My experience with streamers, all with Yggdrasil LIM
phone/ipad: sounded ok at the time but in fact very harsh and noisy commpared to dedicated streamer
Raspberry pi with digione signature hat and Shanti: huge improvement but still harsh especially with like say violins, and doesn't handle complex music that well. That being said, I was pretty happy with it for a while especially for the price.
Lumin U2 mini: A very good streamer, better at streaming than the Aurender N100h but the Aurender N100h sounds much better than the Lumin if it is using local files. Not a fan of the app. No local storage which to my ears so far sounds better than streaming. You have to use minimserver which is a pain. dont know if NAS might be better. It does do ROON which is nice but the sound quality is better with the Lumin app. I have a hard time finding my local files with roon, and they don't really sound any better than streaming, which is perhaps no surprise as they are still coming in over your local network. I am finding roon also a pain, and can find new music etc. other ways including just using the qobuz app to explore things.
Aurender N100H: sounds amazingly good with local files. But streaming is only OK.
N150: Local file playing a bit better than N100H. Streaming is much improved over the 100H, but local files are still I think significantly better, more density. The app is pretty good, could be better especially its integration with Qobuz. It is annoying not to be able to search Qobuz favorites, but you can add favorites to the Aurender local library, but still not so easy to fiind sometimes.
I am now wondering if the N200 or N10 might be better especially at streaming, or if the rest of my system is not good enough for it to make a difference. Yggy LIM and Raven Blackhawk with no really expensive interconnects.
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Moon also supports Tidal connect now
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I am really surprised by the complete lack of mention (up til now) of the Moon Simaudio MiND 2. It is a brilliant streamer with great sound quality and it is right in your budget at US$2,400.
The Moon app is more than acceptable and integrates nicely with Qobuz (I have not tried it with Tidal).
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I have an Innuos Zen Mk3, a Lumin U2 Mini and a Bluesound node and if I had to choose one it would be the Lumin. They all have their pluses. The Lumins SQ is very much to my liking leaning away from analytical toward warm. The Lumin app is fine but I’ve gone down the Roon road and just love the exposure to new music. The Innuous is great as it does two things I never thought I needed but like having. First I can rip a cd and the cs shows up in my Roon library. Don’t have many cds but when something is only available on cd it’s perfect for me. It also hosts my Roon core.
The node is a great bang for the buck but if you want a little more
emphasis on musicality and sound quality the Lumin in my home wins.
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Innous has a bunch of good streamers at many price points.
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Fuzztone- what’s noisy on a Mac mini? The hardware, fans, disks?
IMO, Mac minis are much quieter than most other computers, which is what EVERY dedicated server is. Also, I believe these factors that weigh heavily on sq:
) a server of any kind in your audio room is bad, that’s why I use Ethernet to the dac with the server 50ft away from my audio room
) I believe the software running on the server is the most important component: Roon and audirvana have it over any other software out there, and I really liked Auralic DS lightning
) there are many drawbacks that people compromise on when buying dedicated servers. For example: some if not all of these servers run a proprietary OS, which you might think is good, which I think is terrible. Support is the main thing, I read last week that somebody was using a proprietary system and it took a week for support to call them back. Most of these servers run Linux which is great, but 99% of the clients of these servers no nothing about Linux so how in the hell is the client going to run VI to edit a file the manufacturer wants you to modify? What kind of backup do you use on the server to backup the TBs is music files you might have?
) I do think i2s is superior to Ethernet and worlds better than usb, so I would be inclined to look at the air lens and have a dedicated box in my audio, but have all my data on a local server located in another location in the house.
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I haven't seen ANY Apple and Tidal (together) replies. Be careful when you wish for Apple and anything else in a streamer. Apple likes you to use one of their nosy computers. Bluesound has the most services that I have seen, no Apple.
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Raspberry Pi with a good hat will save you thousands of dollars and will objectively sound the same if you use the same DAC.
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Been there, done that, and left that.
Been down the software route on computers for almost 20 years ago, then went to a dedicated Auralic which I thought was the best at that time over Aurender and Lumin, then got a dac that uses Ethernet and i2s (which is much better than usb by far), then went back to computer running Roon.
since i2s and Ethernet are superior inputs for a dac, if I was looking for a streamer today, I would look at the ps audio air lens and use i2s.
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I have an Aurender N150 and am looking to replace it, not because of the SQ which is very good but because of the Conductor app. The app seems to have been designed around Tidal because using Qobuz I am unable to sort albums saved to my library into Genres or Composers, as you appear to be able to do using Tidal. All I can do is artist or album and as seems common to most apps listing is by first name for artists or the first letter appearing on the album cover. Maybe I did something wrong when I first installed Qobuz but I followed the online instructions as far as possible but most did not relate to Qobuz and Aurender customer support have been unable to help and have given up. Also I lost about 150 albums and my playlists when I connected to Aurender and had to transfer them one at a time from Qobuz, a long and tedious process. But as you use Tidal for whatever reason you might be OK.
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Sonare Audio, I have an Ultra Rendu in my second system and I’m my main is a Evo432 Aeon Mkiii. You can find a nice Ultra Rendu, buy Roon and be sonically set and have money left over.
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reading the comments, also Roon it’s a great idea because your iPad or phone becomes just a remote control and the streamers would do all the work.
I tested Auralic vs Innuos (A/B) and we all agreed Innuos was better.
Good luck again
Thanks
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I own Innuos and I love it, still if you don’t have a use to ripped CD’s I would recommend the server since you can save Tidal playlist and sounds quality improves a little and it gets way faster than just streaming.
Aurender is definitely good more neutral sound, but it can be bright, depending on the electronics, with the right ones it is a great option.
