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The "Official" Aurender Discussion Thread


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I've got 352.8 kHz MQA on the A10 right now.

 

 

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Nice... Wish they would let the rest of us enjoy MQA. I really don't think there are many units out there. Very little chatter on any of the forums. Hopefully with a few good reviews they will move a few units. It is kinda expensive for non enthusiast but if you break it all down 4tb music player-streamer, a solid dac, and a pre( if you want to use it that way) not a bad deal. Still has an optical in for the cable box. Usb out if you want to use as a player with a different dac.

I installed 2 black Synergistic fuses from the get. I know it killed my Oppo Modwright-N100 combo so very anxious to hear what you have to say.

27x17x10 Golden Ratio room,EtherRegen>Melco N1A EX H60 server/streamer >T+A Dac 200>Coda CsIB > Paradigm Personas 5f, Combak Harmonica Footers, Townshend Podiums, Custom swarm sub system , Iconoclast 4x4 UPOCC XLR cable, Townshend F1 Fractal speaker cables  SoTM dBl7 Ethernet cable, Puritan 156, Farad 3 LPS,  Synergistic, Audience,and Triode wire labs power cabling ,Stillpoints, SR fuses,GIK Slatfusors

 

 

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I just received the A10 and I am streaming MQA to it from Tidal and it's fully decoded. I believe an A10 update is coming soon.

So, if I purchase an A10 in the near future it should be MQA ready with the update already installed and no further action necessary?

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So, if I purchase an A10 in the near future it should be MQA ready with the update already installed and no further action necessary?

 

MQA is still Beta so nobody has it yet but the testers and Chris. So depending when you take delivery it may still not be available.

27x17x10 Golden Ratio room,EtherRegen>Melco N1A EX H60 server/streamer >T+A Dac 200>Coda CsIB > Paradigm Personas 5f, Combak Harmonica Footers, Townshend Podiums, Custom swarm sub system , Iconoclast 4x4 UPOCC XLR cable, Townshend F1 Fractal speaker cables  SoTM dBl7 Ethernet cable, Puritan 156, Farad 3 LPS,  Synergistic, Audience,and Triode wire labs power cabling ,Stillpoints, SR fuses,GIK Slatfusors

 

 

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Most likely yes, but even if it isn't updated, the update is very easy to do using the Aurender app.

I installed a new Aurender N10 in my sound system last month. Can you provide a step by step explanation on how to acquire the MQA update with the Aurender Conductor app?

Dan

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Looking forward to auditioning MQA on my N100 too, when they have the software ready.

 

JC

 

Hi JC - A couple items to note. Given that the N100 is a digital only product, it will "never" be able to fully decode and render MQA. It can now, and in the future, pass MQA content un-altered to an MQA DAC for full decoding and rendering. I don't think anyone knows if devices like the N100 will be able to do MQA decoding (the first part of it) for delivery to an MQA DAC for rendering.

 

It's a wait and see thing.

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The Aurender A10 Chris is using has a built in DAC which, with an update, is able to "decode" MQA encoded files.

 

With the all the other Aurender Music Servers (without included DAC) like the X100, N10, W20 how will they handle MQA files?

 

A - Will they just pass through the files to the DAC which, if MQA enabled, will it be able to decode those files?

 

B - Will they be able to "decode" the MQA files by themselves in Firmware (software)?

How will a non MQA enabled DAC handle those files ?

 

Sorry for all the questions but I've read most MQA/Aurender related posts and it's still a little confusing to me.

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The Aurender A10 Chris is using has a built in DAC which, with an update, is able to "decode" MQA encoded files.

 

With the all the other Aurender Music Servers (without included DAC) like the X100, N10, W20 how will they handle MQA files?

 

A - Will they just pass through the files to the DAC which, if MQA enabled, will it be able to decode those files?

 

B - Will they be able to "decode" the MQA files by themselves in Firmware (software)?

How will a non MQA enabled DAC handle those files ?

 

Sorry for all the questions but I've read most MQA/Aurender related posts and it's still a little confusing to me.

