most expensive Aries, so this should not be a shock.

[miguelito]

Aries is an ethernet appliance built to a price point. There are not many DLNA or OH renders at $995 or $1500 that sound better than Aries, nor have the flexibility of outputs or richness of features (Lightning app, Tidal support, external USB storage option,etc). The company behind it is well-funded and proven. That said, there are better sounding DLNA or OH renderers than Aries...but not at that price point. If you want to spend 2X go listen to a Sonore Signature Rendu, for example. Not as flexible, forced to use 3rd party OH or DLNA control points, but better sounding....of course it is 2X the price of the most expensive Aries, so this should not be a shock.

Understand that. I didn't buy the Aries based on price point, there really are no other devices that do what the Aries does, at no price point that I can see.

 

The SSR is interesting, but does not support USB (my DAC only supports DoP over USB and DSD is a must), does not support TIDAL, does not support Airplay or similar (as an alternative to TIDAL), and I'm not sure about the versatility of the iPad app to control it. So it's a mixed bag as far as I can tell.

 

I would gladly pay for a souped up Aries that delivers the goods.

 

Now food for thought: Why can't the entirety of the Aries functionality be delivered as software on a mini?

[wdw]

?......there really are no other devices that do what the Aries does, at no price point that I can see....

 

The nw Aurender N100 and N10 look very intriguing and may be likely to fit the bill. The Sonore Sig Rendu is IMHO, a tad too geeky, for a simple hifi system.