Another one (server) bites the dust!

@budburma

IME, the revamped Aurender lineup clearly excels over its predecessors in terms of low frequency extension and slam. The newer N series renders a noticeable edge in terms of perceived detail over older N series. Not to mention 2x isolated Ethernet input and super capacitors for safe shut off in case of sudden loss of power in N200. I have owned N10 for 8 years before upgrading to N20. The choice between n200 or n10 will come down to your DAC’s implementation of USB or AES/SPDIF protocol. May we know what DAC you are trying to pair with n200 or n10?

“My deck is the AMR DP777SE and Sound much better via SPDIF where there are tubes in front.”

@budburma

I am well and hope the same for you. In light of above, I would definitely pick N200 over N10. I also liked the storage and grounding options on N200 in addition to aforementioned features / improvements.

@budburma

Thanks for the compliment. I am a longtime Aurender user (10 plus years). Out of few Aurender models I’ve owned, the N10 was in my system around 8 years. As far as I know there were no hardware upgrades introduced during the lifespan of N10. In any case, N10 is a solid performer at used prices. The newer N series is an improvement over older models as I outlined in my first post. If your DAC excels with SPDIF, you can’t go wrong with either N10 or N200. My latest DAC is Ethernet based so I am no longer relying on legacy protocols like AES/SPDIF or USB (what a relief). 

I have owned few DAC’s over the years, Modwright Elyse, ARC DAC9, Rockna Signature Balanced, Berkeley Reference 2, EMM Labs DA2 and my current DAC - Merging Technologies +NADAC. I am very happy with Merging DAC, which appears to be my end gane DAC. You can read up about it in my virtual system here,

@oldrooney 

Thanks for your kind comments, I appreciate it. Majority of the time, I am streaming but I do enjoy spinning my elusive collection of XRCD, SACD and CD’s every now and then on my equally treasured Marantz / Raysonic players.