The "Official" Aurender Discussion Thread

[Vincent1234]

11 hours ago, bmichels said:

I just bought a new DAC that I can deeply recommend: a Denafrips Terminator R2R.  It is super musical and transparent. A bargain !

 

 

So now I need a new server: I am tempted by a W20 but... are there any (serious) infos about a successor to the W20... which is +5 years old now (an eternity in the digital world) ? 

 

I will be very annoyed to buy a W20 and hear few months later that it has been replaced  !  ( I know what you think: this stupid logic brings to always postpone purchase.. :-)

Congratulations on your new DAC. Seems very serious and for a very acceptable price! W.r.t. the W20: you will probably never find out if and when there will be a successor launched - until it's there. ? However, I would suggest to look for a used sample. Owners are very cautious with these and I bought mine in absolutely impeccable like-new state. It saved me € 9.000,-. That's a LOT of money..!

[Vincent1234]

1 hour ago, Custodian said:

I used to use dual mode AES/EBU with Siltech signature cables. Recently I replaced these with Furutech spdif cable. The spdif gives a much more detailed and better defined image. I found this surprising but the differences are very clear. Both AES and spdif are much better than usb which has a slight softening of the image (Siltech Royal USB cable)

 

 

I must honestly say I don't agree. My audio buddy tested USB against dual AES extensively with the same ultra-high cabling quality. There was no audible difference and therefore he went back from dual AES to USB. Saved him EUR 4.000,- of cabling in the process.

But the only way of checking this with your own DAC is testing yourself and using the same brand and quality of cabling. The inputs of your DAC may show up differently than in our case. We were and are using dCS Rossini.

[Vincent1234]

5 hours ago, Custodian said:

Are you talking about W20?

 

if not, lack of central clocking will decrease AES performance relative to USB.

 

With W20, I was stressing how I found spdif through 75 ohm connection seems better than twin AES.

 

i was using DCs Scarlatti DAC and Masterclock. DCS masterclock was externally controlled by a 10mhz master clock based on a BVA Oscilloquartz 8607 which is significantly better than DCs clock alone.

 

as you rightly say, individual mileage may vary!

Yes, using the W20 and also (for dual AES) including feeding the dCS Rossini clock signal into the W20 with very high quality cabling. 

As already suggested I think it will depend on ones own situation, including the specific DAC being used. Also, do make sure to use similar cabling, preferably from the same brand, when testing. All things matter! ?

[Vincent1234]

2 hours ago, bmichels said:

I was tempted by the W20, but I discovered that the 2 AES connectors of my DAC do not support dual mode AES/EBU. And also my DAC  does not have Clock input.  

 

So, I wonder if, without use of the dual mode AES/EBU and the Clock input, the W20 still offer an advantage over the N10, or if, with my DAC configuration, will the N10 will sound as good as the W20 ? 

 

The N10 is indeed much more recent than the W20 that is quite aging now...

I used to own the N10 for a year or so, which was a huge step up from my previous X100L. Then I was offered a used W20 in perfect condition. And again, that was a huge step up. A much, much bigger one than I expected! Using USB, so no AES or clock connection to the DAC. The W20 is simply in another league, trust me.

[Vincent1234]

12 hours ago, bmichels said:

Aurender used as... a NAS ?

 

I have a question:  while I will have my Aurender connected to my DAC for HiFi listening, can my home SONOS system also use the Aurender to play another music from the Aurender HD ( the SONOS will need to see the Aurender as a NAS and have access to his HD) ?

I'm pretty sure this is possible and I seem to remember I've tried it a few times (my Sonos has a defect for a year or two, so it's been some time). But please note that the Aurender will have its harddisk(s) spinning all the time when doing so. That's somewhat of a risk over time. Whereas using the Aurender 'by itself' involves using its SSD as a buffer for your playlist, meaning your harddisks only spin when calling for or creating a new playlist. The SSD will not be used in case you are using your Aurender as a NAS.

[Vincent1234]

2 hours ago, jfddoc said:

I just bought a New N-10 and noticed there was nothing about High Resolution cover art in the online user guide.  What exactly does selecting this option do?   Thanks.

It enables you to see higher resolution cover art in the Conductor app. If set to 'off' resolution is limited. Suggest to leave it on.

[Vincent1234]

6 hours ago, jfddoc said:

OK  thanks.   So the warning about it "Taking a while" is not really that significant.  

Nope, never had any problems.

[Vincent1234]

3 hours ago, audio.bill said:

Haven't we already covered this when you asked earlier and received responses?

Absolutely! ?

[Vincent1234]

24 minutes ago, bmichels said:

Sorry. You are right. 

Buy the W20 with confidence. It's world-class! ??

[Vincent1234]

5 hours ago, Quadiffusor HK said:

Hi iSquirrel,

 

I also have a W20 coupled to a MSB Select II DAC (with dual mono Powerbases), but with a Trinnov Audio Amethyst room-correction preamplifier in between.  The source components are connected using Stealth Audio Sextet AES/EBU digital cables (circa 2007), which I’m very happy with.

