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Had been musing about whether to move from PC based stuff for a while... Just before Xmas, decided to improve my bog-standard PC setup by investing in a full HDPlex H5 based system with new Gigabyte board, Paul Pang bits & Jcat USB card, then loaded Windows 2012 Essentials, HQPlayer, Audiophile Optimizer, Roon Server etc - Turned out to be quite a big step up in regards to SQ etc, but.....
I must be getting old... what I used to enjoy, the whole tweaking thing, building stuff etc, did not have the same 'appeal' as it used to!
Fickle as I am (or must be), I decided last week to go buy an Aurender N100H, and although Roon and even JRiver are a better front end, I am very pleased with it. Indeed, I presume due to its relative simplicity, I found myself using the Aurender more...
As far as SQ is concerned, very little if anything in it... but I think the Music Server is a fraction better...
Anyhow, so there is a fully built Music Server up for sale if anyone here wants it + LPS etc ... on fleabay - just search for it....
Meanwhile, I am trying to get to grips with the Aurender app - only issue I have at the moment is trying to get gapless playback>>> For some reason this eludes me! - Oh and I wish Aurender would update their Android app, cos although I do have an iPad in the house, my missus hogs it, with the words..."Gerrrofff, git yer own!" 
regards
Keith
Fairford UK area - Devialet 440, Aurender Streamer- Linked to QNAP NAS 453mini - Triangle Signature Deltas, Van Damme Professional Blue Series Studio Grade 2 x 4.0 mm cables, Moon Neo 260D DC Transport, Dell notebook Client linked both ethernet & wifi.
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I know what you mean. I have build a silent PC build also with HD-plex case AND feeded with a HD-plex linear PSU. Firstly i had a PPA card and later tried the JCat USB one. But... to my ears despite everything i tried, just Air sounded better. And because just like you i don't find the pleasure in tweaking lots of things as i was used to, i came to the conclusion i am propably better of with a PnP solution like Aurender or Melco...
It has to sound better then Air, otherwise i don't think it's worth the lots of money... Is there a comparison between the various solutions and Air?
Devialet 250 Expert Pro / Nordost Valhalla Bi-Wire / Sonus Faber Olympica II
Anthem MRX 710 / B&W MT-60D
Paul Hynes SR7/T LPS / Intel Core i7 NUC-Plato X7D with Roon Lifetime / Melco S100 Switch with 2 x Ansuz Ethernet A2
Dr. Feickert Woodpecker II with Inertia Platter / Dr. Feickert Linear / Jelco TK-850L Arm / Shelter 501 III Cartridge
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Please don't buy anything before hearing what's Devialet going to announce. Probably you wouldn't need another uPnP device or streamer anymore.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Before: Le200, KEF LS50, AQ Type4, NUC 5i5RYH/8GB/128GB M.2SSD, Roon, Win8.1/AIR2.1.3/RoonBridge, MM/AIR3/RoonBridge, QNAP TS-212P 5TB NAS, AQ NRG-X3
Now: KEF LS50W, NUC5i5RYH/8GB/128GB M.2SSD, Roon, QNAP TS-212P 5TB NAS,iFi iSilencer3.0+DC iPurifier+iPurifier2, Sonos ZP80+SPDIF iPurifier
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(09-May-2016, 15:49)hk6230 Wrote: Please don't buy anything before hearing what's Devialet going to announce. Probably you wouldn't need another uPnP device or streamer anymore.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Do you know something Gary? Or are you just feeling wildly optimistic today!
1000 Pro - KEF Blade - iFi Zen Stream - Mutec REF10 - MC3+USB - Pro-Ject Signature 12
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Hallo Keith
What do you mean about gapless, it should work out of the box?
Regarding SQ, I have also been on the PC route, not that optimized but AIR and Jplay, to my ears the Aurender is significant better… I is just more natural and relaxed
Kind regards Morten
Devialet 200, Graditech Voima 1 Power cable, MIT shotgun S1.3 Speaker cable, Neeper Acoustics Perfect One Speakers
Aurender N100H, MIT Shotgun AC1 Power Cable, Audioquest Forest RJ45, Transparent Premium USB Cable
Denmark
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(09-May-2016, 18:25)Morten Wrote: Hallo Keith
What do you mean about gapless, it should work out of the box?
Regarding SQ, I have also been on the PC route, not that optimized but AIR and Jplay, to my ears the Aurender is significant better… I is just more natural and relaxed
Kind regards Morten
"Nail" & "Head" come to mind Morten... I wasn't sure what it was, but yes... relaxed!
Keith
Fairford UK area - Devialet 440, Aurender Streamer- Linked to QNAP NAS 453mini - Triangle Signature Deltas, Van Damme Professional Blue Series Studio Grade 2 x 4.0 mm cables, Moon Neo 260D DC Transport, Dell notebook Client linked both ethernet & wifi.