 

Looks like nobody has a N series with an MQA dac to see if indeed it is passing MQA. I cannot tell on my A10 as it shows Tidal as Hi-Fi. I do believe I am hearing 24-48 but have no way to confirm.

27x17x10 Golden Ratio room,EtherRegen>Melco N1A EX H60 server/streamer >T+A Dac 200>Coda CsIB > Paradigm Personas 5f, Combak Harmonica Footers, Townshend Podiums, Custom swarm sub system , Iconoclast 4x4 UPOCC XLR cable, Townshend F1 Fractal speaker cables  SoTM dBl7 Ethernet cable, Puritan 156, Farad 3 LPS,  Synergistic, Audience,and Triode wire labs power cabling ,Stillpoints, SR fuses,GIK Slatfusors

 

 

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Looks like nobody has a N series with an MQA dac to see if indeed it is passing MQA. I cannot tell on my A10 as it shows Tidal as Hi-Fi. I do believe I am hearing 24-48 but have no way to confirm.

 

All Aurender servers pass the audio bit perfect, unless adjusted not to. So, MQA will play back on an MQA DAC without issue.

Founder of Audiophile Style | My Audio Systems AudiophileStyleStickerWhite2.0.png AudiophileStyleStickerWhite7.1.4.png

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The Aurender A10 Chris is using has a built in DAC which, with an update, is able to "decode" MQA encoded files.

 

With the all the other Aurender Music Servers (without included DAC) like the X100, N10, W20 how will they handle MQA files?

 

A - Will they just pass through the files to the DAC which, if MQA enabled, will it be able to decode those files?

 

B - Will they be able to "decode" the MQA files by themselves in Firmware (software)?

How will a non MQA enabled DAC handle those files ?

 

Sorry for all the questions but I've read most MQA/Aurender related posts and it's still a little confusing to me.

 

A. Right now, MQA is just passed through bit perfect like all other FLAC files.

 

B. Nobody knows yet, but if it's possible, Aurender will do it.

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All Aurender servers pass the audio bit perfect, unless adjusted not to. So, MQA will play back on an MQA DAC without issue.

So what resolution thru Tidal am I hearing on the A10 with the current firmware? I added the Tidal masters from the desktop.

Thanks,

Russ

27x17x10 Golden Ratio room,EtherRegen>Melco N1A EX H60 server/streamer >T+A Dac 200>Coda CsIB > Paradigm Personas 5f, Combak Harmonica Footers, Townshend Podiums, Custom swarm sub system , Iconoclast 4x4 UPOCC XLR cable, Townshend F1 Fractal speaker cables  SoTM dBl7 Ethernet cable, Puritan 156, Farad 3 LPS,  Synergistic, Audience,and Triode wire labs power cabling ,Stillpoints, SR fuses,GIK Slatfusors

 

 

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I installed a new Aurender N10 in my sound system last month. Can you provide a step by step explanation on how to acquire the MQA update with the Aurender Conductor app?

 

I too have a N10 black and its quite easy to get content in the Aurender app. You need to first download the latest Tidal PC interface. Once you do go to "What New" and then scroll down to "Albums" and after "Top 20" you should see "Masters". If you don't you don't have the latest version of Tidal. Then select "View All" and you will have many but not a ton of choices. Actually a side bar on the albums they did have I kind of question the selections but that's my opinion. When you get to an album you want to click on the star to make it a favorite. Now when you go in to the Aurender app select for Tidal and the star for favorites and you will see all the albums you have selected. Then you can load the whole album or track just like normal.

 

I have tried really only a couple and since I do not have a DAC that is MQA ready I wanted to try anyway since from what I read even tracks that are coded with MQA they are supposed to sound better then red book etc. when played on a non MQA DAC. I tried Fleetwood Mac Rumors and compared it to my SACD and I really like the streamed one better. I was never really happy with the SACD version it always sounded thin and distant so this was a pleasant surprise. This weekend I'm going to do more comparisons and see. Hopefully Bricasti will update soon to be MQA ready.

