Congrats on the upgrade. What fuse did the Masters replace in each device? Did you ever try the Master just in one of two components? I'm trying to figure out if it will make more of a difference in my Innuos Statement Next Gen server or MSB Reference DACI have the Synergistic Research fuses installed.
(1) Master on the EMM Labs DV2 and (1) Master on the Aurender N30 music server.
While I had the components open, I also added a little Mad Scientist Graphene on some of the contacts, including the fuses.
Right when I powered the system up, no bass at all, kinda weird?
I had to check if the subs were functioning.
Only took about a day for things to shape up.
Supposed to take about 300 hours to burn in, but I like the improvement in sound so far.
Hard to describe, but it just sounds more relaxed and the music seems to flow effortlessly with improved imaging.
Haven't had time to sit and listen for an extended amount of time yet.
I am willing to pay the cost for the improvement, which hopefully only gets better in time!
Thanks.
Aurender N30 - To stay competitive in 2021
- Thread starter CKKeung
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Christiaan Punter
Well-Known Member
I've not heard them side by side but I have an Oladra as well as a Grimm MU1. Not too long ago, I compared my MU1 in a store to the Aurender N30sa. As such, I have a broad idea of how they compare. Do note that the performance of the Oladra and Grimm ties in heavily with Roon, which can vary according to the build. The Aurender on the other hand uses MPD which is said not to be influenced by updates.
I would say it's not a matter of quality but of personal preference as the two sound quite different. As far as I can tell based on my casual comparisons, the Aurender sounds tighter, more controlled, more articulate, and perhaps slightly more revealing, while the Oladra counters with a fuller bass and a more saturated, more free-flowing and more organic sound.
From an Antipodes and Aurender owner...I had problems with an Antipodes K50. The K50 would not recognize USB drives, and sometimes would not connect to the network. Two live remote sessions with Antipodes did not solve the problem, and I eventually returned the K50 for credit toward a different streamer/server.
I had no similar USB or network issues with streamers from Lumin, SGC, Auralic, Innuos and Rockna.
Two years later, I bought an Aurender N30SA, and have had no problems whatsoever.
I can't compare their sound, as the time period between owning them is too long.
I can say the N30SA is the first streamer/server I have owned that is clearly steps above others I have owned or auditioned.
I had no similar USB or network issues with streamers from Lumin, SGC, Auralic, Innuos and Rockna.
Two years later, I bought an Aurender N30SA, and have had no problems whatsoever.
I can't compare their sound, as the time period between owning them is too long.
I can say the N30SA is the first streamer/server I have owned that is clearly steps above others I have owned or auditioned.
I found this excellent review of the Aurender N30SA in Aurender’s Facebook group site:
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@QuadDiffuser Thanks for the link, I just requested to join that group.
It’s been a while since I posted to this thread, and a few months after purchasing my N30SA in 2022, I became an Aurender dealer.
I did want to share an experience I had recently, when Aurender was kind enough to loan me the MC10 master clock to try with my N30SA and my AP20 all-in-one integrated.
I use the T+A SDV 3100 HV for my preamp and DAC, which does not have a word clock input, so I was skeptical about how much improvement I should expect just by hooking the MC10 to my N30SA. Well, to my surprise, it made an immediately noticeable positive improvement in performance. Compared to the N30SA’s internal clock, the MC10 and a decent BNC cable simply delivers better timing. Images just snap in focus more, which helps portray the soundstage depth better, and decay lingers more effortlessly. It’s one of those things that are hard to live without once you hear it.
Interestingly, the MC10 made a bigger improvement with my N30SA and T+A separates than it did on the AP20, despite the N30SA having a better internal clock. I attribute the gain in performance due to the fact that my reference stack is more resolving and as such was more readily able to show what the MC10 is capable of.
The nice thing about using an external clock with any capable Aurender is that Conductor has a simple switch in the advanced settings menu that can be toggled to sync to the external clock or use the internal clock. It makes it really easy to compare with and without and hear the impact of the MC10.
I recently was away for the last three weeks on a road trip, so I had to return the demo unit so prior so they could pass it on to the next dealer. Now that I’m back, I’m thirsty to have the MC10 back in the chain. They got me hooked, and now I need to place my order soon.
It’s been a while since I posted to this thread, and a few months after purchasing my N30SA in 2022, I became an Aurender dealer.
I did want to share an experience I had recently, when Aurender was kind enough to loan me the MC10 master clock to try with my N30SA and my AP20 all-in-one integrated.
