The "Official" Aurender Discussion Thread

[Vincent1234]

1 hour ago, robmoores1 said:

Good afternoon. 

 

I suspect this question has been asked before but I thought I would ask it again. I am looking to pick up an Aurender N100H and my only concern is potential mechanical noise from the HDD. 

 

I used to have an Innuos Zen Mini and my biggest frustration - and the reason I ended up selling it - was the noise from the unit as it seems to need to access the HDD constantly. 

 

I know that Aurender units use an SSD to cache music ready to play but whilst it is going through this process is it particularly noisy? 

 

Thanks. 

I guess your question involves possible noise while the harddisk is spinning to transfer data to the SSD. I have owned several Aurenders (X100L, N10, W20) and have never been able to audibly detect the harddisk spinning. The harddisk is very well damped inside the device. I haven't used the N100H myself, so maybe owners of that model can chime in. I would expect a similar outcome.

[Vincent1234]

19 hours ago, agladstone said:

Apologies if this has been discussed previously. 
Is anyone using an EtherRegen with their Aurender? 
If yes, have you experienced a sonic benefit? 
Also, how important is the level of Ethernet cables and what are you powering the EtherRegen with? 
I just placed an order for one to be delivered in the next week or so. 
I’ve been reading positive things elsewhere, but I’m not sure if the Aurender will benefit as much as a MicroRendu or similar device which seems to be a popular pairing? 
Thanks!! 

I am not using an Etherregen myself but this device can be regarded as an audiophile switch, with which I do have a lot of experience. As such you can expect very audible improvements; especially more clarity and resolution. A high-grade LPS can improve results even further. In this area there are many options to choose from (Farad, SBooster, NuPrime etc.). You should really try a few to see what works best for you. And yes, Ethernet cables do influence SQ, especially the last one going to your Aurender. Also try and listen to find the best match within your budget. My W20 is VERY responsive in any changes in switches, power supplies and Ethernet cabling. Hope this helps.

[Vincent1234]

@AriMargolis I have a question on the W20 and ripping CD's with a Melco D100. Currently I'm using the Melco to rip my CD's using EAC through my laptop. After ripping I move them to the W20 over my network. Settings for the Melco are rather critical: offset in EAC is +638 as per Melco's advice.

Now, I know that I can probably also connect the Melco rip drive to the W20 directly. What would likely give the best results? I think I would get the CD metadata automatically with the direct connection to the W20, correct? But likely I will not be able to change the read offset? And I would be tied to FLAC instead of WAV and probably I cannot change the FLAC compression settings?

What would be your advice?

[Vincent1234]

9 hours ago, JS21 said:

WTH!?!
The loose screws are just beyond any conventional explanation. This is definitely 100% on the dealer. Would love to know who the dealer was. He should’ve insured it to begin with. 
Good luck on your claim and hope it all works out for you in the end. 

Indeed, this is absolutely crazy. The dealer should pay for the damage. Simply impossible that those screws were fixed before shipping. This sounds like someone has opened your N10 for whatever reason before shipping it. Sounds very suspicious to me and I myself would not accept this.

Good luck handling the case.

[Vincent1234]

3 hours ago, Quadiffusor HK said:

I’ve been experiencing an intermittent problem with my Aurender W20 during the past 2-3 months, under the following conditions:

 

1) W20 on standby mode, with AC cable connected, powered down from a bright-glow square button on the chassis, to a soft-glow square, via the Conductor App, pressing down on the blue play/pause button and “Power off” selected (instead of “Pause”).

 

2) Next morning, a manual push on the soft-glow square on the chassis, for it to go through its usual power-on cycle, taking about a minute, resulting in a bright-glow square, and the display showing “Select Song”

 

3) Upon launching the Conductor App on my iPad Pro, and seeing the usual interface window appear, a message “updating Aurender” appears in a blue square.  Then, the W20 powers down, disconnects, and becomes unresponsive to the Conductor’s command.  Manually pushing the square button is the only way to resume operations and connection to the Commander App.  Upon turn-on, the amber VU meter becomes visible momentarily, even though that particular display option is not selected as a default.

Anyone else experiencing this very strange and unwelcome behavior on their Aurender units, requiring powering on TWICE before it’s operational?

 

BTW, I have the following versions installed:

Aurender App version: 3.12.47 (8)

Aurender System App version: 4.21.309 (W20}

 

I have not reported this issue to Aurender yet, because I was waiting for an updated firmware software, but apparently this problem has persisted through a number of incremental software updates...

 

 

 

 

 

Sorry to read about your troubles. But, why would you shut down your W20 each time? The usual practice would be to leave it in stand-by by pushing the pause button (on the W20 or in Conductor). After 5 minutes or so the W20 will go into sleep mode. Problem solved.. 😉

[Vincent1234]

1 hour ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

I would love to have the option to sort my local albums on the Aurender by Date Added. This is really convenient for finding one's newest content and it creates a nice way to see a music collection develop over time. 

