Aurender N200

@oddiofyl 

Very good news!!

The Aurender N200 streamer and Lab 12 Reference DAC surely sound lovely together, I'm sure. Seems the N 200 is a true step up from the Bluenode streamer.

Charles

FYI Aurender Owners. 

It's NOT the DAC after all.  After getting familiar with the Aurender set up and output options I figured out what was going on.   

In the Aurender settings in the Main Square Aurender Tab , displaying  Library there is an antenna or flag shaped Icon. Click and you will see DSD and 24 bit icons

Click and hold and a menu will pop up for each. It will allow you to turn off DSD output and limit to whatever sample rate you need.  For me I turned off 384k and sync problem went away.   

Great to hear!

I have no doubt they will take care of me.  It's under warranty and it sounds like they have addressed this in new builds.    

Well, I surely hope it gets repaired. But for anyone who has an N200 or is thinking about one and is also looking for a DAC to pair it with, I have said before and I’ll say again that my favorite match is the T+A DAC 200. In addition to being a stellar performer, the form factor similarity to the N200 is attractive!

As I just got another N200 in and am setting up for a customer, I decided to stack it with the DAC 200 so I could get a shot. These were not hooked up together at the time of the shot (as the N200 does not have AES) because I was just focused on getting the SSD set up for the customer.

Yes , it's definitely the DAC's input board.     There is a socketed upgrade that should take care of it.  Waiting to hear back from my dealer .

Still sounds great,via USB so it's not like I can't use it.   

The Aurender does a lot of cool things,  it can assemble a Playlist and pull from multiple drives or streams to reassemble that list.   

@oddiofyl 

Thanks for the update. It definitely sounds like digital board issue in your Lab12. I had a similar issue with my ARC DAC9 board, which ARC replaced for a very nominal cost.

Yes, super easy.  Just click on NAS and follow prompt.  It found my Vault right away.  I just signed in as guest and I could see all of my songs. It is in  Folder layout but easy to navigate

I just received another N200 for a local customer today and will be opening it for him to install the hard drive he had me pair it with (2TB Samsung EVO).

Steve - I know the Aurender can see other drives on the network, but I haven’t tried to make that work myself. Was it easy to set up?

And yes, the build is very admirable. I'm also quite pleased with the new Conductor V3 platform/app for mobile phones. It's much more usable and attractive vs past versions! I've already submitted a few feature requests and improvements. The Aurender engineering team has been quite receptive in the past.

Build quality seems high on this unit. It is built like a tank.  Real solid 

I believe it’s the DAC and not the Aurender.  
 

I reached out to my dealer and they believe there is an update that needs to be done on my DAC    He is going to investigate and get back to me.  It sounds great through either DAC  

It was nice being able to play content on the Vault through the Aurender.  Pretty cool

Glad to see you got the D-750 already, and I’m sorry to hear the N200 and your DAC are not playing together nicely. Do you happen to have a toslink cable? I think maybe one was included with the N200. If you try that and it works, then the SPDIF interfaces “should” be fine and it localized it to the coax connection. If Toslink also drops out, then it is a signal that one of the units’ SPDIF interfaces is problematic as a whole.

If you haven’t already, check it there are firmware upgrades for both units and also try a hard power down on both for a few minutes. 

Very odd that the N200 works flawlessly with the RME but not your Lab 12. 

Have you tried contacting their tech support? They are pretty good and responsive.

Hi Juan

I tried setting the delay and no change.   There is digital noise and the unlock light glows dim and the sample freq lights flicker.   Only works via lower sample rates.   Three known good coax , including new d-750.  

Tried the Vault in both coax inputs of DAC works flawlessly 

Works fine via RME coax input.   

Problem only exists with N200 via coax to the Lab 12 DAC

@oddiofyl What coax cable are you using?

Also, are you switching sample formats often? If so there is a setting to allow to adjust for that and put a few second delay. Doing that sometimes helps to adjust for the switching. 

It definitely sounds better , frustrating that it won't work via Coax out.  That is how I wanted to use it with this DAC.    Works fine with Vault with same cable , works fine with RME .  Tried new cable, known good cable.     Only loses lock above 48k with Aurender. 

@oddiofyl 

 Congratulations  on receiving the Aurender. I hope that you get the connection issue sorted out. At this early stage, are there sound quality differences between it and the Blue Node?

Charles

It sounds great , just getting used to the different layout compared to Bluesound.  

It will not achieve digital lock with my Lab 12 via coax on anything 88.kHz or above.   Noise and dropouts,   Works flawlessly via USB , not sure why.   Seems to work fine with RME adi2 via coax so I'm not sure what's going on there, need to troubleshoot further.  

