aurender N100H

dentlfly

Well-Known Member
Jun 29, 2016
10
1
106
charlotte, north carolina
anyone have hands on with this unit and could offer feedback? thx.

ed
 

asiufy

Industry Expert/VIP Donor
Jul 8, 2011
3,711
723
1,200
San Diego, CA
almaaudio.com
Hi Ed,

I have, and it's a great unit! Performs flawlessly, day in day out... Its only down side is USB-only digital outputs!
What do you want to know specifically about it?


cheers,
alex
 

dentlfly

Well-Known Member
Jun 29, 2016
10
1
106
charlotte, north carolina
this will be my first entry into computer/server music. would the music stored on the aurender or any server sound better or the same as playing cd on my oppo 105D? just wondering other than convenience and a new way of picking music would i be better off looking at a better cd player and DAC? thanks.

ed
 

audioguy

WBF Founding Member
Apr 20, 2010
2,794
73
1,635
Near Atlanta, GA but not too near!
I don't have that product but have been using a music server for a very long time. I went that direction when the music server was blind compared to the dCS player and there was no contest (server won). My guess as to why: I have always thought digital's shortcoming was taking it from the source to the physical disc, not digital itself. The software my server uses to rip music does all kinds of error checking where as my Oppo has no chance to do that in real time. Whether that actually has anything do with why I think it sounds better I don't know. Add the sonics and convenience, and you will never go back.
 

asiufy

Industry Expert/VIP Donor
Jul 8, 2011
3,711
723
1,200
San Diego, CA
almaaudio.com
ˆˆˆ
what he said :)

If you rip your CDs properly, and play the files back through a proper server, there's no chance for the Oppo, who must read the disc in real time.

One thing, though: AFAIK, the Oppo has no USB DAC inputs, so you won't be able to use that particular Aurender model. My suggestion is to go with new standalone DAC paired to the Aurender.
 

Custodian

Member
May 26, 2013
41
0
6
Interesting debate. After not using my DCS transport for many months, last week I put it back into my Scarlatti system and compared SACD quality from disk with Flac 16/44 playback of ripped or Qobus streamed material using my Aurender s10. No contest! The disk player is being sold together with my remaining disks.

All I want now is for Aurender to continue their software updates to give me internet radio in the UK.
 

Popspin

Well-Known Member
Apr 28, 2015
104
54
258
Very positive experience with the N100H. My music has been ripped to a Synology NAS and the playback with the Conductor app has been quite reliable. The scanning of the meta data works well now that I have an Apple.
Another factor not to overlook is support Aurender provides. Requests are initiated right in the Conductor app and response from Korea is prompt and good.
I find the sound to be on the warmer side of digital. Complimenting the N100H with components that don't sound "digital" results in a fantastic sounding system.
I realize the N100h is not their high end unit so I look forward to moving up the Aurender foodchain.
Another factor that might affect your results is selection of the USB converter if you need one. I've found the Berkeley, which I use to concern to AES, sounds best to me. Try a couple of them to figure which suits your ears best.
One issue that affected me was playing music from a USB stick using the Berkeley: it doesn't work reliably!! Somehow they don't communicate cleanly so when you push the play button it doesn't work!! After removing and reconnecting the USB cable from the N100h and the Berkeley did it sometimes work. Swap out the Berkeley with another converter and all worked fine. Quite frustrating having an expensive system that won't play music!! The good news is that if your music is loaded on the N100h or on a NAS this problem is eliminated.
Good luck!
Popspin
 

asiufy

Industry Expert/VIP Donor
Jul 8, 2011
3,711
723
1,200
San Diego, CA
almaaudio.com
Hi Popsin!

I agree with your assessment of the Aurender's character!
Reading your post, I thought you might want to investigate an Aurender N10 sooner rather than later, given that you're using a USB converter anyway, and the N10 will provide you with a clean(-er) digital output to your DAC (SPDIF via Coax or BNC), instead of converting USB in a separate box. It's not AES, so I don't know how that'll work with your DAC...

cheers!
alex
 

Popspin

Well-Known Member
Apr 28, 2015
104
54
258
Hi Alex:
Yes!! I was heading in that direction but choose not to say that yet.
I totally agree and if I bought today I would get the N10!! Exactly for the reason you state. Add up the cost of the N100h, the Berkeley converter and a high quality USB cable and you end up so close to the cost of the N10 it almost becomes a no-brainer. Unfortunately I didn't quite see that when I purchased and my former dealer failed to advise me properly.
The N10 does eliminate the need for the USB cable and converter by providing an AES output (for others to understand, Alex) and provides improved sound quality along with more internal storage. The N10 is my next step as I watch what Aurender does to update the W20.
In the meantime I remain extremely happy listening to the N100h.
Popspin
 

asiufy

Industry Expert/VIP Donor
Jul 8, 2011
3,711
723
1,200
San Diego, CA
almaaudio.com
Hi

could you explain what do you mean with "to rip properly"
I do it myself with my an Apple extern CD reader into MacBookPro SSD in AIFF ... right / wrong ?

thank's

Hi!

Yes, AIFF is my format of choice. I use the XLD app to rip the CDs, instead of iTunes, and I recommend you do the same :) It can rip directly into iTunes, if you're still using it to catalog your stuff...



cheers,
alex
 

About us

  • What’s Best Forum is THE forum for high end audio, product reviews, advice and sharing experiences on the best of everything else. This is THE place where audiophiles and audio companies discuss vintage, contemporary and new audio products, music servers, music streamers, computer audio, digital-to-analog converters, turntables, phono stages, cartridges, reel-to-reel tape machines, speakers, headphones and tube and solid-state amplification. Founded in 2010 What’s Best Forum invites intelligent and courteous people of all interests and backgrounds to describe and discuss the best of everything. From beginners to life-long hobbyists to industry professionals, we enjoy learning about new things and meeting new people, and participating in spirited debates.

Quick Navigation

User Menu

Steve Williams
Site Founder | Site Owner | Administrator
Ron Resnick
Site Co-Owner | Administrator
Julian (The Fixer)
Website Build | Marketing Managersing