Innuos it’s a little warmer and I like that, I’d recommend the Mini S with the power supply, I tested them all and that’s the one I liked the most from the basic line, Pulsar and Statement are better though but prices skyrocket
Good luck
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Zenith mk3 owner here, so I have no problem recommending the pulse. Innuos sense app is wonderful with Qobuz. No clue about Tidal since I don't use it.
Enjoy the journey.
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@vonhelmholtz
You can stream to Aurender from AirPlay supporting devices. Go to
settings ➡️ streaming ➡️ stream to Aurender ➡️ enable service
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As far as build quality, I think Aurender is best in class at most any price point. And, I think the conductor app that runs their systems is very good. Not as good as Roon for meta data, but arguably better than Lightning DS (Auralic), BluOS, and Lumin’s app. I haven’t used Innuos Sense so I can’t comment there. Aurender is a safe bet.
I will note that I had an Aurender N100H which I sold and upgraded to an Auralic Aries G2 streamer which was clearly better than the N100H. But, Aurender now has the N150 - which I haven’t heard. I’m guessing it’s a significant upgrade over previous units.
Sound quality I think it depends more on the favored input of your DAC. The Auralic Aries G2 via USB or SPDIF is very good but it is substantially better via their proprietary lightning link (“LL”) - significantly better than any other connection. But that connection only works with other Auralic gear. So again - I think you’d want to know the preferred input on your DACs. Some DACs are better w/ SPDIF, some w/ USB, some with their proprietary connection like mine.
I would think Aurender would get the nod for DACs that prefer SPDIF or AES/EBU. I think the other streamers are probably fairly competitive if using USB.
You can buy a used Auralic Aries G2.x for the top end of your budget. If I were looking for new in that range, I’d probably go Aurender. Again - it’s the safe bet to sound very good, be reliable and well supported.
Just be forewarned - better streamers can make a very significant diffenence. Listen for spatial cues and openness. You may find it leads to the proverbial rabbit hole where you start considering going even further upstream. And, they’re quite responsive to cable upgrades too.
Best,
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@norust
Whats important to me would be the sound quality, an app with solid integration with Apple and TIDAL. I am leaning to Aurender as their players/transports are "streamers" / no DAC, they seem to integrate well with Apple and the Conductor app gets mixed reviews but mostly is well liked.
I went to my copy of Conductor to see if it interfaces with Apple Music. I didn’t see apple as an option, but I’m pretty sure that it will .. or am I behind with the updates?
Like all help me find xyz, there are differing opinions from knowledgeable members. Last year I went with Aurender because of three factors. 1. They only make streaming/server equipment and are well thought of. 2. A member/dealer that I have relied upon to provide me with a very musical phono preamp suggested that I go with Aurender. 3. Same member/dealer had a trade-in Aurender that I was able to buy at a reasonable price.
Fine streamer and I’m very happy with my choice. That doesn’t mean that Auralic isn’t a fine choice, but if I upgrade, I will stay with Aurender.
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I too have been shopping for a streamer, seems like 6 months, and I’ve read every review and article on the ones you listed above. I think it’s important to get a newer release with the technology and/or features changing I was on board with the Innuos Pulse until I read they did not update the cpu with the new Pulse. Might not affect you but with digital processing speed is important. The few reviews seem quite positive on the Pulse and Innuos apparently has a more musical sound compared to Lumins more relaxed or forgiving sound. I went with the U2mini for the time being but plan on the Hifi Rose rs130 if it is well made and no issues. It uses optical and has i2s, which both are supposed to improve sound quality. Not sure if that’s a top priority for you. The Auralic g2.2 gets good reviews. If you can stretch your budget, the Innuos Pulsar sounds like an awesome option. It’s essentially the Statement minus a couple of features. The Statement is quite well regarded in reviews. Anyway, good luck and let us know which direction you choose.
P.S. Not sure if you want to go this path but some dacs now have servers in them. Not streamers so you just have to download Jriver or Audirvana and use Tidals app and you don’t need a streamer. I know Bricasti does this and so does Rockna. A bit more money but you eliminate the need for a streamer. May as well sink tha into a dac for better sound quality.
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+1 on the Small Green Computer and Roon
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Having owned a Aurlic and now owning two Aurender, I definitely recommend an Aurrender. Extremely high quality sound, built like audiophile equipment, fantastic service. While Roon provides some additional search capability, to my mind it is not worth the complexity and certainly not the cost. Aurender comes with an excellent control and search function called Conductor.
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All else being equal, which it never is, I’d side with the Innuos Pulse. It’s a new model and incorporates Innuos’ latest thinking/tech and comes with their Sense app that gets very good reviews both for sonics and user interface and is constantly being upgraded. That said, you can’t go wrong with Aurender either and I’m sure you’d get a nice sonic upgrade either way. I haven’t read much on Auralic so can’t comment either way there. Best of luck.
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I counsel you to consider using ROON (with Tidal or Qobuz)) and to get a Small Green Computer Sonictransporter server and Ultra or OpticalRendu streamer. I love mine.
I know that Aurender's app is said to be the next best thing to Roon. It might be my 2nd choice, but I love Roon too much to give it up.
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@lalitk - I do so appreciate your wisdom and quick response. Glad I am not wandering down the wrong road! I would definitely jump on an N150 in the low $2K range. I view the ads here and on US Audio Mart daily and will be vigilant going forward.
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You’re on right path, Both Innuos Pulse and Aurender N150 are solid. Since their inception, their focus has been on handling digital bits as faithfully as possible. Their apps, a very important consideration in picking a streamer does not add any unnecessary coloration or manipulation of incoming stream, i.e digital bits. Look for used bargain on N150 under $2200 and save your money for DAC upgrade.
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