The DAC chip itself is far less important than the implementation and design of the system. The power supplies are important, and the Aurender does well there. Also, if you visually look at the board, the Aurender is much neater and more well laid-out versus the others. I am in the networking industry, and the overall layout is always a good indication of the quality of the circuit and care of the design
Aurender a1000 impressions vs Eversolo A6 and Cambridge Cxn100
Hi, I just purchased two a1000s - one for my main home and the other for an apartment I own on the opposite coast. So far, I only received the one for the apartment and expect the second one to arrive late this week.
My systems are:
- Apartment: Krell KAV-300i integrated amp, Sonus Faber Sonetto 3 v2 speakers
- Home: McIntosh MHT100 receiver, Linn Keleigh speakers, Technics SL1210GR turntable, Phasemation 200 cartridge, Sutherland TZ Vibe phono pre
- Streamers: For the Mac system, I was first streaming Apple Music over Airplay to the DAC in the Mac via SPDIF. Then I bought a Topping D10 and streamed to it from an iPad via USB and then analog to the Mac, as I wanted to stream at hi-res, which AirPlay cannot do. It sounded very good. Then I went with an Eversolo A6 to get into streamers and be able to get hi res but control it wirelessly. When I set up the apartment system, I started with a Cambridge CXN100 and then exchanged it for the Aurender.
Thoughts on streaming options:
- Topping DAC: Sounds good, better and more reliable than AirPlay. Needs to be wired.
- Eversolo A6: Nice but sometimes a little harsh. It has all of the right features and the right chips, but honestly it’s what you expect from Chinese gear. Checks the boxes, sounds decent, nice display, a lot of bells and whistles you don’t need. Decent value, but I’m really getting sick of Chinese stuff in general.
- Cambridge CXN100: Definitely a step up from the Eversolo as far as sound goes, the app is decent. But I decided that, given what I spent on the rest of my gear and the quality of that gear, I can spend more and get nicer streamers. I clearly could have lived with the Cambridge unit. Had I not decided to go with the Aurender, I’d have exchanged the Eversolo for another CXN. And I am aware it's made in China, but Cambridge is an English company.
- Aurender a1000: I only have this unit up and running with the Krell and can only directly compare it to the CXN100, which it replaced. And I only have a few hours on it. The Aurender sounds better, really good, but so far it’s not an enormous leap. The CXN sounded great and the Aurender is maybe 5-10% better. It’s audible. That’s the nature of these things. The build quality of the Aurender is far better than the CXN and Eversolo, but those aren’t badly built units. It’s just that the Aurender is heavier and the case is better, and the controls are higher quality. It may not really matter but it’s nice. Still, I need to put more time on it. Overall, I am happy with the Aurender and don’t regret the purchase(s). But I would say that if you don’t want to spent $3500 for a streamer, get the Cambridge, which is only about $100 more than the Eversolo and IMO sounds better. Also, as I mentioned in my other thread, I can’t seem to get Aurender to respond to my customer service emails after several weeks, which is disappointing. It will really be interesting to compare the Aurender with the turntable, which I should be able to do next week. BTW, the Phasemation/Sutherland combo sounds fabulous (I believe a solid turntable “gets out of the way” and it’s really the cartridge and phono pre that matters).
One last thing: Initially, I didn’t really see the value in Roon given I just use Qobuz and don’t have a big ripped library, but I decided to do the trial because, why not? Yes it’s a pain to need to run the Roon Core on my Mac and have that computer running. But I have to say I like it. The interface is much better than Aurender Conductor or Eversolo, and the information on the music and bands is just great and well presented. I think I’ll stick with it and use Aurender Conductor as a back up when I don’t have the Mac that runs my Roon Core with me.
Overall, these streamers all sound really good and the availability of millions of songs and albums is really incredible when you think about it. I know we all like to gripe about product shortcomings and talk about how much better things were decades ago. But when I think about my system in high school, things generally sound so much better now, and I'm appreciative for that.
