Auralic Aries

[jjo]

Well I am perfectly happy with my dedicated PC based solution running JRiver. Together with my iPad running JRemote I have everything I need. Once setup it's set and forget, absolutely no need to "run back and fort between a computer and HiFi".

I glad the solution is good for you. I have to admit that I totally forgot the "wants to have/accepts/needs to have a computer in the same space with the hifi" solution. It is not for me either, but I know some people like it, even if it's not a one box soltuion.

So in my case no need for UPnP or an external streamer, it would be an over redundant piece in the chain.

Yes, exactly what a dedicated music pc would be for me.

Your Devialet can already be the bridge between the computer/network "world" and the HiFi world and you even have a choice in using the input you like most: USB + ethernet (and even the usually lesser quality digital or analog outputs of a PC).

It can. But it is also a computer that could just play the music without another computer/streamer/whatever helping it do it. For now it just doesn't do it.

Of course some people already owned a NAS before they bought the Devialet (well sell the NAS and buy back a small, simple, silent, cheap PC and use that as a 24/7 up-and-running NAS) or may be scared of the PC based solution (get over it, there's lots of how-to's, guides and even specialists who sell these as complete solutions!! )

I'm not scared of the PC based solutions, I just don't like them. What I want is a product that works well out of the box, does the thing it's designed to do and does it well.

When I was younger I used to like tweaking computers. Nowadays I do that more than enough at work, so when I get home I just wanna use something that works. Nothing wrong with tweaking though, if it's the kinda thing you happen to like.

I feel this is where we're all going: computer based playback. Using a PC you'll have maximum flexibility, it's future proof, you can use stable software that's been around for years and don't have to depend on extra manufacturers (beside Devialet of course) like Auralic that start at near zero to create a working (software) solution.

I strongly believe there will always be people who want to buy a product and jut use it. Not everyone get's their kicks from building the perfect media center pc.

uPNP has serious disadvantages and if manufacturers do a good job they'll hide that fact from you

As someone who has been invloved in creating a commercial product based on UPnP, I'd like to hear what the serious disadvantages are in your opinion?

but I agree with Devialet in that in a way they've chosen a superior solution as it is completely application agnostic and ties in to the driver layer of the operating system as a virtual soundcard.

We just have to agree to disagree then. I would not mind if the Devialet way was one of the options, like Songcast is for Linn, but I think it sucks as the only option.

There is a downside though and that's the closed/proprietary nature of their solution and also the limited cross platform support. And Devialet also had to start from near zero for which we, their customers, have paid the price as well as it took Devialet and us quite some time to create a stable solution. Now that it is (some say, almost ) there we can reap the benefits and use every and any PC based application we'd like to produce music and sound.

Yes, some people can reap the benefits, but...

For Linux users it's useless. For Windows Phone users it's useless. For people using unsupported versions of Windows/OsX it's useless. If Devialet ever decides/is forced to stop the driver code development for new OS versions, it's gonna be useless for everyone but people with old operating systems.

Also, for people only interested in playing files from their library, it's way too complicated.

Anyways, I just ordered Aries so that's that then.