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(07-Jun-2015, 19:59)baconbrain Wrote: I had the opportunity to do a head to head comparision between the Aries and Moon Mind 180 this weekend with my 250.
IMO the Aries had the better SQ via AES and was even less "edgy" than the same tracks via AIR. (I guess I am one of the lucky few who has never had problems with the AIR solution.) Also the streaming quality via Qobuz was extremely good.
Honestly I was so impressed with the Aries that I am considering replacing my Moon 180 with one.
Those are very interesting observations albeit somewhat contradictory to my findings. I carried out fairly extensive comparisons last year when I had the Auralic Aries on home dem for a couple of weeks.
It was definitely more detailed than the MiND 180 (which I owned at the time) and initially more impressive however this seemed to come at the expense of some musicality and coherence. In the end I felt like there was something almost synthetic about its presentation and upon more extended critical listening (with a proverbial magnifying glass) I felt as though some of the detail was missing at the top and bottom ends, something which a couple of other people picked up on completely independently of me.
In addition I compared AES/EBU to USB (on the Aries) and found the USB output to be qualitatively better,, which surprised me at the time.
I would strongly recommend checking out the Melco N1A which costs about the same as the Aries and which is comparable in performance to my d1 server which of course costs 3 times more.
Guillaume
Industry disclosure: UK distributor for Shunyata Research
220 PRO, totaldac d1 server with additional external power supply, totaldac d1-seven, Echole PSU for Totaldac, Wilson Audio Sasha 2, Shunyata Research cables, Shunyata Hydra Alpha A10 + DPC-6 v3, Various Entreq ground boxes and cables, Entreq Athena level 3 rack, 2 X SOtM sNH-10G with sCLK-EX + 10MHz Master Clock input + sPS-500 PSU, i5 sonicTransporter w/ 1TB SSD
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yea but the Melco N1A is a HD/ storage box you can plug direct into a usb dac? right
But how do you the manage your files,album,art,track etc etc
Do they have a app or program you run or can run via tablet or something ??
Just ask ,try to understand how this work ,because on some forumes they say they connec the melco to a streamer like aries
Roon Nuceleus + Core/Tidal > Rood Ready wired ethernet > Keces P8 LPS > EtherRegan switch > D250 PRO > Sonus Faber Cremona M
Nordost Frey 2 Power cable - Blue Jeans Speaker Cables - Audioquest Diamond and Supra cat8 ethernet cables
Other: Ipad air with ROON Control / Pro Ject ground base - ISO Acoustics Orea - Herbie Tenderfoots
"and those who were seen dancing were thougt to be insane by those who could not hear the music"
"and those who were seen dancing were thougt to be insane by those who could not hear the music"
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(10-Jun-2015, 16:35)Petter Wrote: yea but the Melco N1A is a HD/ storage box you can plug direct into a usb dac? right
But how do you the manage your files,album,art,track etc etc
Do they have a app or program you run or can run via tablet or something ??
Just ask ,try to understand how this work ,because on some forumes they say they connec the melco to a streamer like aries
The Melco N1A is a storage device and transport all-in-one. It can output either ethernet or USB depending on how you want to use it.
It requires a UPnP control point to manage playlists and control playback.
It was initially launched as an audiophile grade NAS but with recent firmware updates it has become a DAC-less streamer too.
Guillaume
Industry disclosure: UK distributor for Shunyata Research
220 PRO, totaldac d1 server with additional external power supply, totaldac d1-seven, Echole PSU for Totaldac, Wilson Audio Sasha 2, Shunyata Research cables, Shunyata Hydra Alpha A10 + DPC-6 v3, Various Entreq ground boxes and cables, Entreq Athena level 3 rack, 2 X SOtM sNH-10G with sCLK-EX + 10MHz Master Clock input + sPS-500 PSU, i5 sonicTransporter w/ 1TB SSD
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What kind of remote does melco take? Considering the equipment it can replace, it's seems like a good deal.
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(10-Jun-2015, 17:00)warpeon Wrote: What kind of remote does melco take? Considering the equipment it can replace, it's seems like a good deal.
I'm not sure if they make a remote. Once you've turned the unit on you can access your playlists via iDevice or Android apps.
They are bringing out their own app soon too which will give you more control over your music collection, don't really know the details at the moment I'm afraid.
Anyway we should move this conversation to the relevant thread. I just thought I should point out the fact that both the Aries and N1A are roughly the same price.
