Article: AURALiC ARIES MINI and Lightning DS Review

[mentt]

Have you personally done these comparisons head to head? And personally heard the sonic differences you claim?

 

If so - very interesting.

 

If not - then it's just speculation.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Computer Audiophile

 

yes, I have used and compared all of them for couple of months. Raspberry Pi rig vs Aries mini with sbooster vs microRendu and this the result:

 

First place: microRendu

Second place: Raspberry pi rig

 

Last place Aries mini with sbooster

[mentt]

Understood, and your points are well taken.

 

I came at the Aries Mini as a former Logitech Touch user, so I just wanted to point out to those looking for a modern renderer to consider the Aries Mini too.

 

To those who would argue that the Sonore microRendu is more suitable, that may well be. It wasn't out at the time I bought the Aries Mini. At some point I would love to compare the two.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Computer Audiophile

 

There is no contest between Aries mini with sbooster vs microRendu. microRendu is on another level even with Ifi iPower power supply

[mentt]

OK now I see what you're saying. You are saying apples are better than oranges. Not Apple B is better than Apple C. No worries.

 

Strange reply :-) . All of them are just "streamers" and they do the same job. How did you come up with apples and oranges :-)

[The Computer Audiophile]

Strange reply :-) . All of them are just "streamers" and they do the same job. How did you come up with apples and oranges :-)

If you view them all as just "streamers" that's ok, just not how I view them. Some require computer savvy for installation, some are digital only,, the MINI has an entire ecosystem plus analog outpu and real product support etc.. Looking at the products as a whole they are apples and oranges.

 

P.S. I'm not saying the MINI is for everyone. I have all the products you mention and like all of them. Different horses for different courses.

[austinpop]

yes, I have used and compared all of them for couple of months. Raspberry Pi rig vs Aries mini with sbooster vs microRendu and this the result:

 

First place: microRendu

Second place: Raspberry pi rig

Last place Aries mini with sbooster

 

OK fair enough - I'm glad you used your ears to form this opinion.

 

Can you confirm that, for the purposes of this comparison, all 3 units were functioning as a UPnP renderer - i.e. pulling files from a UPnP server from the network? And that in all cases, they were connected to the same external DAC?

 

Thanks for sharing your findings.

[austinpop]

One intriguing thought - at least for me - is this:

 

I have realized significant improvements on my Aries Mini setup by optimizations: using LPSes throughout, applying network isolation with FMCs upstream, and by using USB isolation (Intona) and reclocking (W4S RUR).

 

With all these improvements, would I still get a significant further improvement just by swapping in an mRendu (running as UPnP renderer, not NAA) in place of the Aries Mini?

 

I know - only I can answer my own question by trying it out! Maybe in a few months when the coffers are replenished. Unless Sonore wants to send me a trial sample.

[strat95]

Commensurate works better than commiserate.

[mentt]

OK fair enough - I'm glad you used your ears to form this opinion.

 

Can you confirm that, for the purposes of this comparison, all 3 units were functioning as a UPnP renderer - i.e. pulling files from a UPnP server from the network? And that in all cases, they were connected to the same external DAC?

 

Thanks for sharing your findings.

 

Yes, the same DAC and NAS ext.. I have tested it with both Chord Hugo DAC and Shiit Modi multibit.

 

btw. Shiit Modi multibit DAC is much better DAC than one integrated in Aries mini

[mentt]

If you view them all as just "streamers" that's ok, just not how I view them. Some require computer savvy for installation, some are digital only,, the MINI has an entire ecosystem plus analog outpu and real product support etc.. Looking at the products as a whole they are apples and oranges.

 

P.S. I'm not saying the MINI is for everyone. I have all the products you mention and like all of them. Different horses for different courses.

 

Ok, it's your view, no problem with that

 

btw. Auralic them selfs think that Aries mini and microRendu are comparable as they released pdf file where they list streamers in similar price and list their features and ext. This mean that Auralic consider microRendu as direct competition

http://www.auralic.com/download/streaming_compare_chart.pdf

 

microrendu has also good customer support...

 

Computer savvy? Anyone can with couple of clicks create SD card with OS for Raspberry rig. If this is too difficult you can order final product ready to play music from max2play.com or other companies.