@oddiofyl 

So what are your initial thoughts?

Missed Fed Ex today.... usually they come a day late at 7pm.....   

My daughter is going to hang out here tomorrow to receive the N200.    She's such a great kid.    She works nights so that's pretty solid of her to do that.  

50/50 Chance I'm going to work Friday.......  

@marco1 / OP,

Yep. I got an Aurender N100 for my headphone system… which resulted in me getting my W20SE for my main sister.

Great minds lol.

We are in the same boat. Headphone rig in one house, 2 channel in another. Hence the delay in reporting back.

@sdw I'll be curious what you think.  I just bought the N200 for one of my speaker systems and then ended up buying the N150 for a headphone system too.  Systems are in different houses so no way for me to easily compare anytime soon.  Anxious to see what you find.

I have not had the two in the same system. The N200 is in my 2 channel system and the N150 is in my headphone rig. Now I'm curious though - sometime this week I'll try the N150 in my 2 channel system and report back.

@sdw Have you compared the N150 to the N200? If so, can you describe how notable are the differences sonically? I have heard both but as an Aurender dealer I’d love to hear a customer’s experiences with the two as I was just talking to someone else on the phone about the two last night. 

OP,

I would purchase as little storage as possible. As soon as I got my streamers… transferred some of my files to my Aurenders and then haven’t used them since. Streaming sounds the same or better through Qobuz. 
 

I think I had to reboot my router a year or two ago and played internal files for a little while.

It’s nice to know you have something to play, just in case. But there isn’t much of a reason. If you have special recordings… well, that may not last long as it is likely you will get lost in the hundreds of thousands of high resolution albums and groups you have never heard of before. At least this is the path I took and many others. 

Each storage bay will hold an SSD up to 8TB, so you'll have up to 16TB total. And I agree, removable drives are the way to go. Also, integration with Qobuz is very good. And the Conductor app works great for me on an iPad.

I am really looking forward to this.  I went from playing PC ripped content on a thumb drive through my OPPO, to the Vault 2i, and finally this.  I have two DACs to  play with , one Non OS with tubes and the other can play DSD.    Being able to store music on the N200 was a major factor in my consideration.    Removable drives are the way to go I think

I should have it Thursday , I'm going  to pick up one of those EVO drives.  Those with the fact that it is a memory player sealed the deal for me .

I've had my N200 for several months now - absolutely love it. I also own an N150, which I use in my headphone rig. The N150 is excellent as well. Aurender recommends the Samsung EVO SSD's. I don't know why anyone would use a NAS for music storage if they own an N200.

@oddiofyl 

Forgot to add, get Samsung SSD drives. They are slightly more expensive than HDD but offer quieter and faster operation. 

I went from a blue sound vault, then added a dedicated DAC to it, then upgraded to the N200. Very happy with the value and sound of each upgrade. Just the facts from someone who actually did what you are thinking of doing. No problems with the system or software, had one question on it and their support is excellent. 

@oddiofyl

I bet you can hardly wait to plug-in N200. Here are few things you can do to further enhance your experience with N200 (allow 200-300 hours of break-in)

1. Sign up with Qobuz

2. Try both USB and Coax outputs and decide which output sounds best to your ears

3. Use high quality USB or Coax cable

4. Use high quality PC, preferably the one uses PCOCC copper.

5.  Listen to N200 in ‘Critical Listening Mode’

Hearing is still good,  now is the time to do it !   Never been a better time actually. 

I understand completely. There are times when you have to stop and smell the roses. You recognized you are in a great situation and wise enough to appreciate it and take advantage. Enjoy every moment with your evolving and improved audio system. I’m curious to know how much of a difference you’ll hear between the Blue Node and the Aurender N200.

Charles

Thanks again Charles .   Kids are adults ,  bills are low right now for me,  work pays for car and everything associated with it plus phone.    Hearing is still good,  now is the time to do it !   Never been a better time actually. 

I'm hoping the Aurender will be a slick interface and hub of my Digital universe.   I'm definitely going to take full advantage of storing all of my music on it.   The sole fact that it is a casching memory player is what drew me to it.  Many advantages to that .

@oddiofyl

Oh I see. With an amplifier input voltage of 2.4v you’ll be fine with a preamplifier gain of around 15 db or less. My SET mono blocks input voltage is 0.7v, so pretty high sensitivity. However I am doing good with 10db of gain from my 101D preamplifier. You are assembling a terrific audio system.

