Aurender Streamers: A Step Up

The ACS10, A200, and N200 represent a step up in the Aurender line. The ACS10 shares many features with the ACS100, but has an internal hard drive, a linear power supply, and other upgrades. The A200 digital output server is a newer model from Aurender and features a DAC and user-installed storage. The new N200, meanwhile, features an all-new low-power Intel quad-core processor, low-noise linear power supply, and enhanced system memory over its predecessor.

Aurender Music Streamers: The next level

The A15 is an upgrade over the A10, which was Aurender's first streamer/server with a built-in DAC. The A15 has many new features and sound improvements. It's a great choice for the audiophiles replacing an old CD player or laptop, or who just wants the simplicity and ease of a one-box source component. The A15 has balanced analog outputs and a resolving dual-mono AKM4490 digital-to-analog convertor with MQA full-decoder technology. As with all of Aurender's "A" series, A15 is designed to take full advantage of the vast selection of MQA encoded music available today. It also has two rear panel bays which can accommodate user-installable 2.5" HDDs or SSDs of up to 8TB each. An elegant front panel display shows album cover art along with artist name and song title in color.

Jumping up in price to the N20, a notable feature is the inclusion of AES digital outputs, which is better than USB. When computer audio first started to gain popularity, USB was the de facto standard for digital audio signal transport. This was simply because computers have USB ports, not AES/EBU or other SPDIF ports. Unfortunately, USB can be a flawed protocol for digital audio transmission as it is prone to noise, jitter, and compatibility issues. Done properly, AES/EBU and SPDIF audio outputs represent a superior method of audio transmission with nearly universal compatibility, less jitter, and greater ease and flow to the overall musical presentation.

Aurender Music Streamers: Top-End Models

The N30SA is Aurender's flagship digital output music streamer. Inheriting Aurender’s unique next-generation family design identity, the N30SA is visually distinguished by both its dual-chassis form factor and wide-screen full-color LCD display first seen on the A30 and N20. At first glance, you immediately notice its substantial presence, elegance and grace – a visual metaphor of what to expect sonically. However, N30SA’s audiophile essence also lies within its inner beauty. N30SA takes its hardware and circuit topology innovations first explored on the N20 to its empirical conclusion. N30SA goes above and beyond the N20 in terms of noise and jitter reduction, increased dynamics and uncompromised purity of the audio signal.

Aurender "All-in-One" Units

For the listener looking for a high-performance, one-box source component, Aurender has the A20 and the A30. We call these the "kitchen sink" models. Audio performance for the A20 and the A30 is identical. The differences lie in the features and functionality of each.

The A30 is Aurender's flagship analog output server. The A30 is, at its essence, a caching music server / streamer with internal storage and control via Aurender Conductor. The Aurender A30 also includes full MQA Decoder technology which enables you to play back full-resolution MQA audio files and streams, delivering the highest possible sound quality of the original master recording. What distinguishes the A30 from the others is the pure audio performance and exhaustive feature set. Aurender has designed the A30 to be the comprehensive digital focal point of your system providing useful aides not usually associated with a typical music server. Functions like CD ripping, a high-quality headphone amplifier, 10TB of internal storage, ultra-wide color LCD display and an integrated software suite of metadata editing and library management tools. All this, and much more, makes the A30 the new performance standard in all-in-one digital source components. And because the A30 is so packed with features, it has its very own app! The A30 Manager companion app is used to configure all system settings including CD ripping preferences and behaviors. Smart Copy, Move, Delete, Editing and Duplicate Checker are just some of the library management software-based tools provided allowing you to organize your music library the way you want.

The A20 shares the same basic circuitry topologies and form factor as the flagship A30. However, it dispenses with the CD ripping functionality, metadata editing software and the headphone connection provided is a single standard ¼” jack. What distinguishes the A20 from other analog output models is its pure audio performance. Employing the world-renown AKM 4497 chipset in a dual-mono with dual linear power supplies, you can expect nothing but the best in sound quality. Also included is full MQA Decoder technology which enables you to play back full-resolution MQA audio files and streams, delivering the highest possible sound quality of the original master recording. Since many audiophiles will use the A20 as their “digital hub,” the ability to reduce system complexity is easily achieved. For example, the A20 can function as a preamplifier, allowing for direct connection to a stereo power amplifier or active speaker system. The preamp section has both SPDIF and optical inputs that allow other source components like a CD transport, Blu-Ray player or cable box to feed its audio through the A20’s DAC improving fidelity. Lastly, the system volume can be controlled three ways; the front panel rotary control, the Aurender Conductor app or using the supplied IR remote control.