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AURALiC Aries price reduction

I have been considering ditching my "laptop as music server" setup I have been using for the past 7 years and purchasing the  AURALiC Aries music streamer.  Last week Audio Advisor dropped the price of the "full" version of this product to $1,279.99, a $319 savings.  Upscale Audio and HiFi Heaven have followed suit . Has anyone on this forum heard why the price drop?  Is AURALiC getting ready to release an update / upgrade / Aries II?  If so then I play the mind game of do I wait until the updated version is released, or purchase something at a reduced price that I was pretty close to sold on based on all the positive reviews.  

Any information would be appreciated.  Also, if you own one, what is your opinion?  If you upgraded from a Mac or PC to the Aries, was the sound upgrade worth the price of admission?  My biggest concern is if the Lightning DS will meet my needs.  I have invested a lot of time building my library and tags in Foobar 2000, which I will have jettison if I go with the Aries.  I am a TIdal HiFi subscriber, so I know the Aries will work well with that, and the Lightning DS interface would most likely be a step up from the Tidal interface..

Anyway, thank you for reading, and any constructive suggestions / opinions you have to offer.
exile_ken

Showing 4 responses by exile_ken

exile_ken OP
8 posts
 
Thank you for the responses.  I was having a hard time with paying $1,599 for the Aries, so $2,200 (two N100Hs on AG currently) for an Aurender is a bit outside of my range.  I did miss the coverage on the G2, although I am not an avid "audio press" consumer, I do pop into AudioStream fairly often though so not sure how I missed it.  A quick glance shows the G2 to be even more north of my price range.  
exile_ken OP
8 posts
 
Thank you Mikhaelkuz for the update.  How do you find the LightningDS app.  I have 20K plus tracks in Foobar 2000.  Would my library be manageable, plus Tidal access, with the LightningDS app?
exile_ken OP
8 posts
 
Thank you both for your feedback.  Its good to know that Lightning can handle my library.  Hopefully it wont lose my tags (a lot of time and effort spent).  Wharfy I have what would be considered mid-fi system to most Hi End aficionados, and for me and my financial reality the Aries is about as high as I would go.  For the record my system is made up of the following:

Trenner & Friedl Art speakers
Forte Model 4 Amplifier (upgraded by John Soderberg)
Furutech ADL GT40 Preamp / DAC
Music Hall MMF 5.1 TT
Lenovo T430 / 8 GBs RAM / Windows 10 
Foobar 2000

All items except the Forte Model 4 and T430 purchased used on Audiogon.


exile_ken OP
8 posts
 
Thank you again for the feedback.  So instead of looking to spend around $1K, I should consider something that costs $35?  That's low risk enough I suppose.  If I did connect the digital output of the Chromecast to the GT40, do you believe that would be a sonic upgrade over the T430 laptop I use now?  And how would I manage my library and playback?  I mostly play albums start to finish but will occasionally create a playlist.  Please excuse my limited knowledge in this space.

I do like my system BTW.  The center piece(s) are the T&F Arts.  Amazing speakers, especially for their size.  I have owned the Model 4 for more than 20 years.  Great amp and I am glad I never got rid of it.  I got it upgraded and put it back in the chain after I purchased the Arts.  It does a fine job of driving them and I am quite happy with the sound.
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