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Fairford UK area - Devialet 440, Aurender Streamer- Linked to QNAP NAS 453mini - Triangle Signature Deltas, Van Damme Professional Blue Series Studio Grade 2 x 4.0 mm cables, Moon Neo 260D DC Transport, Dell notebook Client linked both ethernet & wifi.
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09-May-2016, 20:23
(This post was last modified: 09-May-2016, 20:23 by PhilP.)
(09-May-2016, 15:12)Bartype Wrote: I know what you mean. I have build a silent PC build also with HD-plex case AND feeded with a HD-plex linear PSU. Firstly i had a PPA card and later tried the JCat USB one. But... to my ears despite everything i tried, just Air sounded better. And because just like you i don't find the pleasure in tweaking lots of things as i was used to, i came to the conclusion i am propably better of with a PnP solution like Aurender or Melco...
It has to sound better then Air, otherwise i don't think it's worth the lots of money... Is there a comparison between the various solutions and Air?
I'm a happy AIR user - no whitenoise, no stuttering but an Aurender N100 was clearly better in terms of SQ in my system. I didnt buy one because at the time Aurender didn't support Qobuz which is my favourite music streaming service by far (they do now). I'm sure that other streamers e.g. Aurender N10, TotalDac are even better than the N100. Whether a separate streamer is worth the money only you can decide 
IMac macOS 10.15.3 (no link to Devialet  ) / MacBook Pro Retina OS X 10.14.4 / Linn LP12 / Devialet 200 / Wilson Benesch Discovery.
Qobuz Desktop Latest Version / Audirvana 3.2.18 / Audirvana Remote / iTunes 12.9 / AIR 3.0.4 / Wi-Fi / FW 8.1.0 / SAM 50%
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(09-May-2016, 20:23)PhilP Wrote: (09-May-2016, 15:12)Bartype Wrote: I know what you mean. I have build a silent PC build also with HD-plex case AND feeded with a HD-plex linear PSU. Firstly i had a PPA card and later tried the JCat USB one. But... to my ears despite everything i tried, just Air sounded better. And because just like you i don't find the pleasure in tweaking lots of things as i was used to, i came to the conclusion i am propably better of with a PnP solution like Aurender or Melco...
It has to sound better then Air, otherwise i don't think it's worth the lots of money... Is there a comparison between the various solutions and Air?
I'm a happy AIR user - no whitenoise, no stuttering but an Aurender N100 was clearly better in terms of SQ in my system. I didnt buy one because at the time Aurender didn't support Qobuz which is my favourite music streaming service by far (they do now). I'm sure that other streamers e.g. Aurender N10, TotalDac are even better than the N100. Whether a separate streamer is worth the money only you can decide
Thank you for the reply. I have an option to try the Melco N1A at home, so that's one i am going to try one of these weeks. And then i'll wait a little bit as stated by hk6230 before making a decision... 
Devialet 250 Expert Pro / Nordost Valhalla Bi-Wire / Sonus Faber Olympica II
Anthem MRX 710 / B&W MT-60D
Paul Hynes SR7/T LPS / Intel Core i7 NUC-Plato X7D with Roon Lifetime / Melco S100 Switch with 2 x Ansuz Ethernet A2
Dr. Feickert Woodpecker II with Inertia Platter / Dr. Feickert Linear / Jelco TK-850L Arm / Shelter 501 III Cartridge
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10-May-2016, 14:31
(This post was last modified: 10-May-2016, 14:32 by Gentleman.)
Hello guys.
I am on the streamer and Windows PC route for many years already. From our tests I have learned that no stock streamer sounds better than a nicely build up Windows / JPLAY setup.
Moreover did we learn in the years when we suffered under the LINN DS sources that an external NAS plus ethernet cables reduces the SQ very much.
Nowadays we know how much influence a good linear PSU has on digital sources. The SATA cabelling is important, as well as the digital signal cable (i.e. USB). Moreover you can hear differences between SSD brands (don't even consider HDDs) and finally we have learned a lot about reclocking and anti-jitter-devices.
18 month ago I have compard for example the AURENDER W20 with our PC source on the same day with the same Devialet 800, PS Audio P10, Wilson Audio Sasha, Analysis Plus, Artesania setup and even at that time the PC source was clearly better. Since that day we have improved a lot of small items and the level of SQ we have reched has passed our imagination.
And many small changes were only software tricks or cheap components which we use on "standard" mainboards. Now consider if you can do this on any stremer from the shelf?
I have been following the route of buy and sell for many decades now and never found the satisfaction I was hoping for. Today I rely on my Devialet and a moded Windows PC and the level of saisfaction is close to nirvana!
So don't give up the PC stuff to easily. Find yourself a specialist whom you can trust in the same way as you trust your prefered old-school hifi dealer and your source problem will be fixed soon.
In Dubio Pro Audio
Jan
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