 

I have 2 x 1.5 meter VH Audio Pulsar Ag 75 ohm S/PDIF cables terminated with Furutech BNC connectors; one for the clocklink from the MSB going into the W20, and the other for the S/PDIF output from the Aurender going direct into the MSB DAC.

https://www.vhaudio.com/pulsar-cu-airlok-single.html

 

Note that the MSB’s clocklink is actually designed to work with the 50 ohm standard which apparently is standard in broadcasting, as opposed to the 75 ohm standard which is common in home audio.  When asked about compatibility between these disparate standards, MSB replied that it shouldn’t be an issue because the physical distance between the transmitter and receiver is short.

 

My Aurender W20 has a defective USB 2.0 output since I bought it about four years ago, and it has been an absolute nightmare to repair - it was in the shop for an entire month for troubleshooting and replacement of the USB 2.0 connector, which ultimately did not solve the problem.  Now awaiting the arrival of a new motherboard from Korea for replacement.  I need the USB 2.0 output to be working so that I can finally experience native DSD as well as full MQA decoding from my DAC.

 

On the subject of which connection (AES/EBU vs S/PDIF) yields a better sound, I confess that I haven’t yet had a chance to compare the two, as in my current component rack placement configuration, I don’t have an AES/EBU cable which is long enough for the W20’s output to reach my DAC... ?

 

But lots to report and share once the USB 2.0 connector is fixed !  ?

I have posted before that there's no significant difference in SQ between using double AES EBU on the W20 and USB (the latter obviously being much cheaper), provided similar top quality cabling is used. I cannot vouch for the SPDIF connection, but I would be very surprised if it wouldn't have a similar SQ. I do expect that any difference would indeed come from the DAC being used; not from the W20.

[Vincent1234]

7 hours ago, bmichels said:

Great news (for me). I finally bought a used W20, and it is at my home already.   ?

 

I already tried it with my friends NAGRA HD DAC and with my own Denafrips Terminator R2R DAC.   With booth the W20 sound much better than my previous server (Auralic Aries).  So I am a new happy member of the family now.

 

My tests were done with USB, and also a cheap coax, but now I look for a good AES or Coax cable since I understood it could sound better than USB.  It looks like the most raved digital cables are now Transparent Reference and Shunyata SIGMA ! correct ? 

 

 but... should I use COAX or AES/EBU with my Aurender W20 ?  (of course I can try booth, but... where I am it will be hard to get booth on loan, so if someone has compared Coax and AES/EBU with his Aurender, I will be happy to hear the results).

 

PS: during my initial tests, I had the impression that I could play DSD Ok with USB but not with the Coax connection !  is it normal or did I configured something wrong ? 

As posted earlier: NO audible difference between even dual AES/EBU and USB when using the same top quality cables. USB is obviously MUCH less expensive. This was tested on a dCS Rossini. Up to you to test it with your own DAC if you want to spend more.

[Vincent1234]

7 hours ago, bmichels said:

 

thanks:   will AES/EBU also carry DSD or is it limited to PCM like COAX ? 

Of course it will carry all formats, including DSD

[Vincent1234]

11 hours ago, bmichels said:

Thanks.  So may be I was playing DSD 2x instead of DSD64 ! I will check.

 

based on multiple recommendations, I will also try to test the SHUNYATA Sigma AES/EBU cable.  Re USB cables, what can you recommend ? 

 

btw, Few weeks ago, I was hoping for a W20 successor, but now that I have bought a W20... I hope the successor will not come soon !  funny isn't it  ?

For USB: Suggest to try Crystal Cable Dreamline Plus. Very expensive but incredibly good sound..!!

[Vincent1234]

17 hours ago, lubos64 said:

Hello ladies and gentlemen,

I have the Accuphase kit (PS1230, DP750, A47 and C2420) I would like to add Aurender.
I have the option to buy an older S10 with 6TB or a new X100L 12TB.
What plays better.
I have the Cardas - USB and Coax cables.

Thank you very much for any advice.

Hard to tell. The S10 is an older design, but was higher priced than the X100. I would expect the S10 to be more similar to its successor the N10 than to the X100. I had both the X100 (switching PS) and the N10 (linear PS) and the improvement brought by the N10 was very big. I really think you should try both in your own system - at home - to be able to make the right choice.

[Vincent1234]

6 minutes ago, bmichels said:

So... I was quite disapointed by what was supposed to be a super-TOL USB cable... !  May be someone can suggest another Super-TOL USB cable that will really bring a substantial sound improvement over a good 50€ cable ? 

As suggested earlier, the Crystal Cable Dreamline Plus is a ridiculously good sounding USB cable. I use it to connect my W20 to the dCS Rossini. Very expensive, but worth it IMO.

