Eversolo DMP-A8 vs Aurender N10 comparisons?

I’ve owned every Eversolo from the 6 to the A8. None of them sounded as good as my Mac Air to my schitt Yggy I owned at the time. I mainly local stream. It took the a Aurender N200 before I could get better. The eversolo’s never sounded good through my Pass 250. I now use a Arunder N20 going to a Holo Spring May Kte. Thats end game for me, until they put a music chip in our brains 😄

@dwest1023 

Thanks for the reply. I consider my system to be resolving in the sense that if I change the tubes in my DAC, I can immediately hear the differences. In this respect, I would consider a higher end streamer to offer my system an upgrade in sound quality. Your feedback is appreciated given you’ve been down the Eversolo road.

I can’t speak for the Eversolo, but I did own the N10 and it has a very good clock and would likely sound very good using the AES connection. I did not get along with the Conductor software and switched to an Innuos, which is I think is considered on par with Aurender in terms of sound and build quality. 

@zlone 

I appreciate your feedback regarding your direct experience with the N10. To further elaborate on my thought process would be to clarify that the Eversolo gives me great music. Through all of my research and experience with the DMP-A8, I don’t know if I would characterize it as “musical” per se.

From most of my readings regarding Aurender, the word “musical” is referred to frequently. So am I possibly missing out on a more musical experience by sticking with my DMP-A8 or could I get that experience by going with an older N10 which are at considerable discounts compared to some of the newer models.

i hope this helps a little more with regards to what I’m thinking.

I personally cannot recommend the move to the N10, you would gain a better clock, but I doubt you would find the musical improvement you seek with this change. Instead, I would recommend you look at DDC’s that accept USB in, and offer AES out. This would give you the better clock assuming you invest in a good DDC, and let you test the AES input on your DAC, without upending your streaming world. 

I would also highly recommend the WireWorld Platinum USB and the Acoustic Zen MC2 AES cables. These are both OCC silver and will make the best of the digital components. 

A good streamer is important, but I am not convinced that they have a significant effect on the musical nature of your system. A poorly designed one can certainly be  a detriment, but the Eversolo seems to be a decent unit. Jitter and noise are the enemies of the streamer and a good DDC and cables should provide the best possible signal to your DAC.