I recently moved from an Aurender N100H (4TB) to a NAS (6TBx2 Red drives / Synology DS218j) with Nucleus+ with Nordost Tyr 2 USB, Nordost Brahma PC, AC and BC sort kones.
I was generally happy with the sound of the Aurender but was not happy with what was required for backup (2TB of music installed) and I also wanted access to my music around the rest of the house (with Sonos and various computers). So my hope was for at least equal sound if not better. I also thought the Roon interface might be nicer than Aurender's Conductor.
My observations are as such:
Using the Nucleus+ with it's wall-wart power supply and standard ethernet cables resulted in a dramatically inferior sound quality compared to the Aurender as described above. It was thin, "digital" and 2 dimensional. The music lacked immediacy and I found it uncomfortable to listen.
I suspected that this could be due to power supply issues so I ordered a Keces P8 Linear Power supply which cost $700 from Power Holdings Inc. Upgraded DC power cable from Ghent Audio was $50 (I'm not sure I heard any difference with this interconnecting PC vs what was supplied... subtle improvement at best).
Prior to the arrival of the Keces, I upgraded the 3 ethernet cables between NAS and Nucleus to Nordost Heimdall 2 ethernet cables (2x1meter, 1x4meter) which resulted in a dramatic improvement but you could still hear a level of hash and sound was still obviously inferior to with the Aurender.
Once the Keces arrived and replaced the wall-wart, this hash completely disappeared. Bass was more authoritative, soundstage deeper and wider, instruments developed a far more natural and real sound.
Finally, I added Nordost Brahma PC into Keces, and placed Nordost AC sort Kones under Keces and BC under Nucleus+ which resulted in further subtle, nuanced improvements. Once all of these upgrades were implemented the sound quality easily has surpassed the Aurender.
Sound is both more detailed and nuanced. Immediate with instruments surrounded by a natural air. Clarity but also warmer sounding. There were no negatives in the presentation unless the recording was inferior in which case the limitations were more revealed. It is as if the "windows" were cleaned and you can see through them more easily. Focus was sharper and each instrument is clearly independent of others but sound didn't become harsh, brittle or thin. It was a rare time where additional detail accompanied a more natural presentation.
Note that the retail cost of all this (Nucleus+ $2500, NAS w. drives $550, ethernet cables $2550, USB Tyr 2 1 meter $1300 (already in system), Brahma 2 meter PC $1500 (already in system) Nordost Sort Kones BC $475, AC $265 (AC--already in system) for a retail cost of exceeding $9000. This compared to the retail cost of the Aurender of $3000 plus cabling and one set of sort cones can be put togther for $5-6K. Also note that many of these upgrades can be aquired for significantly below retail and used... I would suggest real world comparison is $6500 vs. $4500 is a more realistic comparison, or even less if you can find a nice Aurender...
2 channel system: Classe Sigma SSP, Classe CA-2300, ProAc Response 5, Linn Sondek LP 12/Ittok/Benz silver, Nordost Valhalla IC, SC, PC (to QBase and to SSP), Frey 2 PC to amp, Sort Kone TC (pre/pro), AC all others. Dedicated 20amp circuits w/isolated ground.
I was generally happy with the sound of the Aurender but was not happy with what was required for backup (2TB of music installed) and I also wanted access to my music around the rest of the house (with Sonos and various computers). So my hope was for at least equal sound if not better. I also thought the Roon interface might be nicer than Aurender's Conductor.
My observations are as such:
Using the Nucleus+ with it's wall-wart power supply and standard ethernet cables resulted in a dramatically inferior sound quality compared to the Aurender as described above. It was thin, "digital" and 2 dimensional. The music lacked immediacy and I found it uncomfortable to listen.
I suspected that this could be due to power supply issues so I ordered a Keces P8 Linear Power supply which cost $700 from Power Holdings Inc. Upgraded DC power cable from Ghent Audio was $50 (I'm not sure I heard any difference with this interconnecting PC vs what was supplied... subtle improvement at best).
Prior to the arrival of the Keces, I upgraded the 3 ethernet cables between NAS and Nucleus to Nordost Heimdall 2 ethernet cables (2x1meter, 1x4meter) which resulted in a dramatic improvement but you could still hear a level of hash and sound was still obviously inferior to with the Aurender.
Once the Keces arrived and replaced the wall-wart, this hash completely disappeared. Bass was more authoritative, soundstage deeper and wider, instruments developed a far more natural and real sound.
Finally, I added Nordost Brahma PC into Keces, and placed Nordost AC sort Kones under Keces and BC under Nucleus+ which resulted in further subtle, nuanced improvements. Once all of these upgrades were implemented the sound quality easily has surpassed the Aurender.
Sound is both more detailed and nuanced. Immediate with instruments surrounded by a natural air. Clarity but also warmer sounding. There were no negatives in the presentation unless the recording was inferior in which case the limitations were more revealed. It is as if the "windows" were cleaned and you can see through them more easily. Focus was sharper and each instrument is clearly independent of others but sound didn't become harsh, brittle or thin. It was a rare time where additional detail accompanied a more natural presentation.
Note that the retail cost of all this (Nucleus+ $2500, NAS w. drives $550, ethernet cables $2550, USB Tyr 2 1 meter $1300 (already in system), Brahma 2 meter PC $1500 (already in system) Nordost Sort Kones BC $475, AC $265 (AC--already in system) for a retail cost of exceeding $9000. This compared to the retail cost of the Aurender of $3000 plus cabling and one set of sort cones can be put togther for $5-6K. Also note that many of these upgrades can be aquired for significantly below retail and used... I would suggest real world comparison is $6500 vs. $4500 is a more realistic comparison, or even less if you can find a nice Aurender...
2 channel system: Classe Sigma SSP, Classe CA-2300, ProAc Response 5, Linn Sondek LP 12/Ittok/Benz silver, Nordost Valhalla IC, SC, PC (to QBase and to SSP), Frey 2 PC to amp, Sort Kone TC (pre/pro), AC all others. Dedicated 20amp circuits w/isolated ground.