Aurender integrated streamer/DACs

Thanks to everyone for their input.  I do believe the separates route is more-likely the direction I would take, especially since I do not hear any claims that the built-in Aurender DACs are just as good as an outboard $6 to $10k DAC. 

On the question of budget:

DAC budget $6k to $10k list

Server/Streamer $3k to 6k list

Server/Streamer/DAC combination $8k to $12k list (I do expect some savings at same quality level if combined since the chassis and labor costs are probably reduced).

It should also be noted that I do believe in room correction.  I have good sound attenuation for high/mids, but would ideally like to construct a room EQ to correct for bass modes.  I am not sure if Aurender offers this capability, but I feel that such a filter could be constructed within Roon.  One of the major attractions of the Weiss DAC (it's reported studio-like accuracy being primary) is the ability to deploy bass-mode correction in the DAC.  It also offers a de-essing filter, which I would surely utilize for certain recordings that I otherwise enjoy.

This discussion highlights the fact that listening to these combinations and assessing them is frustratingly difficult unless you have access to a very well-stocked hi-fi store, which are a diminishing resource.  Given this is where we are, my plan is to audition the Weiss 502 and new PS Audio DSD when the latter becomes available.  From there, I'll make the next choice - Roon super-core (likely a separate PC based on JCAT components), Roon-compatible unit (say Innuos Zenith Mk3), or Aurender N200.

That's unless somebody can say that an Aurender A-series between $8k to $12k list can do both.

I should probably also state that my current DAC "baseline" is the DA2 module in my MC2700 pre-amp.  It's actually quite sweet in it's own right, but I have to believe at $2000 list, including dealer installation (if you were upgrading from a DA1) that it is probably not up to the sound quality of the Weiss 502 or new PS Audio DSD.  The in-home audition should settle that question, then with a new DAC (or not) in place, I could hopefully audition an Aurender and prove to myself that it is a worthwhile investment.

Which brings me to one final thought (thanks again for everyone's input, and patience with my wandering logic).  The Weiss incorporates built-in streaming capability as a Roon Endpoint and I am not sure what this means really.  My understanding is that it can operate as a Roon endpoint with nothing but a LAN connection.  Does anyone understand how this works and more importantly, how it sounds vs. being fed from a dedicated server/streamer?

Thanks so much for the constructive discussion.

Mark

Very interested to learn more about this as it seems like it might be the "right" way to approach a one-box solution - that is to say if the DAC is the more influential component on sound, then begin with that, then add streaming.  So let's say we have the Weiss 502 connected to the network via ethernet as an example.  Where does the Roon Core reside?

Where would my ripped library reside?  My first thought was this would still be on my PC, but the information would be passed to the DAC via ethernet rather than USB, but Weiss says you can simply connect to ethernet and run Roon.  That implies to me that some sort of Roon Core must be present in the Weiss unit, even if it only allows streaming.  I do not have a huge CD collection, but I would like to have access to those CDs that I prefer over their streamed counterparts.  Please let me know what you know.  I am also going to post this to the forum in case others have thoughts.  Thanks!

Another thought/question for those with Aurender experience.  Again assuming the separates route, why not consider the Aurender ACS10?  Looking at the specs, it seems to utilize the same cached playback and USB/LAN isolation as the A and N series, with built-in ripping and massive storage.  Smaller screen, yes, but really I only want to be able to glance up at that see the critical data and recognize the cover art...and even that really isn't so important to me as I am guessing Conductor will provide that same information.

And this brings me to another Conductor question; does anyone have Android experience?  Yes, I do have an iPhone, but I like a larger screen experience when scrolling through my album collection.  We do have an older iPad that I could dedicate to this purpose, but I've also considered getting an Android-based laptop/tablet as I also enjoy photography and would like to have a portable platform for Photoshop/Lightroom.

Thanks everyone for the knowledge-sharing - much appreciated.

Mark

Thanks very much.  This makes sense.  I am back to homemade Roon core which I am comfortable with OR an Aurender ACS10/N20/N200 plus DAC, the optimum pairing TBD based on the DAC selected.  In my mind the Weiss has a leg-up because of the ability to implement bass room correction (and to a lesser degree anti-essing), in which case I would likely pair it with one of the referenced Aurender products, but should the PS Audio DSD prove superior to my ear, then I might stick with a dedicated CORE and perform room bass correction within Roon.

Update.  I auditioned a Weiss 502 for about a month.  Very fine piece of equipment that was quite frankly built better (not as flashy, but better connections and knob feel) than my McIntosh C2700 pre-amp.  I fully expected to find that the Weiss was audibly better than the C2700's DA2.  Using Roon, and setting up a zone with both the Weiss connected via ethernet and the DA2 to my PC via USB, I was able to easily accommodate A/B comparison, and then a double-blind test.  My son (who is a musician) and I both took the test and really could not tell the difference.  The rest of my system is an MC 462 and B&W 802 D4s, so you'd think it would be resolving enough to tell the tale.  The sound really is quite good, but now I am back to looking at the source because thinking about it some more, maybe that's my first constraint as my PC is in no way optimized for sound, though I do use an AQ Coffee USB cable.  So now I am back to N20 or N200 to be sure my source is as good as I can practically afford, and then try another DAC (based on another technology - maybe a PSAudio DSD MkII or the T+A DAC 200 or Holo May or second-hand dCS Bartok).  Thoughts?  Thanks All.  -Mark