Auralic Aries Mini

[Cornan]

After some searching I have found a LiFePO4 battery pack charger that I suspect could work with the Aurelic Aries Mini:

5 cell 2.0A lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery charger for 5-cell 16V li-iron battery packs, charges at 18V, compact design and removable AC cord, LiFePO4

However, I feel a bit uncertain about the nominal output vs charge output. Nominal battery volate are 16v/2A which is spot-on what I wanted. Looking at the charge voltage output it shows 18,25v which I pressume is too much for Aries Mini. If anyone with greater knowledge than me with battery power knows if this would work for the Aries Mini I would appreciate advice. It costs USD 37,95/pc, uses LiFePO4 battery pack and are isolated from the mains. Could be a good option to these two eyes....but I would rather know...than pressume! ;-)

[Cornan]

After some searching I have found a LiFePO4 battery pack charger that I suspect could work with the Aurelic Aries Mini:

5 cell 2.0A lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery charger for 5-cell 16V li-iron battery packs, charges at 18V, compact design and removable AC cord, LiFePO4

[ATTACH=CONFIG]26053[/ATTACH]

However, I feel a bit uncertain about the nominal output vs charge output. Nominal battery volate are 16v/2A which is spot-on what I wanted. Looking at the charge voltage output it shows 18,25v which I pressume is too much for Aries Mini. If anyone with greater knowledge than me with battery power knows if this would work for the Aries Mini I would appreciate advice. It costs USD 37,95/pc, uses LiFePO4 battery pack and are isolated from the mains. Could be a good option to these two eyes....but I would rather know...than pressume! ;-)

 

I just realised that this is only the charger for LiFePO4 batteries and not both charger and battery pack in one box. I will need to get a battery pack for this as well to make it work! :-D No need for further advices! ;-)

[Cornan]

Does the Mini really not have Roon support??

 

Is this a design/price point decision or is this support planned for sometime in the future? I have an Aries with the LPS and love it, but I'd like to add some more "zones" and would like them to have Roon support for the future.... I'd really like to NOT spend 1200 bucks on each of these since they aren't my main system.

 

Can anyone shed some light here? If the hardware is capable, maybe this feature can be added or made to be an "pay to unlock" feature in the future?

 

As for now Aries Mini does'nt have a planned Roon support. However, that does'nt mean that it is impossible to acheive. AFAIK you can buy a Sonictransporter http://microjukebox.com/products/sonictransporter for $375 to add Roon support. Check it out! :-)

[Cornan]

Do anyone by any chance know how Aries Mini reacts if the power falls down to 12v? I am interested in a 14,8v battery supply but the specs says 16,8-12v (ie 16,8 v while charging, 14,8 nominal voltage and 12v cut-off voltage). The battery supply have 3A charge discharge current and 12000mAh capasity. It will probably last quite a while before dropping below 14v...but just in case I wanted to know if someone knows if 12v will harm the Aries Mini (with no HDD installed)?

[Cornan]

Do anyone by any chance know how Aries Mini reacts if the power falls down to 12v? I am interested in a 14,8v battery supply but the specs says 16,8-12v (ie 16,8 v while charging, 14,8 nominal voltage and 12v cut-off voltage). The battery supply have 3A charge discharge current and 12000mAh capasity. It will probably last quite a while before dropping below 14v...but just in case I wanted to know if someone knows if 12v will harm the Aries Mini (with no HDD installed)?

 

I think I actually found what I was looking for: Auralic Aries Mini - Page 2

Quote from aswilliam:

"The Aries powered the Hydra through its USB but I also used a linear PSU to power both (HD Plex). Interestingly ( and I did confirm on via Auralic) the Aries Mini can be powered by a 12V supply. The HD Plex PSU is a hefty bit of kit mind you and is really well built. It has good reviews on Computer Audiophile and several outputs including an adjustable one. It weighs a ton though."

 

Looking promising!

