[jdandy]

Originally Posted by 1KW

Geezzzz what does this even mean "....I prefer the sophisticated proprietary SPDIF digital circuits that take advantage of Aurender's field programmable gate array phase locked loop system and ultra accurate OCXO oven controlled crystal oscillator clock with its incredible 0.02 ppm accuracy."

David.......It means exactly what it says. If you don't understand it, you really should try to get a home audition of the Aurender N10 and do a head to head comparison with the USB output on your N100H to the coaxial output on the N10. USB output is clocked by the oscillator in your DAC. The SPDIF coaxial, Toslink, and AES/EBU outputs in the N10 are clocked by the oven controlled crystal oscillator with an astonishing 0.02 ppm accuracy. That is a huge improvement in clock accuracy over even the DAC clock in the Esoteric K1 Grandioso, and I am certain is also a huge improvement over whatever clock is in the McIntosh D1100 DAC. Less error in clock accuracy means substantially lower jitter. Lowering jitter dramatically improves digital playback sound quality.

I know you are satisfied with your Aurender N100H and rightfully so. It is a fine music server. I am considering one for my living room system. I certainly do not think the N100H is a weak performer. Despite that, in many head to head comparisons by N100H owners who moved up to the N10, the discovery of improved audio performance was apparent. It has been detailed by a number of members on this forum and on others forums. The N10's proprietary SPDIF output circuitry and oven controlled crystal oscillator are unique to the Aurender N10 and W20 music servers. It is not an afterthought tossed in to drive up the price. The SPDIF output section and specialized clock on the N10 produces genuine audible improvements that are readily discernible.

None of this makes the Aurender N100H, or the new N100C less attractive. They both outperform their price points by a wide margin and are huge hits among Aurender music server owners. I have no doubt I would be satisfied with the N100H in my living room system. None the less, this doesn't negate the fact that moving up to an Aurender N10 will deliver an even higher performance level.