George, I think what you’re referring to is the quality and number of linear power supplies in the component and the impact on the quality of the signal output (noise on the signal). The N’s have 3 while the Auralic Aries G2 has 2. As you go up the chain in Aurender, you have more linear power supplies with the W20SE utilizing battery power.
However, as you said, “Ultimately the performance depends on the system the component is in.” I completely agree. Even the quality of a USB cable makes a difference…at least in my system…just got my Uber expensive Shunyata today. ;) |
The noise in the Aries G2 is having a high noise floor… not a sssssh coming out of the speakers. Just in case someone thought that was what I was talking about. |
@ghosthouse Glad to hear you’re still digging your Mini and don’t worry I always get blamed ;) And I am with you curious about a G1 in my case mostly because my Mini is now 5 years old wondering how long a lifespan it has.
@kmmd Agreed the Auralic forums are a nice place to hang out and I think LDS is one of the best streaming apps out there.
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I’ve been using the Aries G2.1 for about a year, installed a Samsung EVO SSD and haven’t experienced any “noise” when connected to a Yggy or May KTE via USB. Both streamer and DAC are powered by a Shunyata Everest. Noise with a Holo Audio May KTE DAC is ah lol.
I also love the Auralic forums, Lightning DS app, firmware and software support and upgrades. I may try an Aurender at some point, but for now, I’m very satisfied with what I have.
Happy listening!
Ken |
+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. |
Brother hasAries Mini, LPS into a Lampizator Amber II… very nice
have fun |
No noise from my Aries Mini whatsoever.
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@rfnoisewell compared with a PC the Auralic is definitely a step up. |
@mgrif104
I never directly compared the N100 with the Aries G2 on my large system (the Aurender N100 was on my headphone system, which is also very revealing). I inferred that it would win… it is very impressive for its cost. I was so impressed I didn’t think it was worth the trouble of swapping the Aurender into my main system. For a while I used both systems for evaluate components. In listening the N10 wins without any question in all aspects. Did you listen to the N10 before the power supply upgrade they did a couple years ago? I find power supplies really important. Also, the DAC you use. I had a Sim Moon 650D with the add on separate power supply… it really striped things naked and was dead quiet… so if you fed it a signal that was not pristine, you heard it. Ultimately the performance depends on the system the component is in. My systems are pretty revealing and a weakness is really obvious. |
@ghdprentice
Interesting. I’m not going to suggest the Aries G2 is the equal of the W20SE, but I have one and had an Aurender N100H. The G2 is/was quite a bit the better unit between those two (I sold the N100H) and I know several who think it’s better than the N10. As I haven’t heard the N10, I can’t say. In any case, it doesn’t matter for the W20SE is clearly world class and I can imagine only possibly bettered by the Taiko extreme.
Best, |
Noisy?! Cripes, that’s what I’m trying to get away from.
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I first got an Aurender N100 for my headphone system while I had the Aries G2 in my main system… I was really impressed… it is really quiet with natural sounding stable images. I felt Aurender is in a whole different class than the Aries. I always felt the Aries was noisy and images in the center stage were very confused. I started realizing what was possible, I listened to the N10… and immediately bought the W20SE. I had read… and quickly confirmed there was a big jump in sound quality between the N100 —> N10 —> W20se. I can now attest to that. My streamer digital end is now at the level of my analog end, and I have a new Linn LP12 and an Audio Research Reference 3 Phonostage. I listen to streaming most of the time now… Qobuz. If I feel nostalgic I will play a vinyl disk. I have a couple thousand clean, many audiophile recordings that a fun to listen to. But at the same fidelity I now have access to hundreds of thousands of albums… so, much music, so little time
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@ghdprentice
just out of curiosity, what prompted the move to the Aurender? That G2 looks a good bit of kit. |
If your seller isn't noting a problem, you may never have to do anything.
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Thx @jond @mike_in_nc
yes I believe I read about a guy replacing the stock (7260) card with the updated 8260 card. Why this card is better, or how one would go about effecting this upgrade is beyond me, however. |
As @jond said, many of the original Aries had failures of their WiFi cards, an Intel model that Auralic's Xuanqian Wang colorfully called "a master of pain." If you use Ethernet, it won't matter. And maybe you'll win the roll of the dice and wind up with a good card.
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Congrats on your Aries! I've run an Aries Mini for 5 years now with no complaints. The only negative I've heard on the Aries is that some of them have needed their wireless cards replaced. The Auralic support forums are a great place to do some reading some very good folks there. https://community.auralic.com/ |
No moving parts generally bodes well for used equipment. I owned a Aries G2 for about a year. Good sounding unit… then upgraded to Aurender. |