Agree!

[Vincent1234]

On 5/1/2021 at 11:56 PM, tms said:

I'm wondering about the streaming quality comparison between the N10 (which I have) and the W20 and/or W20se.

My streaming is Qobuz and digital interface from N10 to DAC is USB.  At this point, I'm only interested in the possible upgrade to the W20 while still retaining the USB connection.

 

Does anyone have experience with these. Please comment. Thanks!

Within the right system the step up from the N10 to the W20 is BIG. When I first listened to a comparison between the two at home we were using Arvo Pärt's ECM recording of 'Es sang vor langen Jahren', which starts off by string players playing a note by fiercely moving their bows on the strings. The N10 sounded really rough and coarse compared to the W20, which was so much cleaner, more refined and contained so much more tone that I was literally convinced within 10 seconds. It's very likely due to its battery power supply, which creates a much darker background for the music to shine.

I'm also using USB from the W20 to my DAC by the way.

Obviously audible differences will depend also on the rest of your system. Good luck! 

[Vincent1234]

51 minutes ago, jon2020 said:

My two cents is that 2 boxes should be better than one where the noisy circuits are well isolated from the audio path.

Cheers!

I guess the main difference is not so much the fact that the N30SA has 2 boxes instead of one - although it does seem to have a very extensive LPS in one of them and separation should indeed help SQ. The main difference is the battery based PS of the W20SE, which is extremely quiet. I can imagine this different approach will give each player its own sound character. Would like to hear them side by side in my own system to be able to test the theory.

[Vincent1234]

3 hours ago, Anonamemouse said:

In the end it's the DAC that creates the sound. Before that it's all just dips and peaks. 

Digital gear mostly differs in options, not in output.

I heartily disagree. If that were the case one wouldn't hear any difference between e.g. the N100 and the W20. I went the route myself from X100 to N10 to W20. Each step was VERY significant!

[Vincent1234]

12 minutes ago, Anonamemouse said:

Did you listen to them in a blind A - B setting, where someone else only needed to flick a switch to listen to the other player?

You're a really funny guy.. I heard them side by side for two weeks and the improvement was VERY, VERY apparent inside literally 10 seconds.

Have you actually ever heard them side by side? Or are you just claiming that 'bits are bits'? You couldn't be farther from the truth.

[Vincent1234]

9 minutes ago, Anonamemouse said:

I know! A genuine clown! De schoenen van Hugo, maar dan in levende lijve!

 

No, not all of them. I compared the N100SC to the N10 to the Bryston BDP3 (or maybe BDP2, don't remember) to the Aurelic (forgot the type), all via USB on a Benchmark DAC3B. 

Day and night differences? Not in the studio where I compared them. Nuances maybe. 

Again, VERY apparent improvements in my system. And especially the step up from N10 to W20. I described the details elsewhere in this group if you're interested.

[Vincent1234]

1 hour ago, Anonamemouse said:

Software complexity, for one. Then there are the security issues. And as mentioned in my previous reply, accidental deletion of files is possible.

I for one really don't understand why you would want to delete any music file. My server holds close to 7500 albums, if I don't listen to one it's fine just sitting there. If space is the issue, buy a bigger harddrive.

I fully agree. For safety reasons I myself would certainly not want to have a delete function in the Conductor app. Way too risky for me.

[Vincent1234]

2 hours ago, Anonamemouse said:

My home computer, windows 10 pro, from press-the-powerbutton to ready-to-rock in 6 seconds.

My N100SC from press-the-powerbutton to ready-to-rock in 3 minutes... 

Yes, this annoys me. It's all solid state drives, Aurender used a stripped version of an already lean OS, why does it need to take that long to start up?

Don't shut it down. It was never intended to be. Just put it to 'Pause' and it will go into auto stand-by after a few minutes. Then when pushing 'Play' again it will do so straight away. No waiting whatsoever.

[Vincent1234]

1 hour ago, tmhaudio said:

After catching up on this thread, just discovered "Internet Radio" on my N100H - REALLY cool!!! 

 

Bit rate is shown to the left on your photo. 24 bit. 😉 Probably you found it already, as it's not in your post anymore. 👍🏻

[Vincent1234]

2 hours ago, Quadiffusor HK said:

Sure, but just because I like a restaurant, and want to memo it in my list of favorites, that does NOT mean that I like all of the dishes offered on the menu at that restaurant!  The calendar year will be 2022 soon, and even TIDAL is sensible enough to offer the subscriber the choice to "Favorite" both songs and albums...  c'mon, Aurender !!

I must admit it's a strange omission, discussed here many times already.

[Vincent1234]

1 hour ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

 

Just to make sure we stick with the standard definitions. 

 

Bit Depth or Word Length is commonly 16 or 24 bits. 

 

Bit rate is is calculated from sample rate, bit depth and channel count. 

