Auralic Aries (Hardware) - Impressions and Information

[George Hincapie]

I have thought about posting this for a while, but I do hope some of you aren't getting confused...no offence intended.

 

I own an Aries Mini and an Aries Femto. The filters (Precise etc.) are purely for the Mini which has a built in DAC. They still appear if you have an Aries Femto but you can't do anything with them, they are greyed out. That's using the DS app. I expect it to be the same issue if you are using the web interface.

 

Basically, if you have the Mini then you can use those filter settings to alter the presentation of the Sabre DAC. Otherwise you have no internal DAC and can forget about those settings.

 

If I have spectacularly misunderstood the conversation, then naturally, I apologise.

[George Hincapie]

Has anyone with an Aries Femto had an issue with the black lettering coming off? I've just had my Aries replaced (I've had issues with it from new - it was a lemon basically) and the first 'A' had come off. The new one has been out of the box 3 days and my idiot Brother in Law knocked it off the rack tonight (actually knocked the whole top shelf off the rack winding the dog up) and the 'U' has now broken in two and fallen out.

 

I am so annoyed.

 

I am now trying to decide whether to take the rest of the letters off and just have the recessed silver.

[Hauser]

7 hours ago, George Hincapie said:

Has anyone with an Aries Femto had an issue with the black lettering coming off? I've just had my Aries replaced (I've had issues with it from new - it was a lemon basically) and the first 'A' had come off. The new one has been out of the box 3 days and my idiot Brother in Law knocked it off the rack tonight (actually knocked the whole top shelf off the rack winding the dog up) and the 'U' has now broken in two and fallen out.

 

I am so annoyed.

 

I am now trying to decide whether to take the rest of the letters off and just have the recessed silver.

I've had mine for over a year with no cosmetic issues except a very slight ding along the top front edge, I think it was there from new.  The front edges are almost sharp, so prone to damage.  At one time I was thinking of sanding them back but suspect the silver colour is only on the surface.  The design overall is not very practical; hard to dust, connect cables and see display.  All shortcomings probably addressed by new version.

Rather than removing all lettering, possibly try gluing the 'u'back in.

 

Martin.

[mjb]

I accidentally "tapped" the case top with a USB plug and managed to chip a hole in the silver paint, also annoying! And I agree, the design is not very practical. A rectangular metal box with an internal drive would be so much nicer!

[pl_svn]

18 hours ago, mjb said:

A rectangular metal box with an internal drive would be so much nicer!

 

and... here's the Aries G2 

[Hauser]

1 hour ago, pl_svn said:

 

and... here's the Aries G2 

and how much?

[FIndingit]

On 26.6.2017 at 9:49 AM, Hauser said:

I've had mine for over a year with no cosmetic issues except a very slight ding along the top front edge, I think it was there from new.  The front edges are almost sharp, so prone to damage.  At one time I was thinking of sanding them back but suspect the silver colour is only on the surface.  The design overall is not very practical; hard to dust, connect cables and see display.  All shortcomings probably addressed by new version.

Rather than removing all lettering, possibly try gluing the 'u'back in.

 

Martin.

Funny that I also have a slight ding on the top edge. It was there from new for sure. 

[Morph]

Hello,

Is the web control interface down? I've just got a blank page just now.

 

Morph

[mjb]

I’m beginning to wonder if firmware v5 will ever make it to the Aries 

[George Hincapie]

On 6/26/2017 at 7:49 AM, Hauser said:

I've had mine for over a year with no cosmetic issues except a very slight ding along the top front edge, I think it was there from new.  The front edges are almost sharp, so prone to damage.  At one time I was thinking of sanding them back but suspect the silver colour is only on the surface.  The design overall is not very practical; hard to dust, connect cables and see display.  All shortcomings probably addressed by new version.

Rather than removing all lettering, possibly try gluing the 'u'back in.

 

Martin.

 

I sold it instead.

 

Currently using the Mini while I decide what to go for next.

[Hauser]

8 hours ago, George Hincapie said:

 

I sold it instead.

 

Currently using the Mini while I decide what to go for next.

Have you considered the Innuos Zenith?  Slightly different sound according to review on Six Moons.

 

Martin.

[George Hincapie]

10 hours ago, Hauser said:

Have you considered the Innuos Zenith?  Slightly different sound according to review on Six Moons.

 

Martin.

 

Thanks for the suggestion; it has no DAC does it? I've had a look, reminds me of a Brennan B2 I had.

 

I've been looking at the Aurender A10 - really tempted, but terrified to spend £5500 only to find it's no better sonically than what I already have...

[Hauser]

15 hours ago, George Hincapie said:

 

Thanks for the suggestion; it has no DAC does it? I've had a look, reminds me of a Brennan B2 I had.

 

I've been looking at the Aurender A10 - really tempted, but terrified to spend £5500 only to find it's no better sonically than what I already have...

No, purely server with SSD storage.  Price I saw , around 2500 Euros.  Not as versatile as the Aries.  Another suggestion is Antipodes at various price points  but still less than 5000 Pounds.  Aurender's software isn't as nice as Auralic.

 

Martin.

