Quote:
Originally Posted by cyisone01
What is the difference between the two and is it worth the extra cash?
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cyisone01.......There are differences between each of the two Aurender music servers. With the N100H you have the option to select your own DAC and change it in the future if you wish. The Aurender A10 uses a very good delta-sigma DAC from AKM (Asahi Kasei Microdevices), the same company that provides the AK4490 DAC for use in components from Esoteric, Marantz, Denon, and many other fine audio manufacturers. If you already own a DAC you like, then the N100H (USB output only) or the N100C (USB and coaxial output) may be a cost saving choice since you're not paying for the internal DAC in the A10. Both the N100H, N100C, and A10 have 4TB internal hard drives for file storage, 120 GB solid state drives for the operating system and cache playback of music files, and fully independent linear power supplies for their individual internal circuits. Aurender now provides for MQA decoding through the second software unfolding with the N100H and N100C with a license purchase. Of course, the Aurender A10 provides full MQA decoding.
Despite the comments from member
Sea music about his personal experience with an A10 audition, how any audio component sounds is a highly subjective topic. No two people hear exactly the same, so trying to make a determination of your preference shouldn't be allowed to hinge on another person's perception. Audition both Aurender music servers yourself and make your own determination of their sound.
Speaking of the DAC in the Aurender A10, the AKM AK4490 is a premium 32-bit 2 channel dual-mono DAC that achieves industry leading low-distortion characteristics and wide dynamic range. The AK4490 DAC integrates a newly developed switched capacitor filter "OSR Doubler", making it capable of supporting a wide range signals and achieving low out-of-band noise. In addition, the AK4490 has five types of 32-bit digital filters, realizing simple and flexible sound tuning in a wide range of applications. The AK4490 accepts up to 768 kHz PCM data and 11.2 MHz DSD data, ideal for a high-resolution audio source playback. You can be certain Aurender did not haphazardly choose the AKM AK4490 DAC for use in their A10 music server.
Aurender music servers are outstanding audio source components. I don't think you can make a mistake choosing any of their servers. I own the Aurender N10 and the N100H and couldn't be happier.