The "Official" Aurender Discussion Thread

[Foxman50]

I think the issue for companies like Aurender, is they can't please everyone. I purchased my lowly N100 on SQ and the fact that I could order my albums in artist order with album artwork, that's it. Simple you may think but I'm amazed how difficult other manufacturers have found this. I don't want fancy front ends where I'm scrolling through endless amounts of information before selecting something to listen too.

 

I want a simple interface that allows me to locate my music quickly and plays without issue, That's Aurender.

 

I've had a few other solutions that have been a constant PITA. My N100 has been faultless apart from one issue caused by a power cut, which Aurender support rectified within 24hrs.

 

Folder structure and tagging is important, and I've discovered this when moving from product to product as they all use different ways to order music. However I've found that if music is tagged and structured well it will suite most systems. Based on my opinion and observations.

[Taxman]

32 minutes ago, Foxman50 said:

I think the issue for companies like Aurender, is they can't please everyone.

 

I'm glad that you are so happy with your N100, but I disagree with your conclusion that it isn't possible to please everyone. Well, 100% customer satisfaction is of course difficult and maybe not possible, but with some clever programming it's really not that difficult to support more use-cases than they do today without making it more complicated.

[Pat Case]

I'm not a complainer, never have been and never will. Indeed, the last time that I complained this loudly about anything was when, after a long awaited but bad update, I dumped the Simaudio Moon MIND180 in favour of the Aurender. But, unless I move to the Ayre Digital Hub and an external storage device, there is nothing that I can do but wait until they sort out the mess.

 

Even though they now have a 50/50 interface, I'm reluctant to leave behind Aurender's rock solid hardware and it's 90% good connection between the hardware and software. We shall see.

[Taxman]

Pat, I suggest you complain and/or file a support case with Aurender even if it won't make any difference short term. I don't think they will sort out the mess unless enough of us complain - I mean, they claim that it's an "improvement" and that it was mentioned in the release notes 

[marslo]

Hi ,

 

As a happy owner of S10 and W20 I am following this thread from very beginning.

To be honest I do not like the direction Aurender is develloping the SW.

I do not care so much about streaming capabilites . Hires pcm and DSD in their native form and rips form my cd and sacd's -  that's important te me as well as best SQ. I do not have NAS and don't intend  to install one.

First I was upset when Aurendr removed the option for unpowered usb audio from their  W20 GUI.

It can still be done via remote support on special request but this is very "uncool" downgrade.

Now issues with tranport of DSD files with several DAC's, then new organization of multi cds in the library without option to keep the old one.

This is a bit arrogant attitude, they do not ask customers about new ideas . I stop upgrading the software  , just wait and see.

I hope they will propose solutions both for streaming and server/tranposrt with their new models, the rumors are about new W20 to be presented in Munich .

[Pat Case]

45 minutes ago, Taxman said:

Pat, I suggest you complain and/or file a support case with Aurender even if it won't make any difference short term. I don't think they will sort out the mess unless enough of us complain - I mean, they claim that it's an "improvement" and that it was mentioned in the release notes 

I think that you are right and I will do. Frankly, I was very seriously thinking of making the jump to the A10. I still had to check out and compare the onboard DAC to that in my DAC8. I'm not saying that the purchase won't happen but I'm now reticent.

[rwwjr44]

I had an X100L for a few years and loved it so much that I am moving to the N10 (a very happy circumstance on price). The only things that I truly dislike about the Conductor app are the page color and lack of album information (think Roon). The connection to Wikipedia's album information is okay but there are so many albums that aren't listed. In the near future, I will sign on to Wikipedia and start entering data on "missing" albums. That will be time consuming but...

 

The latest update was relatively transparent for me. I listen to a good number of .dsf files via DoP and didn't hear any sound degradation or have any operational problems. I like the move to split and display multiple disk albums.

[Ecki]

Has anybody figured out how to display a PDF (linernotes) in the Conductor app?

 

best,

ecki

[Taxman]

24 minutes ago, Ecki said:

Has anybody figured out how to display a PDF (linernotes) in the Conductor app?

 

I didn't think that was possible - I thought only front- and back cover was supported?

