Digital choices are daunting to me. I’ve given up on Roon ... don’t want to be a network engineer and don’t want a dedicated PC or networked system. I am drowning in information reading about all the choices.
For one box solutions, I keep coming back to Aurender. Every review is excellent, their Conductor app is said to be superb (much like the Roon app), and they offer machines for most budgets. They unpack MQA, so that the first unfold is compatible with DACs that aren’t MQA-rated. They are Tidal, Qobuz capable, and may add Amazon Music soon, it’s hinted.
Moon Audio
https://www.moon-audio.com is a dealer (online and store by appt) and I spoke to the owner DREW (
sales@moon-audio.com ). He was very generous in going into some detail explaining the differences between the Aurenders. Any errors are mine, as I had to write furiously to his replies for my questions (and I may have not had a complete list of those).
My notes are here, discussing their machines under $7000. Their
Aurender A30 Caching Music Server and CD Ripper, $18,000.00, and W20SE, get a highest rating from people like Robert Harley of Absolute Sound (iirc), but out of my league.
The ACS10 (($5600 and up) is the sweet spot for Drew. Best value and capability, he says. It has a tray-load CD drive for direct ripping of discs. It has a networking switch so it can be the hub for other Aurender devices throughout a home, to daisy-chain devices. Music files resides on each unit but it aggregates the metadata so the whole catalog is available on the Conductor app. It has a linear power supply. It will work directly with a NIMBY ripper machine (no PC needed), which you can use to bulk rip CDs, and they rent that Nimby for $100 for a month with the purchase of an Aurender. It has 8TD x 2 or 12TB x 2 internal HDD drives configured as RAID 1, mirroring. 240GB solid state buffer, which caches ripped files to eliminate jitter during playback
The ACS100 is a budget version of the ACS10. It is $3500, but includes no drives. You can install either 2 SSDs or 2 HDDs. Drew said he doesn’t think that the 2 drives can be set-up as RAID1. It has an external power supply, rather than linear internal like the ACS10 and N100 series. Has a slot-load CD ripper unit (TEAC, iirc).
The N100 series, including the new variant the N100SC. Drew says they are a great value. You will have to rip your discs separately, and the NIMBY ripper machine won’t work directly with them like it does with the ACS10. You’ll need to use a computer. This is one of their older units, but they constantly update firmware and he says they sound as good as the ACS10, or very close. A full-linear power supply provides clean and stable power to the CPU and audio output circuitry. Linear supplies are renowned for their ability to deliver a wide dynamic range capability, deep and powerful low frequency response and a wide and deep soundstage.
* N100H (2 or 4TB versions): USB connection only, with galvanized USB (don’t know what he means) and linear power supply. 120GB solid state buffer, which caches ripped files to eliminate jitter during playback
* N100C: has coaxial connect and USB, so will work with older DACs.
* new N100SC. The N100SC includes a larger 240GB caching drive so this functionality is available if a HDD or SSD is installed, which caches ripped files to eliminate jitter during playback. Has both USB and coax connections. NO internal drives installed, but you can add 2, either SSD or HDD.
Per Drew, a coaxial connection wiill transmit both DSD and PCM files, and USB only xmits PCM files.
Each unit that Moon carries has a detailed information page... won’t cut and paste here. Aurender’s website is good, but their product info isn’t up to the minute, and doesn’t include info on the newest mode ACS100 in the 2019 product guide (PDF). Their lineup also includes many units I don’t mention here.
https://aurender.comThanks, Drew! I hope I didn’t misquote you... my fault for any errors.
