750$ Intel NUC vs $6000 Aurender N200: I don't hear the difference

@lordmelton You got me confused with someone else, I have never posted about Aurender. Also I have no affiliation with audiotroy, he was just the first to respond to my thread with his promotion.

@auxinput My system is revealing enough, it can detect minor USB cable changes, leave alone whole component changes. Please google. Nagra Tube DAC is one of the top 2-3 DACs in the world right now.

@grannyring Agreed, which is why I put the caveats, but even though the cables are different, so is the output, it doesn't explain why there isn't a big difference in the sound. From what I read and all big noise about source being as important or more important than the DAC, I expected the massive kind of upgrade that you get when you go from a $500 Allo DAC (or a similar $500 DAC) to a Bricasti M3 (A 6000$ DAC). In which case relatively MINOR CHANGES like Tidal vs Quoboz, or USB vs SPDIF, as well as USB cables or isolation won't matter. But is a shock that even a minor change like a IC, speaker change would have more effect than changing my digital source.

BTW No Isolation on both servers, but Aurender has some decent footers, the NUC none.

I am still trying hard to get Qobuz working on Aurender, will report back or might get desperate and subscribe to Tidal to make the comparisons even more legit.

Your experience is very curious to me and completely different from my experiences with Aurender servers, I still own a N100 and a W20SE. They have completely out classed all PC based servers and other similar stand alone streamers. I would work with your dealer on this. This plain should not be true.

What is your incoming power like? USB cable. There is something very wrong. While I probably would have gone with an N10… yours should best a NUC without breaking a sweat. PCs are very noisy environments… regardless of what else is running. I recommend some real problem solving to find root cause… something is not right, although it does not stand out to me.

@ghdprentice 

Agreed. Something is off, I can't figure out what. Am having another experienced audiophile friend come over this afternoon and perhaps we can sort it out.

My USB cable is Fidata: which is relatively unknown but a fabulous cable that beat Siltech and Audiomica cables in my system.

The Coaxial cable is Acoustic Revive.

TBH as an audiophile I am rooting for Aurender, not for saving bucks. I am looking forward to getting a server that will give me a massive upgrade in my digital rig. What audiophile wouldn't? Otherwise I have no place to go for a digital upgrade except some rabbit hole of ethernet cables and random network upgrades and ethernet regen and clocks and misc doodads. 

@essrand What I would suggest is eliminate the streaming first and judge each on their sonic merits alone. So record your favorite track, one that you have heard 100's of time onto a USB stick. It probably would help if it has acoustic guitar and voices. One of my references is "And You and I" by Yes.

If after comparing 20 or so times you can't hear a difference then there is no difference to be heard.

If you can then your router probably needs isolation or something else but do this first.

Good Luck.