Why I Sold My Aurender N200

Cool. Thanks!

@navyachts that is the best destination for the money you got back from the N200 sale. Enjoy the Bricasti it’s an awesome DAC that will bring a smile to your face every time you listen to music. Best part about this hobby is if you realize you have made a mistake when you sold something you can always buy it back for around the same price you sold it. I did this with my Bricasti M3 earlier - sold it, went thru 2 DACs and one SACD player with a built in DAC that I used for streaming only to buy the Bricasti M3 back again. All part of the game. 
Be safe and healthy this holiday season!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

@rsf507 not to take this conversation elsewhere but I’ve owned the M3 with network card and used it as roon endpoint. I also tried it with Mconnect.
It compares well with Lumin U1 Mini that I had and sold because I couldn’t distinguish it from the M3 network card. But I’ve taken the musicality of my system to a completely different level when I bought my Aurender N200. I came to a realization on how inferior streaming with that network card is when I compared it to a cheap Audiolab 6000CDT transport and got the doors blown off the M3 network card. Good streamer is essential at least for me in my system. The Bricasti M3 I bought back is a straight DAC without network. 

Roon done right (Grimm MU1 or MU2 or Merging Tech are core as well as streamers and purpose built for Roon). 
The problem for me was Roon sound quality which is sterille and not engaging. It is the case with network card in Bricasti as well as using Aurender N200 as Roon endpoint point. Using Aurender Conductor is significantly better. 
So if you are comparing N200 to Bricasti network card using Roon, I can see why you can’t tell the difference. I cancelled Roon for now as after extensive comparison I couldn’t stand listening to dull and sterile sound that Roon produces in my system configuration. YMMV. If you like it, you saved yourself a nice chunk of change. 

@navyachts audirvana has Bricasti in the list of “Plays” approved partners. 
Have you tried Audirvana vs Roon via network/ethernet? 
I’m curious if you hear any differences there. I’ve tried audirvana long time ago before Bricasti in my system and my current M3 is DAC only no network. If you get around to do this comparison please either post here or message me. 

@navyachts as long as you are running roon core on a computer and streaming to bricasti over network it will be fine. If Audirvana site is accurate about Bricasti compatibility, it should work exactly the same way - audirvana on your computer, streaming over network, computer away from your system. 
 

Somehow I have a feeling Audirvana sound quality may be better than Roon but I can’t check that in my system as I mentioned earlier my DAC is not equipped with network card. 

As to the difference between M21 and your M1S2, I’m pretty sure the delta sigma and DSD sections are identical and the 2 DACs will sound the same. What sets the M21 apart is the R2R section. And many who own M21 prefer its R2R DAC over the delta sigma. Don’t take my word for it though if you’re looking to upgrade confirm this with Joe. 

@navyachts no but you should be. The galvanic isolators need two cables. You only have one. Or is your thought process that with the galvanic isolator you can use a $3 cable? Lol

@navyachts you got it! 
Since you are running Ethernet straight into Bricasti you can try iFi LAN iSilencer. 
I have it connected to my erro node then connect purist Ethernet cable into it on one end and into my N200 on the other. The iFi gizmo doesn’t do 💩 in my system but it definitely doesn’t hurt it - multiple extensive sessions comparing sound with and without it proved it’s harmless so I left it in. Given the fact that the N200’does a better job isolating network, plus it caches the songs onto SSD, I’m not surprised the iFi thingy has no effect but on your system now it’s worth trying. With Amazon return policy it’s a no brainer. 

 

https://a.co/d/bEAiPrM

@navyachts the iFi noise filter is very interesting. It converts copper to fiber then back to copper. Galvanic isolation should reduce noise and jitter. Only way to know is to try. You can also upgrade to linear power supply later.
With this iFi LAN purifier you would need a good Ethernet cable for the input though. Keep that in mind.

oh and with the galvanic isolator recommended by @erik_squires and @bigby you need a second Ethernet cable as well. With the iFi $89 gizmo you don’t as it has a connector of its own. Definitely try these though.

@marco1 if you get to try the iFi purifier with N200 please ket us know or message me. Much appreciated. 

:) I love that cable and compared it to LinkUp and Supra. It beats both. But I’m fine with just one.
If you reach out to Purist they might make you a custom shorter version. I found the owner Jim to be pretty good on responding to emails and providing advice (I used to run Purist sp cables with my Martin Logans few years ago…reached out with a question and had an answer next day).

@navyachts if the objective is to improve sound quality by tweaking something in the network chain have you considered upgrading your Ethernet cable? I really don’t think you’re going to get any sonic benefit from any of the filters, switches, etc.

I’m right there with @lalitk on cheap network tweaks. The cure is often worse than the disease.

Better yet, if you are looking to improve sound quality, have you considered upgrading your interconnects or speaker cables? Just some food for thought if you’re after sonic improvements. Much bigger ROI to be had in signal cables than in network tweaks. 

@navyachts  The question I asked was pretty simple and common. You’re looking for improvements and I asked about the links that make the most difference.

By the way I still use the purist Ethernet cable, N200 and Bricasti after comparing each of these to multiple other choices. I really don’t think I, together with others who provided suggestions, had steered you wrong with any of the recommendations. You got all top flight stuff. But hey if it doesn’t work for you just sell it. Go back to what you had before and be happy. In this hobby there are many ways to skin the cat…