[agladstone]

1 hour ago, Taxman said:

 

I didn't think that was possible - I thought only front- and back cover was supported?

You can try saving the liner notes as "back cover" within the metadata / tags via a tag editor. Also, I've noticed when listening to Tidal, if you "hit" the album art, often there will be a 3rd "page" (Front, back, and description), which now seems to have Tidal album description and information. 

[agladstone]

7 hours ago, marslo said:

Hi ,

 

As a happy owner of S10 and W20 I am following this thread from very beginning.

To be honest I do not like the direction Aurender is develloping the SW.

I do not care so much about streaming capabilites . Hires pcm and DSD in their native form and rips form my cd and sacd's -  that's important te me as well as best SQ. I do not have NAS and don't intend  to install one.

First I was upset when Aurendr removed the option for unpowered usb audio from their  W20 GUI.

It can still be done via remote support on special request but this is very "uncool" downgrade.

Now issues with tranport of DSD files with several DAC's, then new organization of multi cds in the library without option to keep the old one.

This is a bit arrogant attitude, they do not ask customers about new ideas . I stop upgrading the software  , just wait and see.

I hope they will propose solutions both for streaming and server/tranposrt with their new models, the rumors are about new W20 to be presented in Munich .

I think it's very important that all of us report any all issues / problems as often as they occur to Aurender! 

With my most recent dealings with them via tech support (my current issue that DSD files no longer sound good after most recent update), they claimed they never heard of anyone else having any DSD issues, only me, yet on this forum alone, it seems like many others have also had DSD /

DoP issues. 

Thus, the more we alert them to issues and bugs, hopefully the more likely they will be to address them via future updates. 

Ive inquired several times in regards to Roon compatibility, and from what I've heard, it seems like it will never happen, Eric

said that he is not willing to allow a third party to have any influence in regards to performance and that they will stay with their own in-house conductor app since it allows them

"control". 

My bet, is that it's the cost involved to become Roon certified / license, etc. more so than anything else, but still very disappointing since everyone seems to rave about Roon. 

[Taxman]

On 2017-03-26 at 10:55 PM, agladstone said:

Ecki:

thanks for the "review" and your helpful tips in regards to backing up to NAS and Cloud. 

Thanks to your post, I'm going to get an Amazon Cloud backup account ASAP!

Do you know if similar can be done as you describe using an external USB HD connected to PC / MAC in place of a NAS and then sync Local external HD with Amazon Cloud (in place of a NAS within your description)? 

At the moment I only have external USB HD's for local backup and do not own a NAS (I do have my Aurender mapped as a local network drive in my PC). 

Thanks!

agladstone

 

Not sure if you got a reply on this, but I can't see why it shouldn't work with a local HD. I have my music library master on a local hard drive connected to my desktop mac since I feel it's most convienient when ripping (XLD) and tagging (Mp3tag). I then use an rsync-script to update the Aurender and another backup disc connected to another computer in another location as my "private cloud". In addition, I also use time machine to have a complete backup with everything i touch on my mac... I feel pretty safe 

[kennyb123]

39 minutes ago, agladstone said:

My bet, is that it's the cost involved to become Roon certified / license, etc. more so than anything else, but still very disappointing since everyone seems to rave about Roon. 

 

That Aurender supports internal storage may make their ability to support Roon more difficult.  To just be a Roon Ready endpoint would not be enough as Roon Server would still need to be run somewhere - and this would need to access the music stored internally on an Aurender.  Roon Server would thus have to run on the Aurender server - a more difficult thing to pull off as it might necessitate changes to the way Aurender does things internally to support Conductor.  

 

This is just pure speculation on my part.

[bpw]

26 minutes ago, kennyb123 said:

 

That Aurender supports internal storage may make their ability to support Roon more difficult.  To just be a Roon Ready endpoint would not be enough as Roon Server would still need to be run somewhere - and this would need to access the music stored internally on an Aurender.  Roon Server would thus have to run on the Aurender server - a more difficult thing to pull off as it might necessitate changes to the way Aurender does things internally to support Conductor.  

 

This is just pure speculation on my part.

 

An Aurender music player is not an endpoint that Roon requires.

