Auralic Aries G1

[Sailor4W]

I can not help you with the Auralic Aries G1, but I use an Auralic Aries G2. It replaced my Aurender N100H
I find the sound to be very analog, if not better without the clicks and pops, and the background noise is not there.
I do have a VPI Classic 1 with a great cartridge, and I prefer the Auralic Aries G2

I connect to my 220PRO by USB.

Brian

Thanks for the reply, Brian!

That's exactly what attracts me with the Auralic: the analog-like sound. Having listened to the Aries Femto for a few days, I was totally taken by the smooth and clean sound. Now that you mention it to be a feature of the G2, I guess it is can also be heard with the G1, even though the G2 is a step higher than the G1.

I never suffered from pops and clicks in any of the streamers I tested, but I mostly disliked bright and flat sound (except the Aurender N100H). 

It looks like nothing can go wrong when choosing the G1 as the streamer.

I've used both the Aries and Aries Mini (I still have the latter in my office). Both are superb machines dedicated to streaming and relatively low noise, which is why they sound so good. I use the Mini with an external linear power supply.

I heard that Devialet have an Aries Mini in-house as a source, is preferred to the full Aries as Pro CI does reclocking and there is no need for the Aries femto reclocker. It actually caused noise in my system when I first got CI, so I switched from the Aries to the Aries Mini and the noise disappeared.

The G1 takes things to a new level with two internal linear power supplies for the processor and the usb/AES outputs. Someone was telling me yesterday how staggered he was by the sound quality. I recently purchased the Innuos Zen Mk3 that has the same configuration - dual internal linear power supplies for the processor and usb output. The sound quality is just superb, whether by ethernet or usb. I am absolutely delighted with it.

The Roon Nucleus has the disadvantage of a single external linear PSU and a more powerful processor that produces more noise and heat. Roon has far more processing capacity than most people will ever need (upsampling and multiple filters to 8 endpoints). Innuos is designed for Roon but has a more efficient and less powerful processor that is more than adequate for normal Roon use, especially for the Devialet DAC that works in 24/192 and makes DSD upsampling a bit pointless.

I used Auralic Lightning software for years and loved it. I am now a Roon covert ever since they tied in with Qobuz. So I would have thought you should be delighted with the G1. My Innuos Zen Mk3 with 4tb hard drive and ripper costs the same. I also had to wait a couple of months for delivery, they are so popular.

Interesting aspect that the Aries Mini sounds better than the Femto with the new CI board! I have an Expert mode, so I needen‘t worry about reclocking noise.
Also re- assuring your friend‘s comment about the superior sound quality of the G1, another reason pulling the trigger and get the G1 ASAP!
I also tried an HDplex external power supply for the Nucleus, but didn’t get anywhere because the HDplex was faulty when it arrived. So I cannot comment on sound improvement when using an external LPS.
Innuos was the other brand I was thinking about. I quite like their setup with an on-board CD ripper, as we still have quite a few CDs around in need for integrating them into my library. But the Innuos is a bit hard to come by where I live. And somehow, after hearing the Aries Femto, my mind is set to Auralic.
I must say, I quite like the Lightning DS software, Roon for my taste is a bit too rich in features and tends to be crowded. But it has its good sides as well and I still have to try it out in combination with the Femto.
I am trying to push my local dealer to get a G1 for me, but he seems to be a bit slow. Maybe I just look around somewhere else!