[Cornan]

I was advised not to use a 12V power supply with the Aries Mini. Jason has details on this, but I need to dig up his comments.

This just info from one person on another forum. I do not take this info for granted. Just promising info. I have a pendant answer from Auralic regarding if 12v drop will harm anything if powering Aries Mini with a 14,8v battery supply that cuts off the voltage at 12v. Normally it would'nt surprice me if 12v would be possible since 14-18v is the recommended voltage. If Aurelic does'nt answer I guess I just might take a look inside the Mini to see what is written on the regulator.

[Cornan]

In any case it is a difference supplying constant 12v power from a SPMS or LPS and in my case where I justwant to know if it will not make any harm with 12v. I would'nt even expect to drain my battery pack to 12v since I normally charge it after each use. However, if something goes wrong (forgot to charge or battery cell failure) I'll want to know what to expect. Ofcourse I just hope nothing will happend...and it will just be powerless!

[Cornan]

Just got info from Aurelic support that 12v is not enough. 14v is minimum. I guess that guy on the other forum was wrong! :-/

[Cornan]

Well that is probably why Auralic has this posted on their website in their FAQs.

 

[h=1]What is the Specificaion of ARIES MINI Power Input[/h]It is 16V in 1A as standard.

The lowest acceptable input voltage is 14V(1.2A) and the maximum is 18V(1A).

I have seen it before...but hoped that it could handle 12v anyway since there is a difference between recommended voltage and possible voltage. Anyway, I have ordered the 14,8v battery supply. I just need to be careful and make sure not to forget to charge it before it drops down to 14v (from 16,8v fully charged).

[Cornan]

I have seen it before...but hoped that it could handle 12v anyway since there is a difference between recommended voltage and possible voltage. Anyway, I have ordered the 14,8v battery supply. I just need to be careful and make sure not to forget to charge it before it drops down to 14v (from 16,8v fully charged).

 

Well, I have contacted Aurelic support several times and got the same consistant answer. Auralic Aries Mini requires minimum 14v. Despite this I have got confirmed that the Aries can actually be powered by 12v here http://www.computeraudiophile.com/f27-uptone-audio-sponsored/uptone-audio-regen-22803/index144.html and apparently several people is already powering their Aries with Uptone JS-2 (12v) and even simultaniously powering a Mac Mini with the same LPS. I am sure that my 16,8v-12v/3A Li-ion battery will power the Aries Mini just fine without the need of monitor the voltage. I am happy!

[Cornan]

@Cornan - I believe that this is in reference to using the ARIES ( including LE edition ), not the Aries Mini. I know several people who have powered their standard ARIES with the JS-2 and were quite pleased with the sound quality. Some preferred it to the linear power supply provided with the high end Aries.

 

Regardless, let us know how you fair with your battery power supply.

Thanks baddog! Good point! I actually thought Aries (incl LE edition) had the exact same voltage specs...but after checking on Auralic support page there is probably a difference since it can actually be used with 12v. I wonder if it is due to the internally HDD? Anyway I better be careful and will report back when I have tested my battery pack with Aries Mini.

[Cornan]

[ATTACH]28221[/ATTACH]

 

With a cheap Anker power bank which is stated to give out 12V it works just perfect!

Very happy.

 

Very good to know that it runs on 12v as well! I have run my Aries Mini through a 14,8v/6A/12000 mAh Li-ion battery pack for a week now. Fully charge it is about 16,8v and it takes many hours for it to reach 15v running without 5v USB power and just with Tidal as source through LithningDS. I cannot see that I will ever come close to 12v. The sound improvement compared to the supplied SPMS is simply not comparable. Big improvement with battery in my book.

[Cornan]

Very good to know that it runs on 12v as well! I have run my Aries Mini through a 14,8v/6A/12000 mAh Li-ion battery pack for a week now. Fully charge it is about 16,8v and it takes many hours for it to reach 15v running without 5v USB power and just with Tidal as source through LithningDS. I cannot see that I will ever come close to 12v. The sound improvement compared to the supplied SPMS is simply not comparable. Big improvement with battery in my book.

