Aurender Conductor app reliability and user experience
I'm on the fence about buying an Aurender A200 streamer+DAC. I auditioned one using an identical system I have at home (Moon 340i and Dynaudio Contour 20i). I really liked what I heard in the store, the DAC is transparent and does a great separation of vocals and instruments. I used the app on an iPad and looked/worked ok.
The app is so downvoted in the app store and have read a couple of complaints, that I'm doubting the quality of the software. I used Roon for two years, but I stopped using it because of the price. Right now I'm mostly using Tidal Connect and using a Blusound Node 2i as a streamer.
What has been your experience with the Conductor app? Can you use it on an iPhone? Is it kind of mandatory to use an iPad?
@lalitk +1 Some people have mentioned using Conductor to tag files. Well TBH this should have been done when you ripped your CDs. However you can always change your tags by using a computer to access your Aurender's HDDs/SSDs via it's IP address. My CD collection was ripped using an Aurender ACS 10, it did a great job ripping, but it could only tag a few bootlegs and zero Japanese CDs. This only applies of course if want to show the correct release pics in the Aurender's display. At least half my CD collection are bootlegs and Japanese issues. There's no tagging program that can do this with accuracy. The only way I know is to use MP3 Tag to tag the CD then enter it's Discogs ID. Discogs is the greatest resource to ID music and both MP3 Tag and Discogs are free. |
Just an update from my side. I had the opportunity to listen to an N200 renderer+Berkeley alpha series 3 DAC and compare the SQ with an A200. I'm the kind of person that prefers to spend more money on amplifiers and speakers rather than digital components. I was wrong. The A200 sounded good, better than the Bluesound Node 2i+Topping Dx7 I have at home. The bass is controlled, the trebles sound great, and the instrument separation is good. Then I listed the N200+Alpha series 3 and the SQ improved noticeably. The bass was heavier and more controlled, the reverberations of cymbals were more prolonged, and the piano chords were better separated. I think I'm going to buy a separate DAC and renderer. Maybe start with the DAC and later add a renderer. |
@robertkpax Glad to hear you had a positive experience. The N200 is a great unit, and I typically encourage my customers to pair it with a T+A DAC 200. That DAC has great musicality and bandwidth that compliments the Aurender N200 really, really well. It’s also a benefit that they share very similar form factors and look fitting together. Happy to answer questions on either if there is any interest from your side. |
Like lalitk says, Conductor does what it is supposed to do and it does it with ease. Unlike lalitk, I've only been using my N10 for five years, but it has been pretty uneventful. The only problem I've had was found to be the fault of Tidal and it was fixed pretty quickly. From what I understand, Conductor is some of the most mature streaming software out there; and of course it is captive to the Aurender brand. You can use it with both an iPad and iPhone. I've never tried the iPhone app but the iPad app works very smoothly. I like the Aurender GUI a lot for sure. I don't have a lot of experience with other streaming software but did play around for a couple hours with Mosaic, which is the dCS built-in streamer. Didn't like it compared to Conductor, it was really a few steps back IMHO. Of course, YMMV. Good luck. |
