The "Official" Aurender Discussion Thread

[91derlust]

Part-time lurker; fist-time poster.

 

I am in the process of replacing my Mac Mini and W4S DAC2 source with something more to my liking. I received the DAC a few weeks ago and the N100 arrived today. I like the N100's build and the control app seems solid. Hopefully Aurender can release the AMM application for PC soon; it is a little overdue and until it is released I can't really make full use of the control app for music stored on my NAS. The N100 looks like it should be real nice though.

 

The fly in my soup is that my new DAC and the N100 don't really get on. They talk to each other, but the sound is a little bright and is delivered with clicks, pops and on occasion, short warbles. This occurs for every album to some extent, but is most noticeable on quieter albums. My new DAC (sorry, not allowed to mention it by name yet) runs a XMOS chip-set and is supposed to work with native Mac OSX and Linux drivers; it is class 2 compatible. The new DAC works with a home PC (using XMOS USB drivers) and other sources; the N100 works with my old DAC2. My retailer is looking after me well and will hopefully have it sorted soon.

 

But I am wondering, has anyone else experienced issues when running their Aurenders with XMOS USB chip-sets? I assume not, but thought I'd ask. Aurender has a reputation for fine service; I expect they will resolve this quickly. These things are not inexpensive and I went in this direction so I could stop faffing with Macs and PCs when listening to music... here's hoping we can achieve that objective.

 

Cheers.

[91derlust]

I can't understand why you don't mention your dac?

 

I read that you can contact Aurender with your dac's specs and they can make it work.

 

My dealer has numerous dacs and it works with all of them, even old and obscure ones.

 

Hi George,

 

I agreed not mention it publicly for reasons unrelated to this issue; it is my choice and I am not being pressured in any way. I am sure I will be able to mention it before too long.

 

My retailer is committed to sorting this out for me and I will give him every chance to do so, but it is comforting to know that I can contact Aurender directly.

 

Thanks for the response.

 

Cheers.

[91derlust]

Update:

 

Contacted my dealer today: he is waiting to hear from back from Aurender... nothing yet. So, I will contact Aurender directly and hope they can resolve this quickly.

 

I develop a component of enterprise information systems and know how tricky systems can be; responsiveness and service quality are critical when unanticipated events occur.

 

Cheers.

[91derlust]

Eric from Aurender has been in touch, logged on to the N100, and is now Ix-ing further. Here's hoping he can work out what is going on. Fingers crossed.

 

I don't want this to become a blow-by-blow of my N100 issues, so will refrain from posting anything until the final outcome.

 

Cheers.

[91derlust]

Although it is not clear what the issue was - perhaps something related to the AC cable or cable routing - I am pleased to report my N100 is now playing nicely with my DAC. Although I had my doubts, Eric Shim helped resolve the problem in a professional and committed manner. Nicely done.

 

Thanks to Eric for his assistance.

 

Cheers.

[91derlust]

Hi all,

 

AMM for PC is not showing on the Download page; can anyone confirm when it will be released? It has been delayed a few times now and was last due on April 15, IIRC.

 

It is not a critical issue though - it is still possible to folder browse.

 

Cheers.

[91derlust]

Thanks Brian. I sense that Aurender have a lot on their plate right now.

 

Cheers.

[91derlust]

Another quick question: Does anyone know the transceiver output impedance of the N100? If I understand correctly, the USB 2.0 spec states a range between 28 to 44 Ohm.

 

Despite thinking that my issues with the N100 and my DAC had been resolved by using a different USB cable, it appears this is not the case; the issue persists. I suspect some impedance mismatching between the two units. I am curious about the N100, in part because the power-line current (0.2A) is much lower than what is usually seen (0.5V is the norm). The current should not be an issue because my DAC does not source its power from the N100, but it does beg the question as to what else might be "atypical". If the N100 is not compliant with the spec, I will need to know the output impedance so that I can seek out cable candidates that are likely to work.

 

I suspect Eric is very busy with other users/ issues at the moment as I have not heard from him for about a week after last providing details to him. It must be challenging to keep across every issue and admittedly, it seems that my particular issue is rare. That said, despite trying avoid any drastic action, if the issue is not resolved soon I will have to send the N100 back to the retailer.

 

Cheers.

[91derlust]

Hi again Brian. Yes, my dealer and I have been in touch - he provided a different cable to try; I have also just sent sent details of what I have done to diagnose the issue further.

 

I have broken my commitment to not post further until some progress had been made; I guess I am starting to think that I need to resolve the issue, yesterday! I do not like to tinker with audio systems - I just like them to work - which is why I chose Aurender in the first place. I also understand that sometimes unexpected things happen and that people are doing what they can to help out.

 

I will take your advice and see what my dealer can sort out for me. Honestly, I am at the point where if this can't be resolved, I would happily pay the difference in price and take a N10 and use its SPDIF or AES/EBU into my DAC. Solved.

 

Thanks again Brian.

[91derlust]

Hi George. That is a sound idea, but I'd like to avoid using USB at all. The recent issues have undermined my confidence in its USB compatibility with other devices. My dealer, who might be understanding, does not carry any converters I would want to use and I am not confident that if I purchased from somewhere else I would not end up having thrown considerable sums of $ at the problem only to end up in exactly the same situation.

 

So, I will wait and see what my dealer suggests as a next move.

 

Regards,

91.