Sounds2Good

Hi, In regard to the Stereophile CD, pink noise tracks and Harbeth 40.2 speakers, I have the same speakers and enjoy the imaging of the Harbeths very much. Mono recordings produce a rock-solid center image if the speakers are wired “in phase”. Unlike some speakers, this center image is large, and to my ears, both pleasing and life-like. The size of the center image can be influenced by the amount of toe-in employed when the speakers are set up. I have this Stereophile CD somewhere, I may try to find it and see if my results agree with yours. Enjoy the music played on your Aurender.

I have been trying Amazon Music HD using an Echo Link connected to the coaxial input of my T+A PDP 3000 HV. I've used both an Echo Dot and the Amazon Music App on my iPhone or iPad to select and play music. The lsound quality is better than both Spotify and Apple Music. Because I'm legally blind I don't always know what sampling rate or bit depth is displayed on the T+A. As I recall the Echo Link is supposed to support "HiRes" up to 24 bit 192 KHz. When I auditioned an Aurender N-10 in my system last week, tracks from Tidal from the Aurender sounded better than the same tracks played from the Echo Link. This was not an exhaustive comparison so there could've been factors such as volume mismatch contributing to the differences I heard. The Amazon music app is clumsy compared to Spotify or even Apple Music, but since I often speak through my Echo Dot to select music for "casual" listening this isn't a big deal to me. I believe Amazon is working to open their API to other server vendors such as Aurender, so if that happens more meaningful comparisons for SQ may be possible. As for Amazon Music HD in the marketplace, this is a positive direction because they have the resources to support the platform and hopefully increase the popularity of at least "CD quality" streaming to more people than audiophiles. If Amazon Music HD leads to more people showing an interest in better sound, we will all benefit in the long run.

My local Aurender dealer brought a N-10 to my home so I could audition it in my system and listening room. With AES/EBU and coaxial input to my T+A PDP 3000 HV the sound was excellent. However when connecting through USB there was no sound at all. The display on the T+A showed "USB Input 32 bit". We tried two different USB cables with the same result. The N-10 was streaming from Tidal when we tried the USB input, but then trying files on the local hard disc was tried and that also produced no sound. Various reviews have indicated the Aurender N-10 works well with the T+A PDP 3000 HV using the USB input. I'm open to any and all suggestions for troubleshooting this problem. Thank you.

My local Aurender dealer brought over a N-10 last evening for my evaluation in my system and listening room. With the AES/EBU and coaxial inputs to the DAC in my T+A PDP 3000 HV the music sounded glorious. However, we could get no sound when connecting to the T+A USB input. The DAC appeared to lock on the signal, displaying "USB Input 32 bit". We tried two different USB cables with the same result, no sound. The dealer admitted he hasn't used his demo N-10 with the USB output. I have asked the T+A folks for advice, but I also would like to hear from the Aurender experts to know if there is a setting we should've changed. Thank you in advance for your suggestions.

I fear we may be getting too afar afield, but I wanted to chime in to suggest I doubt the tweeters in the Harbeth 40.2 speakers are at fault for the "glare" in piano reproduction. I have these speakers and feel the tweeters are exemplary with their blend of detail and lack of fatigue inducing distortions. However, I have different electronics and other system components. I think I'd look into room treatments to damp first and second order reflections from the side walls and perhaps the ceiling if that hasn't been done already. BTW, I'm interested in your thoughts on pairing the M40.2 speakers with REL sub-woofers. Perhaps you can message me so this topic doesn't stray too much further off.

Although the Amazon device forums are lacking technical specifications I’ve learned the Echo Link will output via Toslink, SPDIF analog RCA jacks and has an onboard headphone amp, with a 3.5 mm headphone jack. Both the Toslink and SPDIF outputs are active simultaneously. The device also has an Ethernet connection, inputs from Toslink, SPDIF & analog RCA jacks. Only one input is active at a time. The device must be controlled by an Echo device, the Link does not respond to commands directly, although it can be controlled from the Alexa app on a smart phone. The Link has a volume control and its 10 o’clock position outputs “full volume”, but then the volume level from the link is not controllable from an Echo device.