Here is a picture of my battery pack!

 

 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Computer Audiophile mobile app

[Cornan]

Here is a picture of my battery pack!

 

[ATTACH]28240[/ATTACH]

 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Computer Audiophile mobile app

 

Oops! Accidently re-posted this. Sorry! ?

 

 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Computer Audiophile mobile app

[Cornan]

Can you tell me if the aries mini works with a mutec mc-3+ usb via usb?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Computer Audiophile

I have'nt tried but I cannot see any reason why it should'nt work and possibly work wonders on SQ depending on setup. I recommend that you send a message to their support though. They normally answer pretty quick!

 

Another thing. I just connected my Dlink DAP-1620 close to my Aries Mini (attached to a separate power filter) and connected the Dlink and Mini with my Supra Cat7 Ethernet cable. Maybe too early for conclutions...but I really like what I am hearing compared to 5G ac wifi directly to Mini!

 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Computer Audiophile mobile app

[Cornan]

I haven't used my Aries Mini for a while - tried to fire it up and couldn't connect to MinimServer running on my Mac. It worked previously - no configuration in my network has changed.

It is very frustrating that you can't just go to the Lightning DS and it works.

Any tips - I'm frustrated that the Lighning DS server it self won't connect and now Minim won't either.

My software is uptodate and my ARies is connected via ethernet to my network

 

Here is something to try if you have´nt done it already. Make sure to connect both your Mac and your Aries Mini to the same network (ie. both to for example 5G). If you use a wifi extender make sure that the Aries is connected to the router and not to the extender (ie. NOT 5G-EXT). You can also try to change to another ethernet cable to rule out network cable problems.

[Cornan]

Hi I am using it in my 'main room' hifi - connected to Rega DAC and Naim amp. It is then connected via Ethernet to a Powerline adaptor to connect to my iMac in the study.

 

I would have a closer look at that Powerline adaptor if you are experiancing problems with LigntningsDS and Minimserver. If possible try to connect the Aries Mini and your Mac with Minimserver installed to the router (without the Powerline adaptor) and see if it will solve your problems?

[Cornan]

Interesting thanks

The Powerline is working fine for everything else - and is certainly allowing me to access Tidal on the Mini

My router is a Airport Express - can I install Minimserver there?? Even if it is looking to the Mac for the music files?

In general I would say that a Powerline is bad idea to connect to audio equipment (ie. any equipment that are involved in audio). It uses the power lines to transfer the signals and the power lines will most likely create unwanted noises (power lines was never built to carry signals).

Minimserver cannot be installed on an Airport Express if that is what you are asking? Do I understand it correct that you get your internet directly from the wall...ie. not using a router at all? Airport express is usually connected to a router (wireless or ethernet). Try to connect your Aries Mini by ethernet wire to the airport express and the Mac via wireless to the Airport express (both to the same 5G network) or vice versa and see if that solves your problem. If not your issue may be something else...but it is a good place to start looking for trouble. Good luck!

[Cornan]

Thanks for the advice

My router is a Virgin Media router that then passes through to the AE that is then connected by ethernet to the powerline. The mac is connected by ethernet to the AE as well.

The Powerline is needed as wireless is flaky in my house ( I accept the shortcomings you mention) and the room the Aries is in is too long to have ethernet.

 

You are welcome! :-)

I understand. We all make sacrifices for the sake of flexibillity.

Remember that you can control the Aries from another room as long as you use the same wifi network. The control device (BubbleDS Next on Android device in my case) is less sensitive to network via wifi extenders/powerline/etc than Aries and Minimserver IME.

If not possible to move the Aries you will need to investigate your powerline settings to rule out what causes the problem. I would recommend to use WPS when setting it up. A dead simple trick like disconnect/connect the powerline adaptors (both of them) from/to the mains could also do the trick. Sometimes wifi just do not want to play game for no perticular reason!

