Auralic Aries

+whatever on Aries, @rfnoise.  Hope you enjoy yours for a long time.

I also have an Aries Mini. Blame jond. Bought soon after he did. Never a lick of trouble and NOT noisy. I run wirelessly and use an iFi power supply (with their proprietary noise reduction). Run the Aries Mini via USB to Schiit Eitr to Schiit Gungnir. Control is via their Lightning DS app using an ancient iPhone. Auralic has updated software (and firmware?) several times over the years. The only little eccentricity worth reporting is on graphics. I burn my CDs to an external hard drive in ALAC and when the CD is accompanied by artwork from Apple, the Aries won’t display it. BUT if I have gone on the ’net to find artwork that Apple could not, for whatever reason, the Aries does show that. Metadata is unaffected in those instances, shows just fine in either case.
Very satisfied with sound quality.

Having said all that, I am sore tempted by the Aries G1. But at nearly 5x what I spent on the Mini, I am resisting. Especially given that I suspect it will yield, at most, an incremental improvement over the Mini. Am ready to hear from others that made the jump and found otherwise. The other consideration is that gear in my modest system is not the limiter of music enjoyment. It’s the recording quality (assuming composition and performance are "worthwhile") that’s the biggest factor in that regard.

@jond 

Yup...still digging it.  It is the source I listen to the most...whether CDs I've ripped or Tidal (sometimes Spotify).  I've got very similar years on mine as you.  Don't want it to die but if it does, will have to try out that G1.

@rfnoise

Read your earlier comment about trying a better USB cable with your Aries.

If you haven't purchased yet, please read the review by Duster over on Audio Asylum about Monoprice's Monolith USB cable.  See link below.  The Monolith is a crazy, crazy good value....low price and outstanding performance.  I found it better than the Oyaide Neo D+ Class A USB cable I'd been running.  The Oyaide itself had received a very good Absolute Sound review.  The price for the Monolith is so low you can afford to take a gamble on it.  

https//www.audioasylum.com/audio/cables/messages/17/176921.html

Hello @rfnoise 

Just fyi...
Monoprice does have a 30 day return policy on their Monolith branded products.  Also, Duster at Audio Asylum is no audio novice so I find his assessment credible (not to mention my own positive experience as well as others that posted in that thread).   

Before you order, do read the AA thread for discussion about optimum USB cable length (1.5 m, as I recall).

PS - That might be something to ask the Auralic community about.

Again, if I recall correctly, longer is supposedly better than shorter (i.e., 2 meter rather than 1 meter) but do read the Audio Asylum thread as there’s discussion about the optimum length. Personally, I didn’t notice a negative impact on sound quality using a 1.0 meter length.

My Gungnir doesn’t do MQA and I don’t think the Auralic software in use on my Mini has the sort of home grown unfolding capability you mention. Experience with a Dragonfly Red that is MQA capable (headphone listening) didn’t impress me with whatever MQA is supposed to offer. I use the DS Lightning setting consistent with no MQA capability. Things sound great and I’m very satisfied. Consequently, don’t think I can help with your MQA question(s). Sorry.

@rfnoise

Pleased to read the Monolith USB made a positive difference for you. You are very welcome, of course, but all credit to Duster over on Audio Asylum.

My reaction to the sound quality improvement with the Monolith was much like yours...it seemed to open things up. I can’t say I’ve heard a difference (certainly not anything major) between 1 meter and 1.5 or 2.0 meter lengths but I did want to be sure you were aware of potential issues associated with a short length. Some are very insistent about a minimum 1.5 meter length for best audio quality.

The value represented by the Monolith gives me an excuse to trot out my 3 rules of audio:
1) You can always spend more.
2) There’s always something better sounding out there.
3) Pursuing #1 does not guarantee arrival at #2.

Hope the Monolith keeps you satisfied for a long time.

@mike_in_nc 

Glad you enjoyed it.  
Learned at the audio school of hard knocks; 
hard knocks seemingly the only way to get things through my thick skull.
;-)