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Is Aurender N10 still a good option

I am just getting into streaming and I am bewildered by the number of options. So many reviews etc. So I come here to get advice from real people (I hope).

I have decided on Aurender, because they seem to be a brand that people trust generally and have uniformly good reviews.

I have had good experiences (better prices for good quality) with buying used, but in this case the tech feels so new I am wondering if the N10 which seems to have come around starting in 2015/16, I am wondering if it would be better to get a new N150 for approximately the same price.

Also, not an expert, but I think IIRC I can use my Ayre C-5xe as a DAC even if eventually I want a dedicated machine for that purpose.

Any thoughts are appreciated.

saulh
ghdprentice
7,777 posts
 

@willywonka

 

The new N30SA is newer… however the W20SE is still made and sounds better (not by a huge amount… I imagine some folks would prefer not having a battery, which I am sure is why they released it). The N30SA does not use a battery like the W20SE so it is an upgraded N20.

lalitk's avatar
lalitk
5,732 posts
 

@saulh 

Between N150 and N10, I would choose N10. For the money, N10 is pretty darn good on used market. N10’s replacement N200, is better in more than few areas. If you can afford it, go for N200 and call it a day. Aurender offers support for both Android and iOS. One important consideration, ROON is coming to Aurender and older generation models like N10 or N100 will not be compatible with ROON. Regardless of ROON support, their Conductor app is a robust app offering integrated browsing for Tidal, Spotify and Qobuz. 

@ghdprentice 

Both W20SE and N30SA are prime examples of a SOTA streamer, which one sounds better is very subjective and going to come down to rest of the system. I had them both in my home for extended period of time and I chose to go with N30SA. 

oddiofyl's avatar
oddiofyl
4,126 posts
 

I have had my N200 for a little over a year and it's been great. It's even better with the Conductor 4 app....

tomstruck's avatar
tomstruck
354 posts
 

Started with Bluesound Vault and Ayre Codex to Aurender N10 with the Codex

What a great upgrade the N10 is  now my DAC is PS Audio DAC Mk2 

Its not just the DAC its the streamer too 

My system is sounding amazing now 

Enjoy the Music

oddiofyl's avatar
oddiofyl
4,126 posts
 

I started with a Vault 2i and the N200 was a step up in every metric...   I think because Aurender mostly focuses on streamer/servers they are more proactive and thorough with firmware.  They Beta before calling something a firmware revision.  And you can opt in or out of Beta unlike that Bluesound Vault update recently that rendered my machine useless for a week. 

You do pay more for Aurender but the hardware is built like a tank and support is excellent,  to me it's worth the money....   it's your source .   The streamer quality is important if you have a resolving system,  if not then why bother just keep using a decent entry level box into a decent DAC.   I didn't think  I would buy something like the N200 but I'm glad I did. 

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