2 Channel: Bricasti M20, 21 & M28 SE /Aurender N30SA and MC10 Master clock Treatments: Acoustical panels(F, S & R walls) Misc.: SR Master Fuses

Speakers: Martin Logan CLX ART (Dark Cherry) w/30# weights / 2-ML 212's 

Grounding: QKore 1&6 / Networking: SOtM switch, clock and Pwr Supply / AQ Diamond /SR Router Power: Furutech GTX-DNCF / Oyaide inwall  wire

Nordost: 2-QB8 III, QV2's, QK1's, QSine, QWave, QX4, TC Kones, Sort Fut & LIft / Full OG Loom / 3-QSource & 12-QPoints, QNet, V2 Network

Misc.: iPad 6 /Custom Rack  Media Rm: ML: 13A's, 2-Descent i's, 6- Vanquish, Focus / 3-Parasound A23 / Legacy iV-3 Ultra / 77" LG 4k OLED / Anthem AVM90 / Pioneer Elite DVD Nordost: Odin/T2/H2, BC Kones, H2 Network, V2 HDMI

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Right now you are hearing either 44.1 or 48 because it's undecoded.

 

Thanks, that is what I thought.

27x17x10 Golden Ratio room,EtherRegen>Melco N1A EX H60 server/streamer >T+A Dac 200>Coda CsIB > Paradigm Personas 5f, Combak Harmonica Footers, Townshend Podiums, Custom swarm sub system , Iconoclast 4x4 UPOCC XLR cable, Townshend F1 Fractal speaker cables  SoTM dBl7 Ethernet cable, Puritan 156, Farad 3 LPS,  Synergistic, Audience,and Triode wire labs power cabling ,Stillpoints, SR fuses,GIK Slatfusors

 

 

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michaelD.......Thank you for your post. I do have the latest PC version of Tidal and can save the Masters. I will give it a try, save a few titles as Favorites, then see how it plays back on the Aurender N10 to the Esoteric K-03 DAC. Thanks for the explanation.

Dan

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Hi JC - A couple items to note. Given that the N100 is a digital only product, it will "never" be able to fully decode and render MQA. It can now, and in the future, pass MQA content un-altered to an MQA DAC for full decoding and rendering. I don't think anyone knows if devices like the N100 will be able to do MQA decoding (the first part of it) for delivery to an MQA DAC for rendering.

 

It's a wait and see thing.

 

I understand, Chris. Very, very few devices can actually decode and render MQA as I understand it. Even fewer DAC's are compatible with it, and I think that the refusal of many key manufacturers to add MQA to their DAC's will be the reason MQA fails, ultimately. As I've noted before, too many people have spent too much on high quality DAC's in the past year or two, and are not simply going to dump them for something as controversial as MQA. At a recent gathering of audiophiles that I attended, there was virtually zero interest in MQA. These people had all spent significant money ($5-10k) on their DAC's in the past 18-24 months are had no plans to make any changes.

 

My original reference was to what qualifies as MQA "lite" or the software manipulation that would potentially allow it, and seeing if there was ANY discernible difference.

 

JC

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Have you tried listening to a large verity of MQA albums to ensure the Aurender is bloating the bass equally in all of them?

I have found after some experimentation, that some of the MQA albums sound amazing and others sound awful!!

I believe it must come down to which version the studios are using to convert to MQA and that the ones that sound awful must be from newer remaster's with heavy Dynamic Range Compression applied to them.

I have also done a comparison of MacBook Pro / Tidal desktop app into DAC vs through Aurrender and I agree that the same albums sound different, yet to me, the MQA albums that sound really good, all sound much better played through the Aurrender (N100H).

Tidal (and Aurrender / Conductor) needs to come up with a better way to identify which album version is MQA and a better way to sort through them and view / discover them, what a pain it is searching through Tidal App and then favoriting them all and then back into conductor app to find them and play them!!!

I discovered yesterday that they continue to keep adding more MQA albums each day!!

 

My apologies, agladstone, for the late reply, and for that matter to all who replied.