[Cornan]

@ednaz

One thing I have noticed with LightningDS and also when using BubbleDS or BubbleUPnP together with the Aries Mini is that it is very important that you use the same network as used during the setup, ie. if you use the 5G wireless network you cannot connect the LighntingDS with the 2,4G network without issues. I recommend to set the mobile device to "forget" the other network (that you did´nt choose during setup) so you are 100% sure it will be connected to the same network the next time.

When using BubbleDS and BubbleUPnP it is actually important that your iOS device is running in the same network as well...otherwise you will have some connection problems with Bubble apps on your Android device.

 

In short...make sure to click to forget the network on the iOS device you did´nt use for the LightningDS setup (preferly 2,4G).

[Cornan]

1 hour ago, Miklaszewski said:

Has anyone tried the beta firmware with a MQA dac? I use the mytek brooklyn and with the beta firmware, as it decodes via software, I cant get native mqa from tidal. Had to reverse to latest build. Is there a way to disable mqa software decoding on the beta firmware?

 

I use Aries Mini in Lightning 5.0 with native MQA without any problem together with my Brooklyn DAC. To enable native MQA in 5.0 you´ll need to browse into the web interface (ip no of your lightning server) and enable MQA pass through under MQA playback setup.

 

[Cornan]

1 hour ago, bruny said:

Hi all. Last few times I’ve tried to use my Aries mini it is not connecting. I.e when I open the LDS app. It shows the mini but won’t play any tracks. I have to run through set up every time. Im using firmware 5.3. Not had any problems for a while. This has just started. I didn’t change anything as it has been stable for a while now. Any ideas. 

 

Try to remove the DC power cable from Aries Mini and insert it again. I had similar problems that was "cured" this way.

[Cornan]

11 minutes ago, bruny said:

thanks Cornan. this is how I have been getting it to connect. but next time I go to use it again I get the same problem. Surely I won't have to perform this ritual every time I want to listen to music. 

 

Your welcome bruny! ?

No, if it happens again it is time to look down the Ethernet/wifi path. If you use a wireless extender/bridge. Power it on/off as well. Ethernet switch can give these symptomes as well. When all the Ethernet devices close to the aries (or connected to it) power on/off the Aries Mini again. I hope that helps! ? 

[Cornan]

4 hours ago, davide256 said:

I agree with what you originally heard, SSD sounded harsh compared to NAS sourced  music using stock SMPS. Its costly for the electrical isolation needed to use a media drive and renderer  in same chassis, haven't heard anything cheaper than $2500 do it well. But an A/B comparison  with SBooster vs stock SMPS might be useful, may help mitigate some of the issues I heard using internal SSD with stock SMPS.

 

I still use the Aries Mini and can ecco the impprtance of a good LPSU. It makes a huge difference. When using a SSD it is also important to use a seperate LPSU for it. Other things that improves the Aries Mini is an audio ethernet switch and a wireless bridge.

[Cornan]

5 hours ago, misterdog said:

 

For an internal SSD or are you saying mount the drive externally, if the drive is internal how do you power it seperately  ?

 

 

Does the wireless bridge improve it by removing the WIFI  from the  Aries ?

 

Yes, it is important to power the SSD with its own LPSU so it does’nt interfear with Aries Mini you can use a NAS or you can just buy something like this one so you can have it external with its own PSU. https://www.banggood.com/ORICO-6518SUS3-2_5-3_5-Inch-Super-Speed-USB3_0-ESATA-Dual-Interface-HDD-SSD-External-Enclosure-p-1118066.html?

The wireless bridge is the same story as the SSD really. Isolation. A wireless bridge will have its own PSU. It will also have a much stronger and faster wifi connection (if you choose wisely). Adding a dedicated ethernet switch between the wireless bridge and Aries Mini will improve SQ further.