I use the T+A SDV 3100 HV for my preamp and DAC, which does not have a word clock input, so I was skeptical about how much improvement I should expect just by hooking the MC10 to my N30SA. Well, to my surprise, it made an immediately noticeable positive improvement in performance. Compared to the N30SA’s internal clock, the MC10 and a decent BNC cable simply delivers better timing. Images just snap in focus more, which helps portray the soundstage depth better, and decay lingers more effortlessly. It’s one of those things that are hard to live without once you hear it.
Interestingly, the MC10 made a bigger improvement with my N30SA and T+A separates than it did on the AP20, despite the N30SA having a better internal clock. I attribute the gain in performance due to the fact that my reference stack is more resolving and as such was more readily able to show what the MC10 is capable of.
The nice thing about using an external clock with any capable Aurender is that Conductor has a simple switch in the advanced settings menu that can be toggled to sync to the external clock or use the internal clock. It makes it really easy to compare with and without and hear the impact of the MC10.
I recently was away for the last three weeks on a road trip, so I had to return the demo unit so prior so they could pass it on to the next dealer. Now that I’m back, I’m thirsty to have the MC10 back in the chain. They got me hooked, and now I need to place my order soon.
Hello Bliss HiFi,
Which cable/connection are you using between your N30SA and your DAC, S/PDIF or USB?
If it's the former, benefits can potentially be heard through a superior external clock + connector + cable system aiming to lower jitter (although quite often that's hard to achieve), as the clock signal is embedded in the data stream. If it's the latter, the asynchronous clock signal will march to the clock inside the DAC, and by design any external clock connected to the N30SA will not improve, or even change the sound. This is the pitfall which many audiophiles fall into, one which Aurender should do a better job of educating potential buyers about, as it shouldn't be just about using FOMO to grow revenue.
BTW, the rubidium clock module inside their top-of-the-line MC20 does not pass my sniff test, as long-term clock stability of a Rb clock is not the objective for external clocks in audio, but rather short-term phase drift/noise... very basic science which Aurender chose to gloss over. I'm NOT a fan. See my post from nearly two years ago: https://www.whatsbestforum.com/thre...competitive-in-2021.32203/page-10#post-816184
Eyeballing the graphs and specs of a typical Rb clock, both its phase noise and Allan deviation appear to be one logarithmic quantum (10x worse?) than the product below:
I have the OP21a (with the LTPW-2), using three out of four clock outputs, for my SOtM USBultra and two units of the SOtM nH-10G.
Its specs are superb:
Which cable/connection are you using between your N30SA and your DAC, S/PDIF or USB?
If it's the former, benefits can potentially be heard through a superior external clock + connector + cable system aiming to lower jitter (although quite often that's hard to achieve), as the clock signal is embedded in the data stream. If it's the latter, the asynchronous clock signal will march to the clock inside the DAC, and by design any external clock connected to the N30SA will not improve, or even change the sound. This is the pitfall which many audiophiles fall into, one which Aurender should do a better job of educating potential buyers about, as it shouldn't be just about using FOMO to grow revenue.
BTW, the rubidium clock module inside their top-of-the-line MC20 does not pass my sniff test, as long-term clock stability of a Rb clock is not the objective for external clocks in audio, but rather short-term phase drift/noise... very basic science which Aurender chose to gloss over. I'm NOT a fan. See my post from nearly two years ago: https://www.whatsbestforum.com/thre...competitive-in-2021.32203/page-10#post-816184
Eyeballing the graphs and specs of a typical Rb clock, both its phase noise and Allan deviation appear to be one logarithmic quantum (10x worse?) than the product below:
I have the OP21a (with the LTPW-2), using three out of four clock outputs, for my SOtM USBultra and two units of the SOtM nH-10G.
Its specs are superb:
| Phase Noise @offset 1Hz/10Hz | > -121 dBc/Hz / -140 dBc/Hz | |
| > 1.60E-13 (0.000160ppb/s) |
OP21A-D/OP18A-D Ultra Precision OCXO 10MHz Master Clock (4 output /EXT DC power model)
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You’re right there. I’m using AES (so SPDIF interface), specifically a Synergistic Research SRX AES cable.
The T+A SDV 3100 HV also acts as a master clock and for USB connections, it is stellar. I also have the Synergistic Research SRX USB cable (best USB cable I’ve ever heard). Without the MC10, I actually prefer the Aurender to use USB into the T+A DAC, but with the MC10, I prefer using AES.
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