[Taxman]

2 hours ago, kennyb123 said:

 

That Aurender supports internal storage may make their ability to support Roon more difficult.  To just be a Roon Ready endpoint would not be enough as Roon Server would still need to be run somewhere - and this would need to access the music stored internally on an Aurender.  Roon Server would thus have to run on the Aurender server - a more difficult thing to pull off as it might necessitate changes to the way Aurender does things internally to support Conductor.  

 

This is just pure speculation on my part.

 

Good point. As I understand it, an Aurender is in essence a Linux-box and the file storage is an ordinary file system that you can mount from another computer so it feels quite straight forward. I do think that there is a risk though that at least the older Aurenders, like the S10, are a bit weak to run a complete Roon core. But having an Aurender without a disc acting as a Roon endpoint should definitely be possible.

[agladstone]

All good points that I had not even thought of!

Seems like Aurender would have to completely change the way it functions now in regards to storage in order to be able to act as a Roon end point, this could be why Eric had expressed to me that it is not going to be something that they will be implimenting in the future and that they will continue to be Conductor App only?

[Taxman]

I don't think the technical reasons are the problem sinne they already support streaming and remote storage. It's probably all about control and reluctance to pay license fees. Sad of course since there really is a niche for high-end endpoints that Aurender could fit in.

[The Computer Audiophile]

11 minutes ago, Taxman said:

I don't think the technical reasons are the problem sinne they already support streaming and remote storage. It's probably all about control and reluctance to pay license fees. Sad of course since there really is a niche for high-end endpoints that Aurender could fit in.

 

Nothing to do with license fees. With Roon the end user pays the license fee ($120 /yr or $500 /lifetime).

[Taxman]

4 hours ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

 

Nothing to do with license fees. With Roon the end user pays the license fee ($120 /yr or $500 /lifetime).

 

Is it official that it's "free" to build/sell a Roon endpoint?

 

I know about the end user license since I have a lifetime subscription, but thought that I had heard about a partner license as well, but  maybe that was "alternate facts" 

[rwwjr44]

Hello All,

If you are so inclined, please add your equipment list to your signature. This may enable assistance if you are having problems.

 

Thanks,

Bob Willis aka rwwjr44

[agladstone]

53 minutes ago, Taxman said:

 

Is it official that it's "free" to build/sell a Roon endpoint?

 

I know about the end user license since I have a lifetime subscription, but thought that I had heard about a partner license as well, but  maybe that was "alternate facts" 

I recall reading somewhere that Roon not only charges the end user a license fee, but that it also cost the company / manufacturer money too in addition to internal time / labor costs to make the changes needed in order for Aurender to become an official Roon Endpoint. 

However, what Eric had told me was more focused on "control" via the Conductor App vs Roon, since that would mandate that Roon dictates the end user experience and how things must function, etc. 

[Taxman]

44 minutes ago, rwwjr44 said:

Hello All,

If you are so inclined, please add your equipment list to your signature. This may enable assistance if you are having problems.

Sure 

[audiorip]

Hi All,

 

Just got an N100h and love it! Quick question I'm hoping someone can help out with - is there a difference in SQ when steaming Tidal through the aurender app vs the built in airplay? I'd test it myself but I don't have an iPad

 

Thanks! 

[agladstone]

10 minutes ago, audiorip said:

Hi All,

 

Just got an N100h and love it! Quick question I'm hoping someone can help out with - is there a difference in SQ when steaming Tidal through the aurender app vs the built in airplay? I'd test it myself but I don't have an iPad

 

Thanks! 

I believe the sound quality of streaming Tidal direct via the Aurender is much better vs AirPlay. (hopefully you have a HiFi subscription so you can stream the highest quality, even better if you have an MQA enabled DAC and can stream Tidal "Master Quality"!)

Also, hate to be the bearer of additional expenses for you, but you really "need" an iPad (the newer versions too) enable to really use the Aurender N100H, since the conductor iPad App is "required" in order to use it (not just Tidal, but also for music and playlist playback control, etc. 

 

 

[jdandy]

Still love my Aurender N10, even more now that I am using the DAC in my new Esoteric K-01X.  This combination is exceptional.