Just make sure you have return privileges, as I had a helluva time getting my iPad to connect to my Aurender N10. After months of fussing with Aurender customs support and sending it to Aurender for a new hard drive, I sold it for a sizable loss to TMR. Ultimately, I think my problem may have had more to do with my modem or my internet service provider (AT&T), regardless, I could not depend on it connecting. Many happy Aurender users... but it didn't work out for me.
Aurender n200, talk me out of signing on the dotted line
I’ve requested an invoice. My current system has an Audio Mirror 4 with Tele E88cc, Pass int-25, Acoustic Zen Crescendo 2 speakers and a REL 12” sub. The sound is to my taste in that it is organic, swings with the music and is not lean. It’s a bit grainy and I attribute that to the Lumin u2 mini, internet radio and Spotify sources in who-knows-what amounts. Enjoyable none-the-less as is, I am all in for the Aurender. Talk me out of it. Please!
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N200 is excellent and should be a good step up from your U2 Mini. |
yeah, I can see how that could be painful. I’ve not seen a trend, having researched a ton. My experience with failing modems (a few) is they lead me down the path of suspecting the affected device when, in fact, the modem was on its last legs. My current modem just locked up a couple of days ago, only a few months old. It’s a one gig modem with a 400 k download provider. I hope you are right about the modem. I’m still at go for the Aurender. Dammit. Thanks for the heads up. |
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@soix Aurender N200 is a dedicated streamer and not a streamer/dac combo. |
Aurender and Roon is coming........I have heard only to N series streamers. I am waiting for maybe a N20 or N30 but not until. And I wonder will there be any hardware differences? Worth waiting for me on an Aurender streamer, although I expect it will be a software update. Still I would want a new unit that is Roon certified endpoint.
As per talking you out of the N200 how much is it? I am seeing Grimm MU1's now used around 8k and they run Roon core and stream very well.. That is of course if you have decent content like Qobuz as @Soix so subtly stated:) |
I’m streamin’ and discin’ only so Roon isn’t necessary. And I love web radio. Spotify connect will do. I can experiment with other providers once the streamer is on par with the rest of the system. I’m thinking the mini is a bottleneck in any case so that’s my reasoning. Aurender’s eliminated reclocking spdif (I think) on this model but no complaints I’ve come across. Some good points made though. Thank you. |
The Aurender UI, Conductor 4 app, is actually very good. Thr N200 is super stable. I guess I’m not doing too good of a job talking the OP out of getting the N200 but it truly is a very good streamer I haven’t heard the HiFi Rose. I didn’t even have it on my list of candidates when I was making a decision.
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@wlutke I’ll add that your disc spinning days could be over when the N200 is in |
@audphile1 Ah crap, I looked up the A200 by mistake. My bad. Thanks for the correction. |
“It’s a bit grainy and I attribute that to the Lumin u2 mini, internet radio and Spotify sources” N200 is a great streamer. However, you’re feeding U2 Mini with low resolution (mp3) streams. Both Web Radio and Spotify are low fidelity and nowhere near the SQ offered Qobuz or Tidal. I doubt you will hear much improvement with N200 over U2 Mini if you continue to stream with Spotify. Before you buy N200, try Qobuz or Tidal with U2 Mini and access if you still feel the need to upgrade. |
The mini has FLAC radio and the increase in resolution is noticeable as are Tidal and Qobuz, both of which I gave a shot. What I’m reading about better streamers is an increase in dimensionality, separation, focus, realism and effortless delivery for a given resolution. I currently don’t get that even with the better streams. They can be more dynamic and focused but a bit dry and fatiguing. Maybe “grain” was a misleading way to put it. |
@wlutke keep in mind the N200 is more resolving than the U2 Mini so if the issues you’re describing exist elsewhere in your setup i.e components, cables and room acoustics, which I think they do, they will be exacerbated. You’ll figure it out when you have the N200 in your system. |
The Aurender N200 is an excellent unit. It will not be the bottleneck in your system. I have bought and tried all 3 Eversolo models including upgraded power supply and they were awful,l with a house sound in my system. The A8 was better, but still not as good as my Mac air . I got so frustrated I bit the bullet and purchased the HI Fi Rose 130 transport, thinking it would be the answer. I am glad it was the flavor of the month because I was able to sale it, for more than I paid. It also has a house sound I did not like. No dynamics at all, and a treble, that just was not right to my ears. Enter the N200. Finally a streamer that was better than my mac. The sound was natural and on par with my CD Player. I loved the N200 so much I only kept it 3 weeks and bought a new N20. I know there could be better, but I don't know how, because it is perfect in my system. Even my mp3's that I have recored are enhanced to the point, It would be hard to tell. The conductor app is easy to use and I have no problem connecting to my Ipad or iphone. |
