I agree with lalitk above that these are both excellent choices. He also makes a GREAT point of having both your stored CD albums available plus the advantage of streaming services like Tidal and QoBuz on a music server. I started with both services and then decided that I really liked QoBuz better. Their 24/96 and 24/192 albums are terrific. For example, when using the Aurender Conductor App, please see the 1,325 playlists from QoBuz. They have many playlist selection options including The Absolute Sound reviewed albums and many others. Search for Jazz, Audiophile, Hi-Res, etc. If you like a playlist list, make it a favorite for later retrieval. Every playlist includes a brief description that explains the content.
I recommend the Aurender N10 music server for its excellent sound quality, build quality and an easy-to-use interface that makes finding your music simple. The Aurender Conductor App enables me to quickly find the album I want and play it. The Aurender has a 240G solid-state drive that is used to cache music for playback for the very best sound quality.
As you can see from many other similar Audiogon posts, the selection of a music server is NOT an easy decision or process. It seems, everyone has a DIFFERENT server recommendation. I suggest you make a list of the IMPORTANT FEATURES your music server needs and your questions. For example, please review:
1) What is your price range for a music server?
2) What features does your server need? For example, I wanted my CD albums stored in the same box, wanted Tidal, Qobuz Streaming Services and also Internet radio stations. And I also needed the ability to add more additional streaming services when they become available.
3) Do you want a DAC built into the streamer or a separate DAC? For maximum flexibility, I decided on an external DAC.
4) What digital outputs do you need? I decided on a Music streamer with BOTH USB and AES/EBU digital outputs to my DAC. In most cases, I prefer the AEB/EBU connection (a very high priority for me). Some music servers offer an Ethernet audio connection for output.
5) Is a Roon interface important to you? If needed, you need a Roon enabled server. I decided that Roon is NOT required. In my case, the Aurender Conductor App is easy to use AND DOES exactly what I need. However, several of my friends purchased a Roon enabled server and likes it very much. Another friend purchased the Roonlabs Nucleus by Roon Music Server and recommends it.
6) Your server needs a controlling App that runs on an iPad or something similar. You need to review the App to ensure it supports your needs to easily find and manage your music selections.
7) Does your server offer Remote Internet Technical Support? The Aurender does. I used this once and they solved my user operational issue very quickly (my error). This is a very important feature.
8) Since I have owned my Aurender N10, Aurender has made several software updates that have greatly improved the features and function of the N10. These updates were contained in various software updates that are easy to install. Your selected server needs to have the ability to be updated quickly.
9) Sound quality is the MOST important. In my case, I asked many questions, talked to many people, read many reviews and auditioned various servers to help me make the right decision. I selected the Aurender N10 Music Server for its excellent sound quality.
I hope the above helps you make a decision. Thanks....
NEW INFORMATIOM: On September 30th, 2020, I replaced my Aurender N10 Server with the Aurender N20 Music Server. My Aurender N20 Music Server is installed and working great. The N20 is supplied WITHOUT hard drives installed. This means hard drives are the customer’s choice. Each of the two rear panel mounting sleds accommodates a 1, 2, 4 or 8TB 2.5-inch SSD or up to 5TB 15mm height 2.5inch HDDs. Since users have different storage requirements, Aurender feels this is the best way to satisfy everyone. Aurender recommends Samsung EVO (I used Samsung EVO) or QVO series internal SSD drives, and Western Digital or Seagate HDDs.
My new N20 sounds excellent. The music is clearer, the bass is better, has more air and it has more musical details. The overall musical presentation is much improved. I am listening to jazz now and the sound quality is much improved.
In summary, the N20 sounds terrific. I really like it. This is a substantial sound quality improvement. I find the Conductor App very easy to use and find the albums to play. I can very easily navigate between my stored CD albums, QoBuz and Internet radio stations. The Aurender N20 Music Server is highly recommended.
I hope this helps.
