2. digital
  3. 192234-18279

Looking for High Quality Streamer Only Options (NO DAC)?

I'm looking to find a dedicated streamer, ideally <$2k. Here are the objectives: 

1. Must be Roon Ready

2. No internal DAC

3. USB, Optical or Digital Coax input

4. Great quality to feed an outboard DAC. 

The idea here is to hopefully avoid paying for an internal DAC and just by a stable streamer, giving the manufacturer the ability to dump all the parts and labor costs into the streaming side only. In other words, why pay for an internal DAC I won't use.  

 

jbhiller

Showing 2 responses by ararem

ararem's avatar
ararem
13 posts
 

Track down a used or BNIB Auralic Aries Mini. Picked one up (BNIB) a couple months ago for less than $250. Has a DAC, but it’s bypassed if you route the outbound signal into an external DAC. Mine is fed by ethernet. To date, it’s functioned perfectly as a Roon endpoint (I’ve also used it plenty, sans Roon, with Auralic’s Lighting DS app).

 

 

—Specs—

Music Sources

  • Music file on NAS or computer
  • USB drive
  • Internal storage
  • TIDAL Qobuz & WiMP lossless streaming
  • vTuner Internet Radio
  • AirPlay and Songcast
  • Bluetooth 4.0


Supported File Types

  • AAC, AIF, ALAC, APE, DIF, DSF, FLAC, MP3, OGG, WAV, WV and WMA


Sampling Rates

  • PCM in 44.1Khz - 384Khz (16 - 32bits)
  • DSD64, DSD128, DSD256


Control Software

  • AURALiC Lightning DS
  • OpenHome compatible control software
  • uPnP AV compatible control software


Media Server Compatibility

  • Built-in Lightning Server
  • Compatible with Minimserver, Twonky, Asset UPnP


On-Device Control

  • Front panel key with user defined function


Input Port

  • RJ45 Gigabit Ethernet
  • 802.11ac Tri-Band WiFi connection
  • USB 2.0 High-Speed for external USB drive


Output Port

  • USB 2.0 High-Speed for compatible DAC*
  • Coaxial, TOSLINK**
  • Singled-ended line output


Line Output Specification

  • Frequency Response: 20 - 20KHz, +/- 0.1dB***
  • THD+N: <0.002%, 20Hz-20KHz at 0dBFS
  • Dynamic Range: 110dB, 20Hz-20KHz, A-weighted
  • Output Voltage: 2Vrms


Power Consumption

  • 6Watt for average working condition
  • 15Watt at max (with internal storage installed)


Dimension

  • Appox. 5.5"W x 5.5"D x 1.1"H (14cm x 14cm x 3cm)


Weight

  • 1 pound (0.5kg)

 

ararem's avatar
ararem
13 posts
 

@jbhiller: re: Auralic Aries Mini as Roon endpoint… when it first came to market (almost a decade ago), I don’t think it was yet certified as “Roon Ready” so older documentation may not indicate it can run as an endpoint. However, with firmware upgrades, it did get the capability to run as a Roon endpoint. I’m streaming Roon through mine as I type. 

As a side note, I think Aries Mini was a device before its time. Not sure why Auralic took it out of production (though they’re still supporting it and occasionally updating firmware). Perhaps they couldn’t compete with Sonos, Bluesound, etc. However, as Wiim has so successfully made inroads into affordable streamers, I think the Aries Mini could more than hold its own in that realm. It lacks any DSP other than four filters & resampling, but it can send hi res audio out via USB. 

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