I’m not a fan of Aurender. I started streaming with a Raspberry Pi using a DigiOne HAT for SPDIF out to my DAC. It ran great, sounded good, but wasn’t very elegant, so I replaced it with a new N100H from an authorized dealer. The Aurender was never really stable and after months of back-and-forth with Aurender’s only tech guy, I gave up. I dumped it at a loss for a Bryston BDP-3 and I’ve been happy as a clam every since. Aurender said maybe something was wrong with my filing system, but there’s nothing unusual there and I’d never had an issue using any other hardware or software. I know many audiophiles love their Aurenders, and that (along with my dealer’s recommendation) is what led to my purchase. In the end, my Aurender was nothing but a nuisance. Good riddance. |
I have, had exact experience with the N200 and iPad. Tuff to connect, can’t connect, lose connection after 10-20 minutes. Reboot iPad, reboot Aurender, reboot router. Took the iPad to Apple, said everything checks out, placed a service ticket with Aurender, back and forth, ultimately nothing they could come up with. |
As others have mentioned, the Conductor App can be an issue for some people. For me, I can not add a song to a Qobuz playlist and support is still troublshooting. Original ticket was a month or so ago. In addition, the program crashes once per session, which is any easy fix to reboot. Otherwise, the unit itself is well built and I enjoy the sound. |
I don’t see why not. Few weeks ago I compared the N200 to Marantz SA10 spinning CDs. To make certain my comparison was 🍏 to 🍏 I compared an uncompressed FLAC rips on a N200 (Samsung SSD mounted inside the Aurender) to a CD played on SA10. The N200 was connected to the SA10 via AQ Diamond USB. To be honest I preferred the N200 in some case but it was nearly impossible to distinguish. It was not worse than the CD.
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There is an Aurender N10 for sale right here on Audiogon for $3k. I just purchased a used N10 to replace the N100 and it sounds great. From what I read, these models are more organic sounding than the newer models. I never had issue with the conductor app since I purchased the N100 6 years ago. BTW- I’m also using the Audio Mirror IV. |
I won't talk you out of it. I tested the N200 in my system, along with an N10. The N200 was close enough to the N10 in some areas, and superior in other areas.....it sounded fantastic through my Denafrips Pontus II. When I upgrade, Aurender will be at the top of the list......depending on what is available at that time. If you're getting the N200 at a sizeable discount (and don't need Roon), you'll have a great streamer |
@cleeds said:
Just to reinforce this (Bryston). I been running a Bryston BDP-Pi for years. Its based on the Raspberry Pi and has been discontinued but Bryston still supplied me with support which was rarely required . This little bugger has been rock solid for years. I use it as a ROON endpoint now for streaming Qobuz but the Bryston still has my local attached storage and I easily jump back over there when I want to stream a local file. Granted the Moose interface is spartan but it works and It can even control a optical transport if you like. Someday I am going to upgrade it to the BDP-3. |
I had the Aurender N100H and hated the conductor app. It was terrible, it locked up my iPad many times and every time I connected with the app, it had to re-synch my music files to the player. This happened even when I did not add new music. I sold the unit for a big loss. I bought the Sony HAPZ1ES instead. |
I think I read somewhere there’s a problem with using an iPad (that I think was fixable through changing a setting on the iPad if memory serves, which it frequently doesn’t) but no problem with an iPhone. That was a while back so I’d hope they’d have that fixed by now but who knows. Definitely worth checking into further to avoid potential headaches. |
the 432evo Aeon sells for a similar price it is a bit more expensive, but not by a lot and offers features that aurenders don’t:
432evo servers are fully upgradable so as new parts arrive the server can be continuously improved. You can upgrade from model to model so the aeon can be upgraded to a Master Our servers are designed to run Roon and are full cores and endpoints In terms of sound quality we have compared to the n10 and n20 and we sounded better.
Dave and Troy audio Intellect NJ 432evo Dealer |
I had the N200 on my radar for months and loved it when I finally demoed it. It’s very smooth and detailed. However once I decided to also buy an MSB Discrete DAC that has a BNC Word Clock output I moved up to the Aurender N20 that has a Word Clock input. Vince at MSB recommended that I get a streamer with Word Clock input. It resulted in a significant improvement in the overall SQ of the digital front end. So if your DAC has Word Clock Output the N20 or any Streamer with Word Clock input is the way to go. Also the N20 is a noticeable step up from the N200 and also the Conductor App is excellent and very easy to use. In any case you will love the N200.
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I too have had zero issues with Conductor 3 or 4 using either of my iPads (I have a very old iPad mini 2 running Conductor 3, and a current Air running 4) or iPhone. I went from a Node to the N150. I think the Conductor app is superior in virtually every way. Rock solid, easy to use & multifunctional. |