[MNG]

I've just been trialling a Zenith Mk II and it's the best sound quality I've ever had in my system for files and streaming. I was previously running a Melco into Aries then replaced Aries with mRendu with LPS-1.  I went for the Zenith because it can run Roon direct into the DAC without having to go via the network. It also has Ethernet output so you can use an endpoint like Aries or mRendu if you prefer, so it is future proofed in that respect. 

 

I'm running it into a Chord Blu II into a Chord Dave and it sounds very good indeed. Losing the network makes a good difference.

 

I have two Aries and was originally planning on building a multi room system around them and Lightning DS, but they changed their app so that you could no longer control other streamers from other manufacturers and then they started messing around with the sound quality. I also found that they became unreliable on my network, so I went with mRendu instead and haven't used the Aries in months. 

 

Anyway, I used it again recently in my main system and was impressed with the changes to both the sound quality and the app. It is much improved. I particularly like the way that you can control the music on the iPhone or iPad from the lock screen, even using the hardware volume control for casual listening. All very good, and the app seems to have taken a few cues from Roon, so it is all looking very much better.

 

Any news on the G2 streamer and what that's like?

[mikey8811]

1 hour ago, MNG said:

Anyway, I used it again recently in my main system and was impressed with the changes to both the sound quality and the app. It is much improved. I particularly like the way that you can control the music on the iPhone or iPad from the lock screen, even using the hardware volume control for casual listening. All very good, and the app seems to have taken a few cues from Roon, so it is all looking very much better.

 

MNG, have you compared the updated Aries with the current beta firmware to the mRendu with LPS 1? Not many people have done this. They mostly just migrated from the Aries to a Sonore or SoTM product. I was considering doing so too with the network problems from the updates but this seems to have been resolved - maybe I speak too soon. To be fair to Auralic, I have been happy with the sound quality which has improved with the firmware updates. To their credit, they have offered the updates for free, like PS Audio do, unlike Sonore who make you purchase a SD card.

[George Hincapie]

6 hours ago, MNG said:

I've just been trialling a Zenith Mk II and it's the best sound quality I've ever had in my system for files and streaming. I was previously running a Melco into Aries then replaced Aries with mRendu with LPS-1.  I went for the Zenith because it can run Roon direct into the DAC without having to go via the network. It also has Ethernet output so you can use an endpoint like Aries or mRendu if you prefer, so it is future proofed in that respect. 

 

I'm running it into a Chord Blu II into a Chord Dave and it sounds very good indeed. Losing the network makes a good difference.

 

I have two Aries and was originally planning on building a multi room system around them and Lightning DS, but they changed their app so that you could no longer control other streamers from other manufacturers and then they started messing around with the sound quality. I also found that they became unreliable on my network, so I went with mRendu instead and haven't used the Aries in months. 

 

Anyway, I used it again recently in my main system and was impressed with the changes to both the sound quality and the app. It is much improved. I particularly like the way that you can control the music on the iPhone or iPad from the lock screen, even using the hardware volume control for casual listening. All very good, and the app seems to have taken a few cues from Roon, so it is all looking very much better.

 

Any news on the G2 streamer and what that's like?

 

I've wanted to reply to this all day, but work kept getting in the way!

 

Great post, really enjoyed reading it. I know Hauser suggested the Zenith above and I was dismissive because I don't really want to use USB. I've been thinking about a Sonic Transport i7 and a Pi solution and then read your post today. I read about the Tau DAC last night, which is a Pi with twin Wolfson DACs on one board and two Lundahl output transformers on another - looks amazing. Together with the ST i7 or the Zenith, it could make for an incredibly resolving solution. Long story short, I got in touch with the Tau DAC developer and he has replied today. I have asked him to confirm when he has tested compatibility with Roon and I can then order.

 

The Zenith looks great, and I like the idea of 30 day try or return. I guess the only issue is the cost relative to the ST i7, Some more thinking is needed...

 

But thanks to you both - really useful input.

[Hauser]

18 hours ago, MNG said:

I've just been trialling a Zenith Mk II and it's the best sound quality I've ever had in my system for files and streaming. I was previously running a Melco into Aries then replaced Aries with mRendu with LPS-1.  I went for the Zenith because it can run Roon direct into the DAC without having to go via the network. It also has Ethernet output so you can use an endpoint like Aries or mRendu if you prefer, so it is future proofed in that respect. 

 

I'm running it into a Chord Blu II into a Chord Dave and it sounds very good indeed. Losing the network makes a good difference.

 

I have two Aries and was originally planning on building a multi room system around them and Lightning DS, but they changed their app so that you could no longer control other streamers from other manufacturers and then they started messing around with the sound quality. I also found that they became unreliable on my network, so I went with mRendu instead and haven't used the Aries in months. 

 

Anyway, I used it again recently in my main system and was impressed with the changes to both the sound quality and the app. It is much improved. I particularly like the way that you can control the music on the iPhone or iPad from the lock screen, even using the hardware volume control for casual listening. All very good, and the app seems to have taken a few cues from Roon, so it is all looking very much better.

 

Any news on the G2 streamer and what that's like?

