I went to Aurender and Conductor after using the JRiver interface for years. Can't fault the sound quality. Conductor is a different story. Has always worked properly, just not much in the way of options or music management. Conductor can't even read tags, which is my biggest complaint, and when I ask about it the response from Support is we'll look into it, and nothing further. They just don't seem open to improving the functionality of the app.
Aurender Conductor app reliability and user experience
I'm on the fence about buying an Aurender A200 streamer+DAC. I auditioned one using an identical system I have at home (Moon 340i and Dynaudio Contour 20i). I really liked what I heard in the store, the DAC is transparent and does a great separation of vocals and instruments. I used the app on an iPad and looked/worked ok.
The app is so downvoted in the app store and have read a couple of complaints, that I'm doubting the quality of the software. I used Roon for two years, but I stopped using it because of the price. Right now I'm mostly using Tidal Connect and using a Blusound Node 2i as a streamer.
What has been your experience with the Conductor app? Can you use it on an iPhone? Is it kind of mandatory to use an iPad?
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- 48 posts total
I’m late to the game here. Aurender is a fairly solid experience, but it does not parallel or eclipse Roon as a user interface and experience. As mentioned above, there are some lack of capabilities (meta tag editing, lyrics, etc), but basic functionality is very reliable. If glitches are ever hit, typically you can just clear the cache in the settings menu, or worst case scenario, restart. That said, playing music through Conductor sounds better. The software/operating system always makes a difference in sonics, and Roon has reportedly made sonics suffer. @robertkpax I am an Aurender dealer and have much experience across their product lines. The A200 is a great unit, and as others have mentioned, there are also many benefits both sonically and in maximizing your investment in the long run by pursuing their N200 and a separate DAC - but the A200 is still a great unit if you do not plan to continue to upgrade down the road… or if you find a dealer that can offer an upgrade / trade-in program for the A200 you buy. I’d be happy to answer any other questions you have on the Aurender line over this chat or via private message.
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I use an Aurender A15. I very much like the Conductor app. I’ve never had any issues. Coming from Roon with my last setup, Lumin U1 mini and a Denafrips Pontus, the A15 is a big improvement in sound and reliability. I missed Roon initially because I found new music I didn’t have before but I do not miss it with the Aurender working so well. |
I bought my Aurender new from an authorized dealer on 1/23/20. The first support request was on 1/30/20 and reviewing my email archive with "Ari," it’s amazing how many issues this thing had. Problems continued through around 9/17/20, when I gave up and sold it to The Music Room, in another excellent transaction with them. I replaced the freakin’ Aurender with a Bryston BDP-3 and have been happy ever since. In hindsight, I should have dumped the thing much sooner. The SQ of the Aurender was excellent, btw, when it worked, which was not nearly often enough. |
- 48 posts total