[Doak]

I had Aries mini + sbooster for 8 moths and in the end I must say that Raspberry 3/Digi+ board/IFI iPower/Max2play OS/LMS(Logitech media server) sounds better and still you can use it via Wifi(actually it sounds better over Wifi). If you need also DAC, still I think that there are much better choices like Raspberry 3/Digi+ board/IFI iPower/Max2play/LMS + Shiit Modi Multibit DAC 250$. And if you need to spend this kind of money for streamer just go with Sonore microRendu!

 

Not a convincing argument for 90+% of prospective customers.

[Doak]

So Aries mini is basically for people who doesn't care about sound quality, but easy of use. In that case Aries mini should sell in Best Buy :-D

 

What? Being facetious?

[Booster MPS]

Let's not limit our discussion on this in a way that plays to the extremes of novice versus 'phile when talking about who the product is for. Lots of people in the middle that don't have 5,000 posts but read and comment all the time like myself. Matter of fact, I will ask one of those questions -

 

Straight up, how do I get music onto the thing? If I have an internal drive in the MINI, how do I load that from a download source (HD Tracks) or a CD rip? Similarly, what is the most efficient way to do that if I connect the MINI to an external USB drive? (or should that external USB drive be connected to a router somewhere in my home so that another computer can see it as storage). As I am considering an Aries when they do an update to the unit some time this year I want to understand what I am getting into and how to manage it.

 

Chris, very thorough review as always and your personal "voice" is appreciated in showing the the character of the item under review.

[The Computer Audiophile]

Let's not limit our discussion on this in a way that plays to the extremes of novice versus 'phile when talking about who the product is for. Lots of people in the middle that don't have 5,000 posts but read and comment all the time like myself. Matter of fact, I will ask one of those questions -

 

Straight up, how do I get music onto the thing? If I have an internal drive in the MINI, how do I load that from a download source (HD Tracks) or a CD rip? Similarly, what is the most efficient way to do that if I connect the MINI to an external USB drive? (or should that external USB drive be connected to a router somewhere in my home so that another computer can see it as storage). As I am considering an Aries when they do an update to the unit some time this year I want to understand what I am getting into and how to manage it.

 

Chris, very thorough review as always and your personal "voice" is appreciated in showing the the character of the item under review.

If you have an internal drive in the MINI, you can copy music to is over your network (it shows up as a shared drive automatically on Macs), or if you connect a USB drive it can copy music from that USB drive to the internal drive. You could also attach a large USB drive to the MINI and it will just use that without an internal drive. Adding new music would be done by disconnecting the USB drive, connecting it to your computer and copying the new music, then reconnecting it to the MINI. You could attach a drive to a router then tell the MINI to use that, but performance may suffer depending on the router.

 

If all your music fits on an internal drive in the MINI, I would copy new music over the network (drag and drop), and call it a day. Very simple.

 

P.S. Thanks for the kind words.

[mentt]

Not a convincing argument for 90+% of prospective customers.

 

What are you talking about? Who cares what 90% prospective customers will buy. They can buy what ever they want.

[Booster MPS]

Awesome Chris, that clears it up a lot on the management of meta data and files. Indeed going with the internal drive and having a computer see that on the network would be great. As I am looking at the big brother Aries without internal storage it might eliminate that option. This data point though does help me to think around the corner on how would set either unit up and also how I would execute my back up strategy. Got it. Thanks! Now let's hope that maybe Auralic adds the internal storage option to the big brother and they can take my money!

[Doak]

Awesome Chris, that clears it up a lot on the management of meta data and files. Indeed going with the internal drive and having a computer see that on the network would be great. As I am looking at the big brother Aries without internal storage it might eliminate that option. This data point though does help me to think around the corner on how would set either unit up and also how I would execute my back up strategy. Got it. Thanks! Now let's hope that maybe Auralic adds the internal storage option to the big brother and they can take my money!

I use the Aries (Sr.) with a USB HD plugged into it. That drive appears on the network and all files are managed from my laptop.

[Booster MPS]

I use the Aries (Sr.) with a USB HD plugged into it. That drive appears on the network and all files are managed from my laptop.