Charles

Actually the input sensitivity is about 2.4 v.    Seems like my last preamp with 12dB put the volume in the sweet spot for average to a little above average listening.  Im guessing the gain will be around the same.   Not quite sure but it won't be like my former CJ which was I think 27 dB which was ridiculous.   At 9 o'clock it was cranking with most amps

@oddiofyl

You have high sensitivity speakers. How much gain will your 101D preamp have? I imagine the 300b amplifier is likely pretty sensitive with an input voltage of 1 volt or less. You won’t need much preamp gain.

Charles

I am confidentt it will be.   Now I know what to expect from Toolshed .   The amp exceeded my expectations for sound quality and obviously build quality.   It's a special piece for sure.    

I'm using Forte IV but eventually want a horn loaded bass cabinet like a LaScala or Vittori.    The Forte IV sound really good with the Toolshed , will be even better with the 101d preamp.  

@oddiofyl 

I understand that direction. I'm more drawn to that than the class D powered woofer alternative. Admittedly nothing more than individual preference. Either one done right can be successful. That Toolshed  DHT preamp paired with your 300b SET is going to be special in my humble opinion. Good decision.

Charles

Yeah you don’t need huge speakers for that space. La Scalas are massive, basically 24x24x36. The Volti have such a different sonic signature from Klipsch and features a bit more tonal richness so it will depend if that will work well with the rest of your setup.

I'm currently set up in a roughly 13 x 15 room. It not very big.  That will hopefully change in near future to a slightly larger space.  

I'm using Forte IV but eventually want a horn loaded bass cabinet like a LaScala or Vittori.    The Forte IV sound really good with the Toolshed , will be even better with the 101d preamp.  

Not sure about single driver designs, I have virtually no experience with them  I did hear Charney speakers a while back but it was in a conference room type of setting  

The Preamp and Aurender  will be my last purchase for a while.   I totally went off the rails this year buying, trading and selling  stuff.    

This is the first time I’m hearing of Toolshed gear, and I see they are in the next state over from me. I’ve loved the different SET amps as I had them over the years, but I’ve since moved on. 

@oddiofyl How big is your room? I’m a fan on full range drivers run by low-powered tube amps combined with woofers powered by Class D. Have you tried the combo, say in like with Oris horns or something similar? Sounds like your system would be ripe for that if you have the room. 

Thanks Charles.   I have been holding off for too long.   I sold the Zesto to fund the Toolshed Preamp.   The Music Room gave me such a good deal I couldn't pass it up, I traded the Zesto plus some cash on the Aurender.   My sale of some displaced products will fund the Toolshed 101d preamp.    It worked out good .

I'm doing my system sort of in reverse order.   My Forte IV are great,  but I want to really have my electronics sorted out before I replace those.  Most likely with LaScala or who knows maybe Volti Vittori or something along those lines 

Those Forte are very good , they sound better with each improvement upstream so until they cease to impress im going up this path.  

@lalitk 

Yes, every component in the signal path is important! It’s very smart that @oddiofyl wants to improve the quality of his streamer. I’m bewildered by those who say the digital source (CD transport or streamer) matters to a lesser extent than the DAC. Both definitely matter.

I am interested in what he finds with comparing his Aurender with the Blue Node.

Charles

“Your Toolshed SET is going to be amplifying a high quality digital signal path.”

@charles1dad 

Great point! Having high quality downstream components is just as important as upstream source. My Accuphase Integrated E-650 is godsend for my digital front end.

@oddiofyl 

Congratulations on acquiring the new Aurender N200. I am certain that it will be a wonderful sonic addition to your terrific system. Your Toolshed SET is going to be amplifying a high quality digital signal path.😊

Charles

@dinov I was just ensuring the right information is offered to the public and also trying to be lighthearted and humorous about the situation. I 100% agree that if you are not using the built-in storage of the Aurender, you would not be using it for everything it is capable of, so it might be better to invest in a streamer-only solution. So know I’m not trying to continue to push it on you.

I do very much appreciate your support and I’m not trying to pick a fight with you. You deserve to find the solution that works best for you, and I’m sure you will find it! Thanks for your continued support.

@blisshifi I’m just going on what you told me in your private message. Remember, I complimented you on your post and I was looking at Aurender until I got all the information from you. With that it looks like since Aurender doesn’t make just a transport it doesn’t fit my needs. So let’s get that cleared up too. 
 

@lalitk i have never heard of other files “contaminating” other files as you say, so let’s clear that up as well. Thank you both for your input. 

I have been waiting for streamers to mature and really be a high quality source for a while….  I figured how much longer am I going to wait?  My system has has a major renovation and it’s worthy of a great source .

All of these devices have their pros and cons   I like the two box approach and hope this will be a great front end