 

44.100 x 16 x 2 = 1411 bit rate

Correct. Was sticking to the wording used in the question, but you're 100% right. 😉

[Vincent1234]

1 hour ago, Cappuccino said:

All solid reasons for upgrading for sure, but from a pure sound quality point did you do a direct A/B comparison 

For what it's worth: my dealer compared both side by side and thought the N20 was sounding a bit on the warm side compared to the N10 and wasn't too impressed. In any case I would advise you to check it with your own system before deciding on a purchase. As always it will be a matter of system synergy and taste.

[Vincent1234]

4 hours ago, Quadiffusor HK said:

Compared to the W20's "Peak (70W), Play (40W), Streaming (33W), Pause (30W), Off/Plugged-in (3.5W)" the power consumption specifications for the N30 says, "Play (4W), Peak (70W), Standby (3.5W)".

 

How does the N30 manage to consume SO little power during playback?  Is the quoted 4W accurate? How much power does it consume during Streaming, and Pause (idle/dimmed-LED)?  If all of these are under 5W, that would be amazing electrically-efficient, and a great reason to simply keep the N30 powered on continuously, a power drain merely 1/10 that of the W20!  

 

Would Aurender please help confirm?

 

Hi, good question. I am pretty sure the higher power consumption by the W20 (and W20 SE) is due to their battery power supply. The batteries are continuously charged when connected to your power, alternately for each bank.

[Vincent1234]

2 hours ago, Anonamemouse said:

Of course it can't be... like... a typo?

It can, but not likely. Consistently charging batteries (there are 3 banks, alternately either used or charged) will obviously cost power. Pretty logical, no? That's very different from a N30 just being in stand-by without any charging in the background.

But I agree that only 4 Watts while playing for the N30 cannot be correct and indeed will likely be a typo. The processor alone will use more power.

[Vincent1234]

3 minutes ago, Quadiffusor HK said:

Yes, it looks probable that a zero (0) was missing from the "4W" spec - should it have been "40W" instead?

Likely yes. 😉

[Vincent1234]

4 hours ago, Cappuccino said:

Have an N20 on loan to compare against the N10. It’s a brand new unit so left it playing for a few days before any critical listening, but straight out the box…. Oh my i want this.

My dealer found the N20 to be warmer sounding than the N10 and wasn't too impressed. What are your findings?

[Vincent1234]

3 hours ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

"Audio switches" are snake oil. It's '0' or '1'.

Any switch will do the job. 

An interesting position to take for someone who presumably uses a high end digital server that outputs a 0 or 1 😊

Love your response! 😊👍🏻 Also the earlier response that audiophile switches 'are snake oil' is not only untrue, but also demonstrating a lack of knowledge. The differences in (audiophile) switches can be easily heard in a good system. And no, the 1's and 0's are not the issue - they will indeed work fine. It's all about common mode noise that 'bad' switches can bring into your system, including your DAC. This is clearly audible and also measurable. If you don't believe me: try disconnecting the Ethernet cable while playing a track and listen what happens. In most cases you will be in for a surprise.

[Vincent1234]

3 hours ago, Anonamemouse said:

 

https://www.alpha-audio.nl/review/een-very-deep-dive-in-netwerkswitches-luisteren-en-meten/14/

Again, the difference is not in transporting the 1's and 0's. All switches work fine just doing that. It's about noise entering your system. A computer doesn't care about the additional noise but your DAC does.

[Vincent1234]

3 hours ago, Anonamemouse said:

The "sound" is not why I bought my Aurender. It's the quality of build, the software, the looks, the service, the match with the rest of my system.

Because in a truly blind ABX test nobody will be able to tell the difference between a $250 used Bluesound Node and a $12,000 Aurender when they are connected to the same DAC. 

(oh, wait, I am positive my Aurender/Benchmark DAC3/Benchmark LA4/Bryston 4B SST2/[AMT + AT C-Quenze +  30W/4558T00 Scan-Speak Discovery 12”] are nowhere near revealing enough...)

 

I do my metatag editing in Tag&Rename, which allows me to do all finetuning I want/need. Even to a point that Aurender does not handle. 

You bet you can hear clear differences. I started with an Aurender X100L, then upgraded to an N10 and later on to a W20 - and yes, all connected to the same dCS DAC with dCS clock and each step was a very clear improvement. If they all sounded the same why would Aurender go into the trouble of making them? In that case I would simply use my laptop. The latter sounding worst - and by a long stretch.

[Vincent1234]

8 minutes ago, Anonamemouse said:

I apparently already have those, 3 x Netgear GS108E, one of the best from the test Vincent posted.

Everything is connected with cat6, which I have access to for free. 

Yes, that seems to be a good one indeed. Now you could start testing better Ethernet cables, especially the last run going into your Aurender. I am pretty sure you don't believe in that too 😉, but this has really been a huge improvement in my system.