 

 

Doak that is pretty awesome to know. I have always wondered how the device would perform on a network when it comes to managing the content. Looks like Apple Mini is on the way out the door soon. Thanks!

[DarwinOSX]

I was really fired up about the Aries Mini and couldn't wait for it to be released. Once it was released, the price was higher than they had predicted and, the real deal breaker, it's geared only to crApple users. My search for a renderer, that can handle 100,000+ tracks, and an android-based controller app, with a good GUI, continues. The ELAC Discovery Server would have been a great solution had they not crippled it with a 15,000 track limitation.

 

Grow up.

[angelo]

Altairis my idea... my pusher said it is really like vega+aries, nothing less...

[Ciamarasound]

Nice review Chris. For what it is, I think the Aries Mini is a fantastic product that will satisfy most people that are looking for a better sounding solution than a Sonos or an inexpensive, poorly engineered streamer. I think it's also a great solution for people that are looking to replace or have no interest in using a computer as source. I've used it as a stand alone player for a secondary system, as well as a streamer into much higher-end DACs and it performs quite admirably in both systems. It sounds better than my macbook pro and isn't burdened by many of the usual shortcomings of a computer based system. Sure there are better sounding or less expensive solutions that someone with a little knowledge could cobble together, but I have yet to find an out of the box anywhere near the price of the Aries Mini that sounds as good and performs as well as it does.

[james45974]

Grow up.

 

What part of his requests precipitates the "Grow up"?

 

Is it unreasonable in this day and age to expect a system to be system neutral, working with Apple, Android, or Web interfaces?

 

Is it unreasonable to need access to more than 15,000 tracks? Ask anyone who uses Tidal how big of a deal that is!

[DarwinOSX]

What part of his requests precipitates the "Grow up"?

Is it unreasonable in this day and age to expect a system to be system neutral, working with Apple, Android, or Web interfaces?

 

The crapple part obviously. Juvenile.

Android development for many things, especially of sound related apps, is a pain. Too much variation in hardware and OS, few people are on the latest versions, and the demographics of Android users don't make it worth it in many cases. Thats why the iOS software selection is dramatically superior. You are better off with the real thing than a poor copy.

[james45974]

The crapple part obviously. Juvenile.

Android development for many things, especially of sound related apps, is a pain. Too much variation in hardware and OS, few people are on the latest versions, and the demographics of Android users don't make it worth it in many cases. Thats why the iOS software selection is dramatically superior. You are better off with the real thing than a poor copy.

 

I would imagine that Apple is more popular among audiophiles but that is not the market that the review is suggesting for the Aries Mini, the opposite in fact. It seems that at the "low end" of the market to write off anything other than Apple control is a rightfully questionable business decision.

[DarwinOSX]

I would imagine that Apple is more popular among audiophiles but that is not the market that the review is suggesting for the Aries Mini, the opposite in fact. It seems that at the "low end" of the market to write off anything other than Apple control is a rightfully questionable business decision.

It has to do with writing sound level within the iOS that I am referring to. Apple has clear and documented information on this and you can rely on uniform hardware. This is probably the main reason for iOS only. Android is a gigantic pain for this sort of thing and support among all the different hardware and software versions is a nightmare. Android suer demographics are pretty dismal when it comes to using things so probably not worth the effort.

[james45974]

It has to do with writing sound level within the iOS that I am referring to. Apple has clear and documented information on this and you can rely on uniform hardware. This is probably the main reason for iOS only. Android is a gigantic pain for this sort of thing and support among all the different hardware and software versions is a nightmare. Android suer demographics are pretty dismal when it comes to using things so probably not worth the effort.

 

How does what you say pertain to the Aries Mini? Isn't iOS only used as a control feature? How does writing the sound level within the iOS work in the Aries Mini scenario?

 

I have had a Sonos since they first came out and it seems like they have no problem writing control software for various systems. I understand that the Aries Mini hardware is a cut above the Sonos but I can control my Sonos with my iPhone, Windows computer and Android tablet. The sound is the same no matter what I control my Sonos with. Is the Aries Mini set up to run a different way?