That BNC cable you referenced is $750. The BNC connection from the MSB to the Aurender is transmitting clocking. Not audio. So do I need an expensive cable?
Aurender Model Choices
Before I ask my question let me provide some context.
My system includes the following:
New MacBook Air Running itunes/Music serving hundreds of stored CDs
Macbook connected to my Benchmark DAC3 via Audioquest Coffee USB Cable
DAC balanced connection to Benchmark HPA4 PreAmp
PreAmp balanced connection to Benchmark ABH2 Amp
Benchmark Amp connected to Harbeth C7es-XD Speakers
This configuration has provided a neutral clean, and balanced sound. Really no complaints. However I wanted to add Streaming. So I Signed up for Qobuz and downloaded the App to my MacBook. Using WiFi I found that the Qobuz stream offered superior sound quality to my local CD library. Even Redbook CD quality was better plus the HiRes albums were really good
So now I need to get a dedicated Streamer. Using the MacBook is not convenient and from what I’ve read a Streamer should offer additional SQ enhancement. I’ve done a lot of research and really like the Aurender products plus when I recently purchased my speakers I auditioned them with an Aurender Model 100. The sound was excellent. I plan to go back in a few weeks to audition the $6k N200 model. I’m sure it will sound very good but I will be left wondering what does the N20 sound like? How much better can it be for another $6K? Unfortunately my dealer doesn’t have one to audition and neither does any other dealer near me. I’ve read comments on several forums that the N20 is twice as good as the N200 or that the N200 is nipping at the heals of the N20 or that the N20 just offers a 20% increase in SQ or the N20 blows the N200 out of the water. Without a side by side audition I’m struggling with paying twice the price without a demonstrable and significant SQ improvement. I would expect a SQ that once heard I could never settle for the less expensive model. In my recent experience a more expensive model does’t always win. When buying my speakers I auditioned the Harbeth C7es-XD and the more expensive 30.2 XD model. After almost an hour of back and forth I preferred the lower priced model.
So to conclude has anyone had the opportunity to audition the N20 and N200 together?
If so please Specifically what if any SQ differences did you hear and were they worth an additional $6k?
As I listen to my system streaming from my MacBook with wonderfully smooth, clean HiRes sound I wonder can I actually get significantly more improvement for $6k or $12K?
Thanks for any info and experiences you can provide.
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“do i need an expensive cable” Simple answer is NO. Keep in mind, you are dealing with a sine wave that is easily susceptible to noise and jitter. Start with a generic 75 ohms cable and you may or may not appreciate any improvements over a very fine N20’s OCXO internal clock. The impedance and shielding characteristics of a clock cable are of utmost importance in maintaining the integrity of sine wave signal between the two devices being clocked. A better cable will allow you to appreciate the enhanced realism and transparency typically realized from a superior clocking system. BTW, you need 75ohm cable not 50ohm as I previously stated since Discrete DAC only has word clock output. As @audphile1 pointed out, settle in with your gear and address cabling at later stages of your journey. You can refer to my system when you’re ready to experiment with better cabling. |
@jfrmusic, I suggest you ask Vince from MSB what word clock cable you should use between the Aurender N20 and the MSB DAC (highly recommended). Change the Conductor App word clock setting for the N20 to use the word clock option. I also suggest you ask your Retailer what hard drives (including sizing for your albums) they recommend for your Aurender N20 to include explaining the Aurender N20 Conductor App hard drive format instructions. Your Aurender Conductor App includes a Remote Internet Technical Support if you have any issues. This allows Aurender to connect to your unit, if needed. Please discuss with your retailer and read the on line Aurender instructions for transferring music files to your Aurender Music Server to include how to handle the album cover art. Aurender Music servers scan locally stored files for embedded artwork. If there is no embedded cover art for the file, then the scanner checks the folder the files are located in for a "folder.jpg","cover.jpg", or "front.jpg" (".png" files work too) image associated with the files to indicate a front album cover. When neither of these criteria are met, the software will display a generic image as album cover art. Unfortunately, some media software programs such as iTunes handle cover art much differently. Instead of using embedded album artwork tags, iTunes uses "sidecar" files containing album cover art and other metadata. Unfortunately, this data is not relevant or viewable outside of iTunes. This process is a little complicated so please confirm everything before you start the actual transfer. I suggest a test of loading 10 albums before you transfer everything. Click here for handling album cover art Click link for transferring albums to Aurender I suggest you connect to QoBuz first to ensure everything works and sounds great. After this, you can deal with setting up your hard drives and loading them with content. Please scan the Conductor App settings to ensure your settings are correct for your application. I hope this helps.
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- 134 posts total