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Originally Posted by audiot servant
maybe not exactly what you asked for Kevin but given that maybe near the top of the digital tree the difference between 8k and 15k might not be a giant return in SQ IMO what if you went for a top flight 32 bit DAC like the new Playback Designs - MPD-3 off a Mac Air or Auraliti USB transport Auraliti Home, and also a Modwright modified Oppo 95 for SACD, Video and CD... might even be good going out of a stock Oppo 95 into the Playback Designs DAC... and you'll probably even have enough left to get in some nice new cables etc... there's also been a bit of good feedback on the new Aureander server as well Widealab Inc. and just found a bit more info... this is one sexy looking server Digital Audio Blog: Widealab Aurender Digital Music Player and Computer Audiophile liked it too 2011 California Audio Show Report | Computer Audiophile ... given more and more hi-res downloads and the likelihood that even itunes could eventually go over to 24 bit as the major record companies stop releasing mainstream CD's (according to the latest news on the site) then maybe worth considering... just a thought and only a 2 cents one at that...
Graham |
I had the opportunity to audition an Aurender S10 yesterday. This unit I have to say is now the best media player I have ever heard. I have kept my options open here, have talked up the formidible & value-for-money Bryston BDP-1, looked at the aging Bladelius Embla, checked Olive, hoped for a McIntosh announcement... So now I will be getting an Aurender, no doubt. The build quality is exceptional.
The demo unit was using the DACs of the Esoteric K-01. The importer tells me he has had the S10 up against a number of competitive products like the Meridian Sooloos. They claim it sonically outperforms anything solidstate out there not to mention anything that spins.
Inbuilt 2TB HDD storage. 64GB SSD for replay. The replay is instantaneous, you don't even know it is performing copies for solidstate playback. It streams from NAS too via 1GB ethernet. Not that you really want to do this but the feature is there. IPad controlled. Linux. 24/192 playback but apparently will upgradeable to 32 bit playback formats. FLAC, WMA, WAV, AIF etc.
Dealer prefers ripping to WAV as he is a purist. Claims that he has noted sonic differences with lossless formats that unpackage on ultra high-end setups.
It comes in black or silver or silver/black fin and apparently black/silver fin. The blue metered AMOLEDs are a beautiful match for any McIntosh gear, particularly the MCD1100 DACs via AESU/EBU. (Nothing like the LEDs on the upcoming MC8207). There are other meter colours to match too, eg Denon. The AMOLEDs can also be switched to track album/artwork.
S30 3 x 2 TB RAID or capacity. R10 additional external clock support if you wish.
A definite winner with models at different price points.