[Vincent1234]

3 hours ago, Custodian said:

I am surprised that you are using usb to connect usb to dcs. In my experience, spdif 75 ohm plus separate clock cable gives much better results. Top Shunyata or Furutech Cables give superb results.

 

i have used Siltech signature series usb in the past but I would not recommend using usb connections here.

Not my experience ?

By the way, I think you are using a dCS Scarlatti, am I correct? The latest dCS generation is no doubt using an updated USB implementation.

[Vincent1234]

2 minutes ago, Custodian said:

i guess that’s what makes this hobby so interesting. In my system, the use of 75 ohm digital cables easily outperform either 110 ohm or USB. Difference is a more dynamic sound. Of course it is important that you have good quality clock cables in use.

 

a good friend who bought my original s10 Aurender had exactly similar experiences with connection to his DCs Paganini.

Yes, absolutely. Depending on your system YMMV. It's called a 'system' for a reason. ?

I have used AQ Wild clock cables for the comparison. These are really great.

But again, both the Scarlatti and Paganini are not the latest dCS generation and so the hardware and interfaces cannot be compared one to one. I owned a Puccini and clock myself before, so I can attest first hand what the latest generation of dCS brings to the table. T.b.h. they are pretty hard to compare. E.g. CD layer replay on the Rossini player is significantly better than SACD layer replay was on the Puccini. I'm not kidding..

[Vincent1234]

4 hours ago, merge03 said:

Anyway, you won't know for sure in your own system without comparing.

 

Wise words! ?

[Vincent1234]

9 hours ago, christophhh said:

Yeah, I paid the $49.99 for the MQA software update after I heard the audio, figured it might be that. Sounds same. Is there anyway I can check if its installed/running correctly on the system?

Schiit is not supporting MQA as I understand. Aurender is only doing the first of two MQA unfolds, not the full monty. My guess is something is wrong with your network setup.

[Vincent1234]

4 hours ago, Ponzi said:

The ASC-10 rips, stores and serves.  It does not function as a CD player.  I cannot answer the question about how similar the ASC-10 circuit is to the N10 circuit.  I continue to use my N10 as the server.  If the ASC-10 is the twin of the N10, but with ripping functionality, then there would be no reason to own the much more expensive N10.  I am assuming -- on faith, mind you -- that the ASC-10 id not the same server the N10 is. 

I would indeed think it seems rather unlikely that the ASC-10 will deliver the same quality as a server as the N10 does, looking at their respective pricepoints. In comparison the W20 is much older then the N10 but the latter is certainly not up to the same SQ standards as the W20, despite the fact that the N10 is a few years younger.

[Vincent1234]

16 minutes ago, sfseay said:

I have an ACS10 coming tomorrow.  The buyer had it a few weeks and decided to sell it.  Critical listening mode is supposedly a beta release.  He told me if I use it to be sure to turn it off before powering off the ACS10 or file corruption could result.  Aurender is supposedly working to fix the problem.

 

I will try it the streamer function built into the ACS and also compare it to my N100H.  I saw on another forum the streamer sound quality is somewhere between the N10 and N100H.  I will try it and see for myself.  If it is better than the N100H I will sell the N100 and just use the ACS10 as my streamer.

If 'Critical listening mode' will sound better than the regular mode, I'm very interested to hear it! ?

[Vincent1234]

3 hours ago, jon2020 said:

 

My personal experience is similar.

If I am not wrong,  all Tidal Masters are MQA versions.

That said, YMMV depending on whether your dac is an MQA dac or not.

Mine isn't. 

I myself have never used Qobuz, so I have no opinion on that. However, there's a big difference in the SQ of Tidal's MQA files if your DAC is fully MQA capable or if it isn't.

[Vincent1234]

9 hours ago, agladstone said:

Thanks! I assume that you have both units? 

Seems like perhaps I should sell my N100 and upgrade to the new ACS10? 

I would certainly test both myself before any possible changing. The ACS10 has a different main purpose and its technology as a server seems to be related to the N100.

 

[Vincent1234]

9 hours ago, michaelD said:

 

You are exactly right in that the USB uses the DAC clock all the rest of the digital outs will use the Aurender clock.  I would think the unless you have a real expense DAC with great internal clock the best approach is not to use the USB out particularly with a N10 or W20. You are wasting a lot of money to purchase these devices (which have a great internal clock) and then use a USB connection to use the clock in your DAC.  

As you rightfully stated, it's all about ones specific system. I'm using USB between my W20 and dCS Rossini + dCS Rossini clock. The latter no doubt is better than the clock in the W20. Extensive tests have shown that with the right cabling (in my case Crystal Cable Dreamline Plus) there's no difference in SQ with this setup or with dual AES/EBU. It is however much less costly than the latter! 😊

[Vincent1234]

23 minutes ago, Emm said:

Hi Ari

 

sometimes my N10 during playback shows the message “Preparing Aurender”.

during this the Aurender is not controlled anymore by the conductor and this state can last some minutes.

is this a normal situation?

Same here with my W20. Only happens once every few weeks.