Aurender Model Choices
Before I ask my question let me provide some context.
My system includes the following:
New MacBook Air Running itunes/Music serving hundreds of stored CDs
Macbook connected to my Benchmark DAC3 via Audioquest Coffee USB Cable
DAC balanced connection to Benchmark HPA4 PreAmp
PreAmp balanced connection to Benchmark ABH2 Amp
Benchmark Amp connected to Harbeth C7es-XD Speakers
This configuration has provided a neutral clean, and balanced sound. Really no complaints. However I wanted to add Streaming. So I Signed up for Qobuz and downloaded the App to my MacBook. Using WiFi I found that the Qobuz stream offered superior sound quality to my local CD library. Even Redbook CD quality was better plus the HiRes albums were really good
So now I need to get a dedicated Streamer. Using the MacBook is not convenient and from what I’ve read a Streamer should offer additional SQ enhancement. I’ve done a lot of research and really like the Aurender products plus when I recently purchased my speakers I auditioned them with an Aurender Model 100. The sound was excellent. I plan to go back in a few weeks to audition the $6k N200 model. I’m sure it will sound very good but I will be left wondering what does the N20 sound like? How much better can it be for another $6K? Unfortunately my dealer doesn’t have one to audition and neither does any other dealer near me. I’ve read comments on several forums that the N20 is twice as good as the N200 or that the N200 is nipping at the heals of the N20 or that the N20 just offers a 20% increase in SQ or the N20 blows the N200 out of the water. Without a side by side audition I’m struggling with paying twice the price without a demonstrable and significant SQ improvement. I would expect a SQ that once heard I could never settle for the less expensive model. In my recent experience a more expensive model does’t always win. When buying my speakers I auditioned the Harbeth C7es-XD and the more expensive 30.2 XD model. After almost an hour of back and forth I preferred the lower priced model.
So to conclude has anyone had the opportunity to audition the N20 and N200 together?
If so please Specifically what if any SQ differences did you hear and were they worth an additional $6k?
As I listen to my system streaming from my MacBook with wonderfully smooth, clean HiRes sound I wonder can I actually get significantly more improvement for $6k or $12K?
Thanks for any info and experiences you can provide.
@jfrmusic, You asked “ May I ask why you went this way?” Very simple. Two of my friends with expensive audio system went with Audirvana Studio and stated their Sound quality was much improved. I contacted others and they agreed. So, I installed a demo Audirvana Studio on my MAC computer and was impressed. After several months of listening, and comparing to my N20, I purchased a dedicated MACBOOK M2 Pro, 12-Core CPU, 19-Core GPU 16GB Unified Memory with Audirvana My sound quality is excellent. |
@jfrmusic, You asked “ May I ask why you went this way?” Very simple. Two of my friends with expensive audio system went with Audirvana Studio and stated their Sound quality was much improved. I contacted others and they agreed. So, I installed a demo Audirvana Studio on my MAC computer and was impressed. After several months of listening, and comparing to my N20, I purchased a dedicated MACBOOK M2 Pro, 12-Core CPU, 19-Core GPU 16GB Unified Memory.
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@jfrmusic, Please remember that The next MSB Premier DAC upgrade requires a $14,500 expenditure, another box, more cables, etc. Of course, I understand that technology dictates the upgrade requirements to achieve the next level of sound quality and the associated price. My Bricasti M21 DAC upgrade was for a new board. My Cost was $1,000 and the sound quality was ‘substantially’ improved. This upgrade makes sense and is an example of Bricasti supporting its customers purchase and investment. I know MSB Technology is about innovation, advanced design, state of the art products, etc. The Director upgrade price for their more expensive MSB DAC models are around $24,500. |
@jfrmusic,
Word Clock is automatically turned on when a word clock signal is detected on the BNC input. When Word Clock mode is on, the SPDIF output will synchronize with the word clock signal. For 44.1, 88.2 and 176.4 kHz sampling rate music, 44.1, 88.2 and 176.4 kHz word clock or a 22.5792 MHz master clock signal are valid. For 48, 96 and 192 kHz sampling rate music. 48, 96 and 192 kHz word clock or a 24.576 MHz master clock signal are valid. Click here for Conductor app settings please see Conductor App settings since I think something has to be turned on. This might be different between V3 and V4. Please verify by looking at the App’s settings. |
More info: The SSD Disk installation means you loosen the screws on the back of the unit, pull out the slot, insert the SSD, push in and tighten the screws (top slot is Music1). After I installed the SSD, I went to the Conductor App, settings, disk information tab to format the SSD. If, for some reason, the format command does not appear, please power down (turn electrical power off) and restart manually. Restarting takes time since the N20has UPS circuitry inside. I checked for software updates on the N20 (there were none) and deleted my old Conductor App and installed a new copy from the App Store on my iPad. Once your albums have been loaded to the Aurender Hard Drive, please back them up to an external hard drive. DO NOT FORGET THIS IMPORTANT STEP. NOTE: "In the Conductor app, go to Settings>Backup & Restore>Backup to Music1/backup. This will create a small backup file which contains your library database information including playlists, ratings, settings, and streaming "add to library" content. This backup file will be saved to your Aurender's Music1 internal storage drive in a folder named "backup." NOTE: this file does NOT contain any actual music files. It is only the library directory database". Maybe ask your retailer for more information. |
@jfrmusic, I suggest you ask Vince from MSB what word clock cable you should use between the Aurender N20 and the MSB DAC (highly recommended). Change the Conductor App word clock setting for the N20 to use the word clock option. I also suggest you ask your Retailer what hard drives (including sizing for your albums) they recommend for your Aurender N20 to include explaining the Aurender N20 Conductor App hard drive format instructions. Your Aurender Conductor App includes a Remote Internet Technical Support if you have any issues. This allows Aurender to connect to your unit, if needed. Please discuss with your retailer and read the on line Aurender instructions for transferring music files to your Aurender Music Server to include how to handle the album cover art. Aurender Music servers scan locally stored files for embedded artwork. If there is no embedded cover art for the file, then the scanner checks the folder the files are located in for a "folder.jpg","cover.jpg", or "front.jpg" (".png" files work too) image associated with the files to indicate a front album cover. When neither of these criteria are met, the software will display a generic image as album cover art. Unfortunately, some media software programs such as iTunes handle cover art much differently. Instead of using embedded album artwork tags, iTunes uses "sidecar" files containing album cover art and other metadata. Unfortunately, this data is not relevant or viewable outside of iTunes. This process is a little complicated so please confirm everything before you start the actual transfer. I suggest a test of loading 10 albums before you transfer everything. Click here for handling album cover art Click link for transferring albums to Aurender I suggest you connect to QoBuz first to ensure everything works and sounds great. After this, you can deal with setting up your hard drives and loading them with content. Please scan the Conductor App settings to ensure your settings are correct for your application. I hope this helps.
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