Guillaume
Industry disclosure: UK distributor for Shunyata Research
220 PRO, totaldac d1 server with additional external power supply, totaldac d1-seven, Echole PSU for Totaldac, Wilson Audio Sasha 2, Shunyata Research cables, Shunyata Hydra Alpha A10 + DPC-6 v3, Various Entreq ground boxes and cables, Entreq Athena level 3 rack, 2 X SOtM sNH-10G with sCLK-EX + 10MHz Master Clock input + sPS-500 PSU, i5 sonicTransporter w/ 1TB SSD
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What USB cable did you use when you did the test? I have my Aries conected with a TaraLabs AES cable and has not yet tested USB.
Quote:In addition I compared AES/EBU to USB (on the Aries) and found the USB output to be qualitatively better,, which surprised me at the time.
Speakers:TAD CE-1. Amplifier: TAD M2500mk2. Digital: TAD DA1000-TX, Innuos Statement Next-gen, Innuos PhoenixNET.
Miscellaneous: Qobuz Studio, Ansuz Mainz 8 D2, Ansuz Darkz DTC, Tubulus Argentus ethernet cable, Tubulus Concentus USB cable, Tubulus Argentus V2 XLR cable, Tubulus Argentus V3 + V3 bass, iFi Nova powercables.
Second system
Qobuz Studio -> Devialet Silver Phantom, Devialet Tree
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(10-Jun-2015, 18:20)octaviars Wrote: What USB cable did you use when you did the test? I have my Aries conected with a TaraLabs AES cable and has not yet tested USB.
Quote:In addition I compared AES/EBU to USB (on the Aries) and found the USB output to be qualitatively better,, which surprised me at the time.
In the test I used Transparent Ref XL - AES/EBU and Entreq Apollo USB with Apollo ground cable (I think).
Guillaume
Industry disclosure: UK distributor for Shunyata Research
220 PRO, totaldac d1 server with additional external power supply, totaldac d1-seven, Echole PSU for Totaldac, Wilson Audio Sasha 2, Shunyata Research cables, Shunyata Hydra Alpha A10 + DPC-6 v3, Various Entreq ground boxes and cables, Entreq Athena level 3 rack, 2 X SOtM sNH-10G with sCLK-EX + 10MHz Master Clock input + sPS-500 PSU, i5 sonicTransporter w/ 1TB SSD
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(10-Jun-2015, 19:30)GuillaumeB Wrote: (10-Jun-2015, 18:20)octaviars Wrote: What USB cable did you use when you did the test? I have my Aries conected with a TaraLabs AES cable and has not yet tested USB.
Quote:In addition I compared AES/EBU to USB (on the Aries) and found the USB output to be qualitatively better,, which surprised me at the time.
In the test I used Transparent Ref XL - AES/EBU and Entreq Apollo USB with Apollo ground cable (I think).
Guillaume
Once my Aries arrives (delivery in approx. 2 weeks), I will be comparing the Chord Silver Plus USB (Price point 50€) with their Signature Tuned Array USB (Price Point 580€) just for the fun of it. Can provide some feedback on the results if you like.
@Guillaume: Thanks for the recommendation regarding the Melco but it really doesn't fit into my current setup. I also find it interesting how our perceptions differ between the Mind and the Aires but I guess that it just supports the thinking that the overall SQ is not just the result of singular components but all of them together, plus room acoustics, personal preference, the gravitational pull of the moon, etc... In a nutshell, I guess it's about the quest of finding the right combination which really makes our hobby so exciting.
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Regarding SQ of Aries - there have been a number of firmware updates over the last few months (now at v2.5, including a move to real-time kernel in v2.1) which have improved sound quality.
So things may be a bit different now, I don't know, I haven't heard the other streamers mentioned...
What I like about Aries is that Auralic are very active with updates that improve functionality and SQ (and their iOS app is very good!)
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So the Aries finally arrived and I eagerly set it up to do a comparison between the Chord Silver Plus and their Tuned Signature Array USB cables ...
First challenge, it appears that the most recent iOS update and the Lightning DS App 2.0 don't get along with each other at the moment ...
Second challenge, the Chord Silver Plus doesn't want to work with the Aries and my 250.  The signature cable works like a charm but the silver ...
For the first challenge it sounds like Auralic is already working on an update but with the second one I am lost. Does anyone have a tip for me? Thx.
Kii Three Speakers | JL Audio Fathom Subwoofer | KEF LS50 Speakers | Samsung 850 Soundbar
Innuos Statement | Trinnov Altitude 32 | PS Audio Stellar S300 Amp | T+A HA 200 Headphone Amplifier | Meze Empyrean Headphones
Sean Jacobs DC-3 Custom Build LPS | Roon Core DIY Server | SOtM sNH-10G Modded Switch | Oppo UDP-205 Blu-Ray/SACD Player
T+A G 2000 R Turntable | DS Audio E1 Optical Stylus | Gordian Lab 12 Power Conditioner | Artesania Audio Rack
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