Track down a used or BNIB Auralic Aries Mini. Picked one up (BNIB) a couple months ago for less than $250. Has a DAC, but it’s bypassed if you route the outbound signal into an external DAC. Mine is fed by ethernet. To date, it’s functioned perfectly as a Roon endpoint (I’ve also used it plenty, sans Roon, with Auralic’s Lighting DS app).
—Specs—
Music Sources
- Music file on NAS or computer
- USB drive
- Internal storage
- TIDAL Qobuz & WiMP lossless streaming
- vTuner Internet Radio
- AirPlay and Songcast
- Bluetooth 4.0
Supported File Types
- AAC, AIF, ALAC, APE, DIF, DSF, FLAC, MP3, OGG, WAV, WV and WMA
Sampling Rates
- PCM in 44.1Khz - 384Khz (16 - 32bits)
- DSD64, DSD128, DSD256
Control Software
- AURALiC Lightning DS
- OpenHome compatible control software
- uPnP AV compatible control software
Media Server Compatibility
- Built-in Lightning Server
- Compatible with Minimserver, Twonky, Asset UPnP
On-Device Control
- Front panel key with user defined function
Input Port
- RJ45 Gigabit Ethernet
- 802.11ac Tri-Band WiFi connection
- USB 2.0 High-Speed for external USB drive
Output Port
- USB 2.0 High-Speed for compatible DAC*
- Coaxial, TOSLINK**
- Singled-ended line output
Line Output Specification
- Frequency Response: 20 - 20KHz, +/- 0.1dB***
- THD+N: <0.002%, 20Hz-20KHz at 0dBFS
- Dynamic Range: 110dB, 20Hz-20KHz, A-weighted
- Output Voltage: 2Vrms
Power Consumption
- 6Watt for average working condition
- 15Watt at max (with internal storage installed)
Dimension
- Appox. 5.5"W x 5.5"D x 1.1"H (14cm x 14cm x 3cm)
Weight
- 1 pound (0.5kg)