Aurender

@blisshifi 

I see the Aurender N50 adds another box housing toroidal transformers and takes a more modular approach with its LAN/USB/I²S boards (much like MSB’s design philosophy). What’s a little disappointing, though, is the lack of any major upgrade to the internal clock. Yes, I realize you can use an external clock, but with all that real estate in the new design they could have easily provisioned a Rubidium 10 MHz clock module. It feels like a missed opportunity at this price point.

That said, I’d really love to hear your impressions—especially how the N50 stacks up against the W20SE, which still remains my favorite piece in their lineup.

I agree that streaming can be a mixed bag and for the most part I don’t even think about bit depth or sample rate when streaming because it sounds so good through the Aurender and my DAC that I’m at a point where I can listen to music and not obsess over gear.  

+1 oddiofyl

@lalitk I hear you on the chassis overload. Compared to everything else in high end audio, streaming and serving are still relatively new innovations, and management of noise and signal integrity are still in its formative stages. While some folks get turned on by the multiple chassis, many are looking for smaller form factors. Think about computing when it first became mass in the late 70s to early 80s.

In a different forum online, I mentioned where I felt the value of the MC10 clock lies - not only in its isolated chassis, but also in its large, very high quality linear power supply. Putting a the 10MHz clock in as a module into the N50 would likely allow for an improvement over stock, but it wouldn’t deliver the Sonic performance of the standalone MC10. And there is value in using the MC10 even if one ends up selling all their Aurender gear, as it can be used with both 75 and 50 Ohm digital components.

It might be interesting if Aurender were to release something alternative to their flagship like an updated W20SE with the Rubidium clock for those who did not want the 3-4 chassis approach. Perhaps one that sits around the same price point as the N30SA. 

“Putting a the 10MHz clock in as a module into the N50 would likely allow for an improvement over stock, but it wouldn’t deliver the Sonic performance of the standalone MC10”

@blisshifi 

You may have missed my point. I wasn’t merely hinting at shoving a Rubidium clock module onto the back of the chassis. A high-precision clock requires meticulous implementation to be truly effective. You’d expect the same level of thoughtful integration that Aurender has clearly given to the rest of the modules and circuitry in the N50. From an end-user perspective, the current clock implementation in N50 (which is same as in N20, N30) feels like it’s what’s holding the N50 back from being a truly reference-level music server. You’re going all out on everything else—so why leave the clock implementation at such a basic level?

I guess Aurender assumes that anyone investing $40K in the N50 wouldn’t hesitate to follow dealer advice and add the MC10, completing what they position as the “masterpiece” of digital refinement in their music server lineup 😊

I really like your suggestion of an updated W20SE outfitted with a Rubidium clock for those who don’t want to deal with the 3–4 chassis approach. I know I’d pick one up in a heartbeat.