Interesting that you have revisited Aries within your chain.  I use Aries with Dave but not tempted by Blu2 (no need for a CD player).  Despite occasional frustrations with the Aries and considering Rob Watt's comments that Dave is relatively immune to the quality of input signals, i'll stick with it.  For myself, I see potentially greater benefits in an amp upgrade.  Your now very,very expensive Dac should sound incredible.

 

Martin

[Wang Xuanqian]

On 7/14/2017 at 0:51 PM, mjb said:

I’m beginning to wonder if firmware v5 will ever make it to the Aries 

 

It will take at least another 2 - 3 months with 1 - 2 version bump till it go public. 

[MNG]

On 24/07/2017 at 3:34 PM, mikey8811 said:

MNG, have you compared the updated Aries with the current beta firmware to the mRendu with LPS 1? Not many people have done this. They mostly just migrated from the Aries to a Sonore or SoTM product. I was considering doing so too with the network problems from the updates but this seems to have been resolved - maybe I speak too soon. To be fair to Auralic, I have been happy with the sound quality which has improved with the firmware updates. To their credit, they have offered the updates for free, like PS Audio do, unlike Sonore who make you purchase a SD card.

 

I haven't made a proper comparison, no, but my general reaction would be that there isn't a lot in it. 

 

 

[MNG]

On 25/07/2017 at 8:36 AM, Hauser said:

Interesting that you have revisited Aries within your chain.  I use Aries with Dave but not tempted by Blu2 (no need for a CD player).  Despite occasional frustrations with the Aries and considering Rob Watt's comments that Dave is relatively immune to the quality of input signals, i'll stick with it.  For myself, I see potentially greater benefits in an amp upgrade.  Your now very,very expensive Dac should sound incredible.

 

Martin

 

The reason for reintroducing Aries into the main system is that the Blu II processing introduces significant delay which makes multiroom playback not feasible. The Aries is therefore now plugged into Dave directly, bypassing the Blu II, and will only be used for multi room playback. For listening to the main system on its own, then playback will be Zenith into Blu II into Dave.

 

I wouldn't agree that Dave is immune to the quality of input signal and I'm not sure that that is what Rob has said. Certainly, I think he has accepted that it may be subject to RF noise and, in my experience, addressing that is very worthwhile. That is why I wanted a Roon solution that did not subject the data to a round trip through my network.

 

Blu into Dave does sound fantastic and I traded a high level CD transport in p/ex so it was not quite as expensive as it may appear for me. 

[mikey8811]

1 hour ago, MNG said:

 

I haven't made a proper comparison, no, but my general reaction would be that there isn't a lot in it. 

 

 

When you say there isn't a lot in it, do you mean that the difference between the updated Aries and the microRendu with LPS1 is marginal?

[MNG]

12 minutes ago, mikey8811 said:

When you say there isn't a lot in it, do you mean that the difference between the updated Aries and the microRendu with LPS1 is marginal?

 

I'd say so, but bear in mind that I'm using Roon so that will be bypassing any sound processing effects of the Aries firmware. The comparison then is both units simply passing as clean a signal as possible into the DAC. Previously, when my system involved a round trip through the network to a PC running Roon, the mRendu was superior and this will likely have been due to better noise suppression compared to Aries. Now that I have a Zenith in the rack running Roon directly into either the DAC or an endpoint without having to do the network round trip, then noise suppression is less important and so the differences between the two do become marginal. The Zenith direct to DAC sounds better than using either Aries or mRendu as an endpoint. 

 

The one thing I have learnt is that electrical and network noise is a barrier to obtaining the best sound from my system.

[Hauser]

3 hours ago, MNG said:

 

I'd say so, but bear in mind that I'm using Roon so that will be bypassing any sound processing effects of the Aries firmware. The comparison then is both units simply passing as clean a signal as possible into the DAC. Previously, when my system involved a round trip through the network to a PC running Roon, the mRendu was superior and this will likely have been due to better noise suppression compared to Aries. Now that I have a Zenith in the rack running Roon directly into either the DAC or an endpoint without having to do the network round trip, then noise suppression is less important and so the differences between the two do become marginal. The Zenith direct to DAC sounds better than using either Aries or mRendu as an endpoint. 

 

The one thing I have learnt is that electrical and network noise is a barrier to obtaining the best sound from my system.

I have concentrated more on Aries other attribute; just plug a hard drive into its butt.  My library is less than a terabyte, so no problem.  I haven't been able to hear a difference between hard drive or SSD.  My Crucial SSD gave problems after one year.  Purchasing the Vinnie Rossi DC forever has improved depth of sound and after Auralic applied caching to Aries, sound has become smoother.  I agree that quality of source does make a difference with Dave but as to degree, always subjective.

 

Martin.

[firedog]

On 4/2/2017 at 2:46 AM, 2string1 said:

Recommendations please for a AES cable for my Aries and Vega. 300 to 500 dollar range.

Get some not expensive ones made to order (color and length) from bluejeanscable.com

All you need. Tested to meet spec, unlike most other cables, no matter the price. Save the rest of your money for new music.

[2string1]

I bought a Silver Sonic. It's plugged in but I don't use it. I prefer the USB connection.