Aurender music servers: higher priced ones sonically better?

@audioman58, I agree that DAC Streamer combinations, like DCS, Bricasti, etc. offer less steps and cables.   The use of an Ethernet cable offers many advantages including its sound quality.   For me, the biggest issue is the interface used to access QoBuz, etc.  Do these DAC streamers offer  a connection to my stored CD's?    

My Aurender N20 Music Server stores my CD albums on an internal  solid state hard drive and enables me to select from stored CD's, QoBuz and Internet radio stations.  For me, the big plus is the Aurender Conductor App that provides easy access to all my musical sources including the wonderful QoBuz Playlists.     

I sometimes use MConnect on my Bricasti M21 DAC and it works fine.  I am not  fan of the MConnect interface and find it hard to use.  I much prefer using the Aurender Conductor App.  I briefly experimented with ROON but did not like it.   
 

@tomstruck you will love the Pandora. I am 7 years in with no real urge to change, except maybe Eclipse…..maybe…

tomic601 
Hope all is well with you and yours 
I have never looked back on any decision on Aesthetix or Vandersteen just moving up the lines

Enjoy the Music 
Tom

I don’t know much about the aurender, but i have streamed from itunes/bitperfect and (i cant recall the name) on my Macbook pro, and for years i have used Roon on a dedicated server. All three outperformed the CD player to the same DAC(s).

I will point out that Roon offers a number of advantages; since i have rarely used anything else in the last tow years, i can say how much they impact the sound - but the content difference is startling ( I have a love/hate relationship with Roon)

But here’s are the two things:

One -- there will be differences, based on implementation (hardware, powering, grounding, ...)

Two: on the other hand, if the software plays the music back bit perfect, you can get identical results.

Why? two critical factors in digital are magnitude and timing. Timing is the harder of the two since it is quasi analog. (read my blog on SonogyResearch if you want more). And timing is determined by the receiving DAC, but compromised by the player’s signal from which it must be derived. I admit there are some details deep down that i cannot explain. yet :-)

Roon is an interface has nothing to do with sound quality