Have any Aurender users purchased and placed DSD music files from Blue Coast Records, NativeDSD, High-Definition Tape Transfers or Acoustic Sounds on your Aurender servers? Have you been happy with the SQ and the metadata provided with the purchased music? Thanks.

I am very happy that Aurender continues to use and support their Conductor App. I'm legally blind and cannot use Roon. Roon said they cannot and /or will not modify their software to make it accessible to the blind. With other apps or software products for managing and playing music in an audiophile quality system also undergoing UI changes, I fear my options for a usable music server are dwindling. It's very fortunate that the usability and SQ of the Aurender products is exceptional.

Greetings: I am in the market for a fairly high-end music server. The problem is that as a blind audiophile, several of the most popular options for software on these servers are not accessible to a blind user. One option I might have is to use the Peng IOS package to access music available on or through a music server that runs the Logitech software platform. I discovered this option through email conversations with Innuos. There are other hardware options I'm considering, such as Wolf Audio Systems. Given advancements in server software from the likes of Roon and JRiver, what is the opinion of the CA community regarding the sound quality of good server hardware running the Logitech software? Remember, I may have to give up a full feature rich experience like Roon simply to get software that will allow me to add music to the server, find music to play, build playlists and access streaming services like Tidal, Spotify etc. However, I'd hate to spend relatively high dollar amounts on server hardware only to have the SQ compromised significantly by the Logitech software. Thanks in advance for any thoughts or suggestions you have.

I heard and was impressed with the Wolf Audio Systems Alpha server at the Capitol Audio Fest in Maryland last September. Since then I've had some discussion with Joe regarding software running on various servers, especially the Red Wolf. He has expressed an interest in my plight; many of the most popular server software packages are not usable by a blind audiophile. From these discussions, no matter how they turn out, I can unequivocally say that Wolf Audio Systems offers first-rate support. BTW Joe, when you re-build your website, don't forget the alt-tags that identify graphics and icons on the pages so a screen reader can extract their meaning and or content. Thanks!

Excellent information. Thanks everyone.

Thanks for the links and other information. Much of my confusion comes from the role a device like one of the Sonore Rendu products fulfills. I understand the device sits between the "computer" and the DAC. The computer will at least handle the "database" chores of handling music organization and perhaps some of the decoding of various audio file formats. The DAC's role is literally self-explanatory. What does the Rendu hardware bring to the party? (I know there are other such devices from other manufacturers, so please consider this a generic question) Thanks again.

I've been an audiophile since the 1970s, and I've done live recordings and used digital mastering tools like Steinberg's Wave Lab. However, I'm getting lost in much of the alphabet soup on this and other forums. Are there some good threads exploring aspects of computer audio reproduction starting from a more basic level? I've also been a software developer so computers and software don't bother me. I believe I lack some basic understanding of terms and basics that would make it easier to understand and enjoy much of what is offered here. Thanks very much for all pointers offered.

This sounds like a terrific approach for storing lossless audio files. As a blind audiophile and computer user I am always concerned about the accessibility of the software packages I use. I use Mac and IOS products because the screen reading technology, Voice Over, is included with the operating systems on these devices. Your presentation of the files in graphical formats in your description of Tonal and in replies to posts here suggests that your software may not be accessible to Voice Over. If it is VO accessible, I'll be happy to download the software and attempt to evaluate it. If the Tonal software is not accessible with VO, then I'd like you to consider making it accessible before development has progressed to the point where that might be too costly for you. Thank you very much for considering this request.

Greetings: I just joined this forum as I'm re-building my system with an eye to using music from a server and streaming sources along with digital "disc" playback. I'm vision-impaired, legally blind actually, and I've run into several issues with products and software I've tried to evaluate in regard to accessibility. Before posting general questions or rants, I'd like to discuss some of these issues with other vision-impaired or blind members if they use this site and its forums. Thanks.