I have not tested a large number of MQA files as I am rather into jazz and the MQAs available are from quite diverse genres. But it is a good point to check several, as they could vary in sound quality.

My concern was rather that the N100H tends to add bass that might be not there, a layer I do not hear when playing directly from the Tidal app > MacBook Pro > USB > Aqua La Voce S2 DAC.

I totally agree that Tidal needs to come up with a better solution for finding MQA files!

So what it looks like is that might we all have to invest in MQA-capable DACs to take full advantage of MQA? I personally don't feel like. The only good solution one can come up with is the Mytek Brooklyn. But I read mixed reviews! So it's a bit of an odd situation. I guess we do have to see how the MQA field develops!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Computer Audiophile

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@Chris,

Any idea when Aurender is going to release the MQA update? I have been hearing "very soon" for a while now. Other than MQA can you share any other upgrades in the new update?

Also, when is your A10 review going to publish?. I am certain that you like to spend some time on a product for break-in, using it with different equipment, music files and software etc. Any quick early impressions? . Just wondering...

Thanks

27x17x10 Golden Ratio room,EtherRegen>Melco N1A EX H60 server/streamer >T+A Dac 200>Coda CsIB > Paradigm Personas 5f, Combak Harmonica Footers, Townshend Podiums, Custom swarm sub system , Iconoclast 4x4 UPOCC XLR cable, Townshend F1 Fractal speaker cables  SoTM dBl7 Ethernet cable, Puritan 156, Farad 3 LPS,  Synergistic, Audience,and Triode wire labs power cabling ,Stillpoints, SR fuses,GIK Slatfusors

 

 

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@Chris,

Any idea when Aurender is going to release the MQA update? I have been hearing "very soon" for a while now. Other than MQA can you share any other upgrades in the new update?

Also, when is your A10 review going to publish?. I am certain that you like to spend some time on a product for break-in, using it with different equipment, music files and software etc. Any quick early impressions? . Just wondering...

Thanks

 

Aurenders reply was that they are aiming for end feb for the A10.

 

No plans for having software decoding for the rest of the models, guess since Aurenders pass bit perfect anyway. So i guess they will just let tidal do the work.

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Aurenders reply was that they are aiming for end feb for the A10.

 

No plans for having software decoding for the rest of the models, guess since Aurenders pass bit perfect anyway. So i guess they will just let tidal do the work.

End of February certainly does not sound like very soon. Beta has been out quite sometime, guess they are tweaking.

They announced the A10 over a year ago. Serial number on my unit is 0039. Not sure if they started at zero but not many units out there. Maybe a few reviews and the full blown MQA decoding will give it a jump start.

27x17x10 Golden Ratio room,EtherRegen>Melco N1A EX H60 server/streamer >T+A Dac 200>Coda CsIB > Paradigm Personas 5f, Combak Harmonica Footers, Townshend Podiums, Custom swarm sub system , Iconoclast 4x4 UPOCC XLR cable, Townshend F1 Fractal speaker cables  SoTM dBl7 Ethernet cable, Puritan 156, Farad 3 LPS,  Synergistic, Audience,and Triode wire labs power cabling ,Stillpoints, SR fuses,GIK Slatfusors

 

 

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I was looking to a N10, but just for Tidal and MQA.

 

But if they don't do anything such as a firmware upgrade to allow MQA decoding, i cannot warm up to searching via tidal and saving to Favourites.

 

Do you see the duplicate albums from the aurender streamer and randomly selecting both till you find the MQA coded version and just let it play?

 

I just got a Node 2 to try MQA and liking it. The difference is that i can select search, select and play instantly from the BluOS as the Node is a certified player.

 

I wonder if this will be so for the A10 which will then be of interest. But without any update to the aurender app, i can not see how this will enable the A10 to play Tidal MQA from their APP.

 

I am guessing if they dont update the N devices, there won't be so for the A10 as well, sadly.

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I have an N100H, and I was told that they will try to see if software decoding can be done. However, due to the low power nature of the processor, they were not sure if this would work, or would sound better than nothing.

Certainly, it would be desirable to do the software unfolding if they are able…

E

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