i believe there is an sign up option in V4 as beta tester.
Aurender n200, talk me out of signing on the dotted line
I’ve requested an invoice. My current system has an Audio Mirror 4 with Tele E88cc, Pass int-25, Acoustic Zen Crescendo 2 speakers and a REL 12” sub. The sound is to my taste in that it is organic, swings with the music and is not lean. It’s a bit grainy and I attribute that to the Lumin u2 mini, internet radio and Spotify sources in who-knows-what amounts. Enjoyable none-the-less as is, I am all in for the Aurender. Talk me out of it. Please!
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@blisshifi Juan thanks for this update! I still have my Roon subscription and will definitely try it out. Any idea on how to get on a beta tester list? |
@wlutke Few things based on my experience - 1. if you don’t have a good USB cable yet, the one included by Aurender in the box with the N200 is actually not terrible at all. I’ve used it before I upgraded to the AQ Diamond. 2. If your unit is brand new, what I did to break mine in is create a playlist consisting of songs representing every bitrate available on Qobuz and Tidal and played that on repeat when not listening. It took slightly over 200hrs to settle overall. 3. Upgrade the power cord - it makes a significant difference. I started with AQ Tornado then moved on to Nordost Heimdall 2 and eventually to Nordost Frey 2. Not saying you need Nordost…just try a few good power cables and you’ll see what works best. Break in first though. Enjoy and keep us posted. |
As someone else has mentioned -- you're thinking of spending thousands on a new streamer and you're using internet radio and Spotify as your sources? Qobuz starts at $11 a month and everything is CD quality or better - tons of hi-rez material. Tidal starts at the same price (but charges a bit more for the hi-rez plan.) If you're nervous about spending over $6K on a new streamer, why don't you first try out one of the better streaming services and see what that does for your sound quality. Just a thought.... |
@wlutke The N200 presents sonics in a very linear, neutral way with lots of snap and dynamics. As a dealer that has had one on my floor for years, I have not heard it be grainy, but you also do get considerably more tonal richness and organic presentation in stepping up to the N20. That said, I believe the N200 is one of the best value propositions in the Aurender line, as with the rest of high end audio, diminishing returns are evident the higher up you go. My suggestion would be to work with a dealer that can offer you an upgrade program, such that they will take the unit back in trade if after some time you want to jump up to the N20. One other suggestion, having had a lot of experience with many of the components in your system, is to try different tubes in your Audio Mirror DAC. NOS Telefunken, despite their high reputation, deliver a hotter, more overdriven sound (not really overdriven, but very textured and gritty at times), that many people crave. The Audio Mirror itself is a very neutral DAC (Vlad is a close friend of mine and lives fairly close by), so perhaps try some 6922 variants that have a sweeter tone. |
@fastfreight Aurender finally announced that Roon Ready capabilities are now in the beta versions of Conductor, at least for partners/dealers, but perhaps all beta testers. As a reminder, Aurender cannot be run as the core. Roon Ready mode will be a free upgrade available for all Intel-based "N-Series" (N150, N200, N20, N30SA) and "ACS-Series" (ACS100, ACS10) models. From Aurender: The "A-Series" models (A200, A15, A20, A30) are currently undergoing Roon certification. Due to the complexity of the certification process, we find it challenging to provide a precise timeline but we will share updates as soon as we have more clarity. Stay tuned! Previous generation, AMD-based models, including: S10, N10, W20, W20SE, X100, X100L, A10, A100, N100H, N100C, N100SC will not be compatible with Roon Ready mode. |
I too have had zero issues with Conductor 3 or 4 using either of my iPads (I have a very old iPad mini 2 running Conductor 3, and a current Air running 4) or iPhone. I went from a Node to the N150. I think the Conductor app is superior in virtually every way. Rock solid, easy to use & multifunctional. |
I had the N200 on my radar for months and loved it when I finally demoed it. It’s very smooth and detailed. However once I decided to also buy an MSB Discrete DAC that has a BNC Word Clock output I moved up to the Aurender N20 that has a Word Clock input. Vince at MSB recommended that I get a streamer with Word Clock input. It resulted in a significant improvement in the overall SQ of the digital front end. So if your DAC has Word Clock Output the N20 or any Streamer with Word Clock input is the way to go. Also the N20 is a noticeable step up from the N200 and also the Conductor App is excellent and very easy to use. In any case you will love the N200.
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the 432evo Aeon sells for a similar price it is a bit more expensive, but not by a lot and offers features that aurenders don’t:
432evo servers are fully upgradable so as new parts arrive the server can be continuously improved. You can upgrade from model to model so the aeon can be upgraded to a Master Our servers are designed to run Roon and are full cores and endpoints In terms of sound quality we have compared to the n10 and n20 and we sounded better.
