17-Jul-2017, 21:53
(17-Jul-2017, 19:36)kerkhoffd Wrote: Interested to hear from Confused how he rates SQ of Air and Roon compared to the Aurender N10. I think I will love the functionality of Roon, but SQ comes first for me.
Ah, kerkhoffd, I really wish I could give a detailed and accurate answer to this one , but although I listened to Roon integrated AIR yesterday, it has been quite a long time since I have listened to an Aurender N10, so if I tried to give a detailed response to this, I would be making it up to be honest.
What I can say is that in the past I have listened to the N10 with both the D800 and the 1000 Pro. Based on now fairly distant memories, the N10 + 1000 Pro combination was superb. I am now using the microRendu + Mutec MC3+USB, which I also like a lot, but again, I cannot be sure exactly how this compares to the N10, I have never listened to them both on the same day and in the same place. My best guess is that the N10 betters the microRendu + Mutec, but I am not 100% sure. What I can say is that the microRendu + Mutec just betters the Roon integrated AIR, to my ears in my system, but as I posted a couple of days ago, I was genuinely surprised just how small the margin was between the two. I do plan to revisit auditioning some 'front end' options in the near future. I love the 1000 Pro, and I think it could benefit from the best possible source, within a sensible budget that is. (I just can't get beyond the price of the dCS Vivaldi Upsampler + Clock, £24k in the UK) Although my current plan is to wait and see exactly what the new OS Board can do before I make my move. I am more than happy with my current set-up, plus there is some interesting new options hitting the market, the ultraRendu, the Mutec REF10, the reference clock enabled sMS-200Ultra, the new Auralic G2, and many more. Even without the waiting for the OS Board, I think this is a good time to sit on the fence and wait for a few reports on the newer kit to surface.
1000 Pro - KEF Blade - iFi Zen Stream - Mutec REF10 - MC3+USB - Pro-Ject Signature 12