17 responses Add your response
My direct experiences with Bluesound, Aurender and Eversolo makes me confident that Bluesound and Aurender are both worth the money , Eversolo definitely is not. Decent hardware almost non existent support. I understood going in that part of the premium price of Aurender is their ability to remotely troubleshoot and install firmware. It always works as I expect. |
Well if the expensive streamer didn’t “sound better” what reason would there be to buy it? “Build quality” might do it for some. Quality is quality. Sound is just one aspect of quality. I’m more into the sound quality personally. Features and functionality also matter a lot with streamers in particular. I believe a quality design and implementation matters most in general. Build quality factors into that as do features and functionality. Beware judging on price alone. Overhead and profit margins are a big part of that in addition to overall quality of the product. The best designs do more for less. Selling direct to buyers helps keep overhead down. |
@oddiofyl No doubt Aurender builds nice gear. It appears the A1000 weighs 18 lbs and the A6 is 10 lbs. With the speed of technology, do you really want a streamer that lasts forever ? I'm thinking it is a 3 to 5 yr purchase at best. One can buy (3) eversolos for the price of (1) a1000. I was looking at the same exact scenario as the poster. In the end, I am leaning towards the CXN and a high level dac. |
Yeah, the chips are only $10 each, means nothing, I think you are going to have to evaluate their feature set, more importantly listen to them to answer your question Seriously though, if you are getting a DAC, that is go separates, skip those and just get a DAC with the player built in, then down the road revisit whether you want to add in a better streamer. |
I've been kicking around the same units for a second system. I plan on getting a better dac so they would just be for the streamer portion. A dealer was pushing the A1000 hard. When I looked at the specs, the A6 master and A1000 had the same dac chips. Was trying to determine where double the cost comes in to play for the aurender. |
I think the incremental jumps in quality between these 3 units are likely more from the improvements in the internal DACs. In my experience, the DAC has a larger influence on sound than the streamer. A entry level streamer with a excellent DAC will usually sound better than the reverse so if one is not averse to separates, that is the best way to get value. Of course the interface of the app is a big factor in your music enjoyment. I'd love to see someone do brief comparison with the pros and cons of all the operating systems ie Bluesound, Innuos Sense, Aurender Conductor, Lightening DS, Roon and so on. |
Found a decent review of the Cambridge CXN100, comparing a Bluesound, the Eversolo A6: add the Orchard Audio to your list https://futureaudiophile.com/cambridge-audio-cxn100-music-streamer-dac/ |
Thanks for sharing your experience. I had the Eversolo 6 and 8 and had problems with connectivity so returned them. Then tried the Cambridge but didn’t like the app compared to the BluOs I ran from my Bluesound Node N130. I tried a trial of Roon but didn’t like running from a laptop instead of my iPad, so gave the MacBook to my daughter who needed a new laptop. Same reason I didn’t go with the Red streamer with my Holo Audio Cyan 2 DAC. I then got a used Innuos Zen Mk3 as a streamer with their Sense app for $1800 and I kept it. Love the sound, ease of use and the CD ripper with 1TB storage meant I could add the CDs Qobuz didn’t have and run from the Sense app. I don’t spin records anymore just CDs and streaming so I’m set. Will use the Node in the setup at the lake house this summer after giving my Wiim Pro Plus to a friend. Trying to help other old guys like myself get into streaming. My brother didn’t make the move but I think my buddy will be keeping the Wiim. |
Given the quality of your amplification and speakers, I'm surprised you are looking at mid-fi network players rather than separates. A streamer such as the Aurender N200, paired with a DAC of equal quality (there are good A'gon threads on this) WOULD give you a quantum improvement over both the CXN and the A1000. |
Nice review of the Eversolo A6, Cambridge CXN100 and Aurender A1000. I've been evaluating several DAC/Streamers (Aurender A1000, A15, Eversolo A10. Meitner MA3). Still can't decide which route to take but leaning towards the Eversolo A10. Would be buying it blind since I can't preview locally.. Unfortunatley, have to put on hold for a few months since some repair bills surfaced. Any input from you guys would be appreciated.Thanks. |
In my system Roon doesn’t sound as good as the Aurender native processing. I have N200 which is a streamer only. This is not exclusive to Aurender by the way. Most streamers will sound better when used with their native app. |
Really helpful, thanks. I just recently bought the A6 and I have to admit the bells and whistles are appealing. I might take your advice about the Cambridge, but I really like the app and overall user experience. I also like being able to install an internal SSD. I know I’ll probably upgrade my streamer/DAC approach in a few years anyway. |
lipdog that is a very fair and reasonable assessment thanks for posting. I found the same thing when upgrading from a very good Auralic Aries Mini to an Aries G1. Not the quantum leap you might expect but a solid 15-20% improvement. I've not tried Roon the extra expense and needed computing power are a turnoff for me. |