Ayon S5 VS Aurender W20

In 2012 I sold my Meridian 800DAXV4 (25000 dollar new) and I
was looking for a new network player. It took 1,5 years before
I bought my first streamer.

But......it was not that easy and good as I thought it would
be. The Aurender was by far the biggest dissapointment. I
auditioned it for about 6 times. With different dac's. All
tests had the same outcome. When you compare it to a good
highend cd player you miss the full pallet of colours in the
mid freq. Even for free I don't want this sound.

In a battle at my house between the Aurender S10 and Olive
06HD it was clear that the Olive was superior. Better
dynamics, more resolution, a much sharper individual focus of
instruments and voices, better blacks, deeper and wider stage
and this has the pallet of colours in the mid freq. like the
better highend cd players.

This year I will test the Lumin streamers. When it does what
is promissed I will become Lumin dealer.

In all my tests with computers and drives with a separate dac
I noticed the limitation in the mid freq. as I just told. This
is unexeptable in my personal opinion.

In my perspective when a networkplayer has a dac inside it is
a lot more musical. This is the pallet of colours in the mid
freq, where I was talking about.

The Lumin S1 is not quite as warm as the less expensive A1 if your taste goes towards more warmth, the Lumin is amazing.

It also depends on how you were demoing the Lumin NAS or direct connection, the Lumin sounds amazing over a network connection and not as good as a direct connection via USB.

The Lumin sounds amazing, we had a customer trade in a #18k DCS Puccini in on the Lumin which outperformed the DCS.

If you want the sound of tubes an amazing tube based dac the Aqua Hifi La Scala driven by an Auralic Aeries would be a world beating combination and cost considerably less then the Ayon.

I use audio totally different than other people do in audio.
My focus is on properties. I use the full potential of all the
different properties a tool ( amp, speaker, cable,
conditioner, source etc) owns.

I use Purist Audio Limited Edition powercables. They make an
amp or source so much better sounding. A lot more analogue
sounding.

I prefer 384khz over 192khz dac because I use the extra stage
depth and width I can create with 384khz.

Same thing about a higher dynamic range. When you are aware of
all the properties a tool owns you always can achieve a much
higher endresult than the way most people work in audio.

The price range of 2495,- euro till 9999,- is for me the
perfect balance in price range. it is easy to navigate and you
can choose between PCM and DSD. I have to judge on more parts
than only my personal demands.

I have focussed on Auralic as well. But I prefer different
streamers in price range with an inbuild dac. Till now all
drive/ computer combinations with a separate dac are all
useless in my personal opinion.

I will test different Lumin players soon. The Puccini is also
a source without a soul and that is why it is fully useless in
my opinion.

I also think the Ayon S5 is a very analogue sounding streamer.
But I have to judge also for demands of clients. Missing DSD
and using 192khz and a lower dynamic range give me less space
to create my own sound and adjustments.

For example I prefered Pass Labs XA over X series untill I put
a Purist Audio Limited Edition on my Pass Labs poweramp. It
all changed my mind. After this I prefered X series over XA
series. My focus is on the endresult. This is what counts most
and how I judge at the end.

Thanks Audiotroy for your information.

When i auditioned the Lumin S1 and the Ayon S5 side by side they were both connected to the NAS via ethernet not USB.
I heard tha MSB are going to come out with a streaming option for their DACs in 2015.
Anyone aware of that ?
CH Precision already has this option for the C1 DAC.

Sofar all combinations of Dac and drives were not good enough. When I am at shows I got convinced that many distributers are not even aware of the part which is missing. This is the essential part for emotion and sound realism.

3 Weeks ago I did audition the MSB Diamond Dac. The limitation is the fact that the individuel focus of instruments and voices is not that precise and intimate as the best. This part is also a very important feature for the absolute sound.

Audio ia all about understanding music and audio. When you are not aware of all the different properties of each tool it is a lot more difficult to get to the best sound possible. In most situations most audio/music lovers and even distributers and shop owners only use a part of all those properties their source owns.

When I have auditioned the Lumin streamers I will write my thoughts!