Dave and Troy audio Intellect NJ 432evo Dealer |
I think I read somewhere there’s a problem with using an iPad (that I think was fixable through changing a setting on the iPad if memory serves, which it frequently doesn’t) but no problem with an iPhone. That was a while back so I’d hope they’d have that fixed by now but who knows. Definitely worth checking into further to avoid potential headaches. |
I had the Aurender N100H and hated the conductor app. It was terrible, it locked up my iPad many times and every time I connected with the app, it had to re-synch my music files to the player. This happened even when I did not add new music. I sold the unit for a big loss. I bought the Sony HAPZ1ES instead. |
@cleeds said:
Just to reinforce this (Bryston). I been running a Bryston BDP-Pi for years. Its based on the Raspberry Pi and has been discontinued but Bryston still supplied me with support which was rarely required . This little bugger has been rock solid for years. I use it as a ROON endpoint now for streaming Qobuz but the Bryston still has my local attached storage and I easily jump back over there when I want to stream a local file. Granted the Moose interface is spartan but it works and It can even control a optical transport if you like. Someday I am going to upgrade it to the BDP-3. |
I won't talk you out of it. I tested the N200 in my system, along with an N10. The N200 was close enough to the N10 in some areas, and superior in other areas.....it sounded fantastic through my Denafrips Pontus II. When I upgrade, Aurender will be at the top of the list......depending on what is available at that time. If you're getting the N200 at a sizeable discount (and don't need Roon), you'll have a great streamer |
There is an Aurender N10 for sale right here on Audiogon for $3k. I just purchased a used N10 to replace the N100 and it sounds great. From what I read, these models are more organic sounding than the newer models. I never had issue with the conductor app since I purchased the N100 6 years ago. BTW- I’m also using the Audio Mirror IV. |
I don’t see why not. Few weeks ago I compared the N200 to Marantz SA10 spinning CDs. To make certain my comparison was 🍏 to 🍏 I compared an uncompressed FLAC rips on a N200 (Samsung SSD mounted inside the Aurender) to a CD played on SA10. The N200 was connected to the SA10 via AQ Diamond USB. To be honest I preferred the N200 in some case but it was nearly impossible to distinguish. It was not worse than the CD.
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As others have mentioned, the Conductor App can be an issue for some people. For me, I can not add a song to a Qobuz playlist and support is still troublshooting. Original ticket was a month or so ago. In addition, the program crashes once per session, which is any easy fix to reboot. Otherwise, the unit itself is well built and I enjoy the sound. |
I have, had exact experience with the N200 and iPad. Tuff to connect, can’t connect, lose connection after 10-20 minutes. Reboot iPad, reboot Aurender, reboot router. Took the iPad to Apple, said everything checks out, placed a service ticket with Aurender, back and forth, ultimately nothing they could come up with. |
I’m not a fan of Aurender. I started streaming with a Raspberry Pi using a DigiOne HAT for SPDIF out to my DAC. It ran great, sounded good, but wasn’t very elegant, so I replaced it with a new N100H from an authorized dealer. The Aurender was never really stable and after months of back-and-forth with Aurender’s only tech guy, I gave up. I dumped it at a loss for a Bryston BDP-3 and I’ve been happy as a clam every since. Aurender said maybe something was wrong with my filing system, but there’s nothing unusual there and I’d never had an issue using any other hardware or software. I know many audiophiles love their Aurenders, and that (along with my dealer’s recommendation) is what led to my purchase. In the end, my Aurender was nothing but a nuisance. Good riddance. |
The Aurender N200 is an excellent unit. It will not be the bottleneck in your system. I have bought and tried all 3 Eversolo models including upgraded power supply and they were awful,l with a house sound in my system. The A8 was better, but still not as good as my Mac air . I got so frustrated I bit the bullet and purchased the HI Fi Rose 130 transport, thinking it would be the answer. I am glad it was the flavor of the month because I was able to sale it, for more than I paid. It also has a house sound I did not like. No dynamics at all, and a treble, that just was not right to my ears. Enter the N200. Finally a streamer that was better than my mac. The sound was natural and on par with my CD Player. I loved the N200 so much I only kept it 3 weeks and bought a new N20. I know there could be better, but I don't know how, because it is perfect in my system. Even my mp3's that I have recored are enhanced to the point, It would be hard to tell. The conductor app is easy to use and I have no problem connecting to my Ipad or iphone. |
@wlutke keep in mind the N200 is more resolving than the U2 Mini so if the issues you’re describing exist elsewhere in your setup i.e components, cables and room acoustics, which I think they do, they will be exacerbated. You’ll figure it out when you have the N200 in your system. |
The mini has FLAC radio and the increase in resolution is noticeable as are Tidal and Qobuz, both of which I gave a shot. What I’m reading about better streamers is an increase in dimensionality, separation, focus, realism and effortless delivery for a given resolution. I currently don’t get that even with the better streams. They can be more dynamic and focused but a bit dry and fatiguing. Maybe “grain” was a misleading way to put it. |
“It’s a bit grainy and I attribute that to the Lumin u2 mini, internet radio and Spotify sources” N200 is a great streamer. However, you’re feeding U2 Mini with low resolution (mp3) streams. Both Web Radio and Spotify are low fidelity and nowhere near the SQ offered Qobuz or Tidal. I doubt you will hear much improvement with N200 over U2 Mini if you continue to stream with Spotify. Before you buy N200, try Qobuz or Tidal with U2 Mini and access if you still feel the need to upgrade. |
@audphile1 Ah crap, I looked up the A200 by mistake. My bad. Thanks for the correction. |
@wlutke I’ll add that your disc spinning days could be over when the N200 is in |
