Music Server Advice

@lalitk You're totally right -- I'm mixing up the N30SA and the MC20 (facepalming myself). Thank you for the correcting my mistake.

@communique1 The N200 is the best bang for the buck on the Aurender line, congrats! IMO the N20 and N30SA are even better than the Grimm, so if ever the time comes that you are itching to upgrade, talk with your Aurender dealer to see if there is a path to do so. I offer this for many of my customers who want to start with an N200 and work their way up to the N20 or N30. 

Also, the certification timeline for getting Roon on Aurender is on Roon. They are working to meet Aurender’s requirements, which is why Aurender cannot be certain on a completion date. It will likely not be at least for another 3-4 months. 

@ghdprentice I agree. I think the Grimm is a different flavor from the N20, for example, with the N20 having more density, richness, slam and refinement and the Grimm being dryer and thinner. I haven’t compared the W20SE or W20 to the Grimm, but I know the W20SE you have is even more refined than the N20 and my N30SA is both refined while being more dynamic and resolving than the N20.

Did you or @lalitk play with the Grimm’s oversampling settings much?

@fastfreight I am actually an Aurender dealer, though I purchased my N30SA prior to becoming a dealer. Happy to chat options if you have interest. I’ve provided services and sales to a number of folks in this community.

To surpass the Grimm, the N20 will deliver the most bang for your buck, but depending on your budget, the W20SE and N30SA will deliver added performance. The N20 as you’ve read, will deliver more slam, weight, density and organic delivery. The W20SE is battery powered internally and delivers an added level of refinement and benefits less from audiophile AC cables, but many claim it is not as dynamic as the N20 or N30SA. The N30SA builds on the N20 by being a two-chassis beast, separating the digital signal from the power supply and display. It is more resolving and more dynamic than the N20. There are definitely diminishing returns along the way, as the $12.5K N20 is about 30% better than the $6300 N200 (but that’s a notable difference), whereas the $25.5K N30SA is I would say 10-15% better than the N20. I have less experience with the W20SE

When I compared Aurender and Grimm, I used Conductor vs Roon. There wasn’t really any other option. FWIW, what I have heard from the Aurender team, their tests with Roon have concluded that the Aurender units sound better using Conductor than Roon, but perhaps Roon will continue to optimize before they complete certification. It will at least be great to have Roon compatibility for convenience and still have Conductor for critical listening.

I have tried all sorts of cabling and with Aurender I prefer AES. This is because their units have excellent clocks, with the N30SA having a 10MHz Rubidium clock, and my T+A reference DAC will additionally reclock the incoming signal. The result is a more natural, smoother sound. I’ve found I prefer this interface, even if it can only do DSD128, vs USB up to DSD512 (my DAC can also do DSD1024). USB sounds more thinner, overly detailed and fatiguing in comparison. I do have interest in trying the Final Touch Audio Sinope USB, though I have tried a few other USB cables over double its price. Using USB, you don’t reap the benefits of the Aurender’s internal clock.