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Streamer for LTA Aero

I've been shopping for a highly capable, yet sensible streamer to pair with a LTA Aero DAC... on order. I'm trying to read everything, but being just about as far away from tech savvy as one can be, I have to give great weight to the guidance of others. The streamers that are most of interest to me are the Aurenders N200 and N150, and the Innuos ZEN and ZENith. My interest in the Innuos line is due mostly to their ripping feature - that might be unfair - I have a couple thousand CDs. That being said, I'm not deaf to those who advise that If I get the streamer/DAC thing right, I'll never reach for a CD again. My interest in the Aurender line is not only that they are high end, but that they are a friendly choice for those with limited computer savvy (I ain't kidding either, my new cellphone is kicking my behind). After talking with the Aurender rep at Axpona, I was all in on the N200. Now that I've chosen the Aero DAC, I'm considering that I'll be paying for capabilities, not relevant to the Aero, and that the N150 might provide essentially the same SQ at half the price. I'm very happy with my amplifier/speaker combination and believe that it's a highly capable pairing. They're pretty obscure in this country, but FWIW, I have a New Audio Frontiers Supreme 300B SE integrated feeding SoundKaos 40 speakers. I'm open to criticism as well.

phaelon
zlone
657 posts
 

I owned the Aurender N10 for awhile and the sound was excellent, however the user software was not my cup of tea. I also had opportunity to work with their support team, who were responsive, but not able solve my system issues. 
 

I switched to Innuos  Zenith Mk III, and I have been very pleased with the solution, too to bottom. Their software is good, and solid, and comes across as more cutting edge in terms of design and progress. 
 

Whatever you choose, invest in a quality USB cable, it makes a difference. 

phaelon OP
1,049 posts
 

Thank you, zlone. My main caution with Innuos is the quantity of posts with owners describing the number of ancillaries they added to attain optimal SQ. One poster added five elements, three of which I never heard of. If I was more technically capable, I might find that challenging and even fun. As I’m not, it’s a concern. It’s not that it won’t sound wonderful as stock, it’s that I’ll always be wondering.

jrgvliw's avatar
jrgvliw
4 posts
 

I have the LTA aero. I’m very please with my Eversolo DMP-A6 ME. You can also rip your cd to an internal ssd. I advise you test it out

phaelon OP
1,049 posts
 

Looks interesting, jrgvliw. I've already committed to a DAC, so a streamer/DAC combination won't serve my needs.

jonwolfpell
386 posts
 

The only server I’ve ever used & thus heard in my system is the Innuos Zenith Mark III & I’m very happy with it. It’s well made, sounds great & it’s proprietary app for your phone or tablet is very easy to use. Their customer support was very responsive & helpful when I had questions early on. I got the 2 TB version so I could rip somewhere between. 1000 - 2000 CD’s which I’m slowly doing. It’s me who is slow, it only takes a few minutes to rip one.  It’s an excellent product which I highly recommend. 

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