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

A nuc was never designed as a low noise music oriented device. 

the high end servers were all designed from the ground up for music

we have tested many different servers to date the high end Roon core endpoints 

innous and 432EVO servers have sounded the best

Dave and Troy

Audio intellect NJ

It totally feasible that putting an alternative Device into a particular system has the capability to improves on the device it is replacing. It is also possible that the device that has shown an improvement in one particular system may have the capability of reciprocating the impression it has been able to make if used within further systems, or maybe not.

Here is the conundrum and in keeping with this thread, the actual margin of improvement and the assessment of the impression the perceived improvement is offering are subjective and the assessment is unique to the reporter of their findings. I have no problem with this, I do it myself, but I don't expect the information to be taken as factual for all situations, it is merely a assessment of a experience that I have encountered.

@ deer_creek_audio is offering a description of a subjective assessment from a customer, where there was a cause for bemusement, when trying to fathom out how two vastly different priced devices had very noticeable similarities in their sonic performances.  This is very little in difference to the subjective assessment and description on offer from the OP @essrand .

If the Purchase Price of a device is to be judged in conjunction with a devices Sonic Capabilities, there is plenty on offer within this thread to encourage an individual who is considering spending monies to further their investigations into how they can achieve their next acquisition. 

It might only be limited to myself, but the effect of the information offered within this thread, has encouraged myself to extend my thoughts on my planning to produce a streaming Source within my system.      

Usb taken off motherboard is terrible way to stream, better is optimized usb out, this means separate card and power supply such as Jcat. Best is ethernet out, many high end servers don't have. Ethernet out allows post server fiber conversion and separate streamer, both are critical to optimal streaming. Personally, I'd never purchase any server without two ethernet connections.

@essrand @ricky64 

For clarity on the Grimm MU1 via USB -- that was the Part Time Audiophile review. The reviewer's point  is that ONLY the AES (and at some point the S/PDIF, maybe they've around done that) is an optimized output on the Grimm, i.e. the output is re-clocked and re-sampled. The USB on the Grimm is ordinary and sounds exactly the same as the USB out of a NUC/Nucleus. Grimm is very explicit about what their server does and doesn't do. Do not buy their product if you'd only use it for USB.

You know what? You save me a $6000, I will buy a mini desktop HP and upgrade memory, ssd instead throw $6000 over a door. Thank you so much friend