Aurender A10 music server has internal MQA DAC

[jdandy]

Timobi.......It boils down to this, Aurender A10 gives full hardware MQA decoding and internal DACs with 4TB of hard drive and 120GB solid state hard drive cache. The Aurender N10 can provide up to 8TB of hard drive, provides a 240GB solid state hard drive cache, has the astonishingly accurate OCXO clock and proprietary digital output for SPDIF coaxial, Toslink, and AES/EBU connections to an external DAC.

It appears you have a McIntosh D1100 DAC coming. Both the A10 and the N10 can feed a digital output to the D1100 but the A10 can only do it on a USB output and without MQA decoding. If MQA is something you can do without then the N10 makes the most sense for superior performance. I don't think the Aurender A10 or the N10 will disappoint you.

[Timobi]

Yes...and part of why I am trading in my C2600 for the D1100 and C1100 set is for the improved DAC integration AND the inputs.

My gut says the N10. Perhaps its due to truly knowing so little about MQA...

Thx Dan.

[nicoff]

Anyone here using the A10 connected to a Roon endpoint and using the Roon app instead of the Aurender app to play music?

[jdandy]

Originally Posted by nicoff

Anyone here using the A10 connected to a Roon endpoint and using the Roon app instead of the Aurender app to play music?

nicoff.......In these days of complicated computer based configurations for music streaming Aurender is a breath of fresh air when it comes to simplicity, ease of installation and integration into ones sound system, plus the Aurender Conductor App is a fully matured, robust, and intuitive way to control a music library. Added to this is seamless Tidal integration. Aurender not only brings to the table astonishing sonic performance, it does this in easy to install components with a sophisticated app that doesn't require constant tinkering and configuration, extra boxes and expenses like a NUC and software subscription fees to get up and running in a reliable manner. Quite frankly, I don't understand why anyone would want to abandon the Aurender Conductor App in favor of Roon. I'm not saying Roon is not an ingenious music server operating system but it is bloated, complicated to integrate and make work properly, and adds expense to the setup. Roon's endless search features that some find interesting are a major distraction for someone like me who simply wants to enjoy music without the constant distractions provided by all the web search links that occupy your thoughts when it is the music I want to enjoy. The Aurender Conductor App provides all of the features necessary for an involving listening experience with their entire line of music servers. Why anyone would want to sidestep the Conductor App to operate the Aurender A10 or any other Aurender music server with Roon is a mystery to me.

[nicoff]

Thanks jdandy. Your explanation makes a lot of sense.
My situation however is somewhat different in that I already have a functioning Roon set up and a lifetime subscription to Roon so I don’t have to worry about extra payments or technical headaches. I have several Roon endpoints throughout my house and all are working flawlessly. I already have Roon playlists, that integrate music from my NAS and Tidal offerings.
So my preference is not to add another component that works independently from the others. Right now I can be in one room playing a playlist and then move to another room and continue listening to the same playlist.
In essence what I am considering is if I can use the A10 as a DAC while using a Roon endpoint to feed music to it.

[jdandy]

Originally Posted by nicoff

Thanks jdandy. Your explanation makes a lot of sense.
My situation however is somewhat different in that I already have a functioning Roon set up and a lifetime subscription to Roon so I don’t have to worry about extra payments or technical headaches. I have several Roon endpoints throughout my house and all are working flawlessly. I already have Roon playlists, that integrate music from my NAS and Tidal offerings.
So my preference is not to add another component that works independently from the others. Right now I can be in one room playing a playlist and then move to another room and continue listening to the same playlist.
In essence what I am considering is if I can use the A10 as a DAC while using a Roon endpoint to feed music to it.

nicoff.......Okay, now I see where you are going. Specifically, yes you can use the A10 as a standalone DAC, although it has only one SPDIF optical input up to 24-bit / 192 kHz, no USB or coaxial inputs.

[smatsui324]

Are the Aurrender music server's usb drivers in the W10 or N100H compatible with McIntosh DACs usb inputs? I just bought a McIntosh C2600 that has a built-in DAC and I'm having some issues with my Bryston BDP-2 interfacing (static noise when stopping playback) with the 2600. When I called McIntosh, Chuck told me that music servers such as my Bryston and Aurrender may have issues interfacing with my C2600 DAC because their drivers may not be compatible. He told me that an Apple computer or a PC with the McIntosh downloadable Windows driver will work seamlessly with the C2600 DAC. I don't have a problem with the BDP-2 usb and my Bricasti DAC. Also no problem with the BDP2 and McIntosh DAC using coax, only usb is a problem.

BTW, I called Bryston and they are looking into making their driver compatible with my McIntosh DAC.

I'm thinking about getting the A10 myself because I like it's all in one approach.

[jdandy]

smatsui324.......The best way to confirm whether Aurender music servers support the McIntosh DAC USB output is to contact Aurender at support@aurender.com .

The reason you are not having issues with the BDP2 or McIntosh DAC coaxial outputs is because the SPDIF outputs do not require a Windows based USB driver to function properly.

[Mouse]

I was asking my McIntosh dealer about the MB100 and he talked me out of it (he wouldn't even let me hear it citing some recent problems with it), he pushed Aurender A10 on me. I'm intrigued by A10 now. I can't say I loved the sound, I didn't care for the system it was on I'd need to hear it on my system. The Aurender system was intuitive on an Ipad. The idea of using an ipad to manage a system is a little intimidating, but after 2 minutes I was a pro and ended up teaching the salesguy how to use it.

I have the MX122, is the A10 the best choice for my system?
And how does the MX122 DAC compare to the A10? I understand the concept of a DAC now, but the practice of different DAC types is still confusing.

A10 has a DAC, MX122 has DACs too. I don't know which DAC is better or appropriate in my system, but streaming via AIRPLAY is getting old. Some people use an independant DAC and a clock too? That's the confusing part.

Has anyone demoed the A10 and MB100?

[Mouse]

The confusing part of the DAC for me is the above image. A preamp is missing.

Yet the chart below shows that if I don't plan to use a "separate DAC" I should use the A10.