Aurender music servers: higher priced ones sonically better?

@ghdprentice, can you say more?
I clearly had a different experience, and its unclear what steps you took to get good sound out of a "macbook and/or PC".  Further, mac books and PCs are significantly different -- starting with, until very, very recently PCs didn't even support USB high res audio profile 2.  And, while there is huge variation, their power supplies are much noisier. Any SMPS is bad, but Apple's are typically "less bad".  The best procedure is to run them off battery for critical listening.  Will a dedicated server with a dedicated set of isolated LPS bet better? Sure - just like i built for Roon.

Did you use Bitperfect (you really need to, and its 10 bucks).  And the list goes on.  Without that your data point is useful o you, but not very valid as a learning point for others. Plus I'd like o now why the discrepancy.

I worked with streaming on two fronts for about fifteen years. My main system and what eventually became my library headphone system. See my systems by clicking on my user ID.

During this time I used many different software and storage combos on my headphone system. I settled on Ayre QB-9 DAC… lots of power conditioning and a $500 USB cable that finally got some real magic out of the system. I had and have a number of high end headphones. I use high quality Woo headphone amps.

On my main system I was running a Sim Moon 650D DAC with a Sim Moon 820 power supply. I used an MacBook that I carefully unplugged when using as a server. I have since upgraded this whole system in a big way. The Aurender W20se streamer seemed expensive until i turned it on and listened. Finally some competition with vinyl.


I did all sorts of software and format changes. I doubt there was much I didn’t try. Bought a bunch of high res files. Tried from the MacBook, USB storage, network storage. All sorts of interconnects. The more I think back the more stuff I realized I tried.

Anyway, I didn’t get real audiophile quality sound until I finally broke down and got dedicated streamers. I was resistant… “it’s only a PC in a different box”, why should I spend so much money? The difference was profound.

I did all sorts of software and format changes. I doubt there was much I didn’t try. Bought a bunch of high res files. Tried from the MacBook, USB storage, network storage. All sorts of interconnects. The more I think back the more stuff I realized I tried.

But none of this is very specific and none addresses the ground isolation, jitter or processor load (which generates noise) which are the critical factors to optimize. I suspect that is all your streamers do - all the necessary EE blocking and tackling. But hat can all be done to Roon running on  NUC with a RPi bridge - with much effort. Or similarly, some can be addressed with a Laptop especially (since they can run on battery).

That's what I'm trying to understand - and i think is good learning for other starting down the path. Throwing money at it certainly can solve the problem, but takes, well, a pile of money.

I was an IT guy with a real passion for high end audio. Most of this experimentation I did over a period of ten years. If I had a good memory and an interest I could reconstruct all the fiddling I did. I have not either. But dealing with jitter (hence using a USB DAC that re-timed the bit stream), shutting down all other processes, heavy power conditioning… etc we’re all stuff I did. Still in comparison to a good streamer it was totally inadequate. I am sure given the amount of money i spent trying to tweak my pc based systems I could have bought a good streamer and had better sound much sooner. Today, even more so, since streamers are so much more available. Sorry, that is about as deep into the weeds as I want to get, sounds like you would like a more technical answer… once I have an epiphany like I did with streamers I leave the past go and move on. 

I believe if you really spent an incredible amount of time at this futzing around you could get close to a low end streamer… yes. That is why I spent so much time at it… to save money. The problem is PCs are simply not created with noise reduction and power conditioning in mind. A good streamer is built from the ground up with that in mind.

If you enjoy futzing around with NUCs and different components… that is great. What ever you enjoy. I used to enjoy evaluating the sound of interconnects and cables. But for a normal folks looking for as good of sound reproduction as they can get within there budget then a streamer is likely to be the path to take. Unfortunately, really high end sound is expensive. Cheaper today than it was twenty years ago. Just trying to be helpful to most folks here. When you have some time, go borrow a good quality streamer from a dealer.

The problem is PCs are simply not created with noise reduction and power conditioning in mind.

Correct.  Which is why i advocate simply isolating it and creating a dedicated low noise power supply on the "clean"side and allowing the Mac streamer to be dirty.  trying to fix the computer will have diminishing returns (but running of battery makes  a huge difference, with lots of limitations).  This is why i wanted to know precisely what you tried and didn't.

NUCs are actually quite good if dedicated and with dedicated,and split/isolated power.  RPis make good bridges (but start with the Pi4 or you will fight a lot of architectural issues).  I mean, have you looked at what's inside the box of many streamers?  Often a NUC or a Pi (as embedded).