Aurender N30 - To stay competitive in 2021

[QuadDiffuser]

Folks, having moved to Singapore from Hong Kong and thus having the opportunity now to build another system anew piece-by-piece, I've placed an order for my first component - an update to my Aurender W20: the Aurender N30 (black version), the N30SA's Asian market variant. The primary difference is its data storage layout, with a single 3.5" 12TB HDD (with no additional expansion port), compared to the N30SA's 8TB SSD (with another slot to add another 8TB of SSD). The N30 lists for $6,000 less than the N30SA, with no performance penalty apart from the slight inflexibility in storage capacity and options. Hence, it offers exceptional price/performance value!

Doing the math, assuming identical baseline chassis, motherboards, display panels, cables and power supplies, adding a Samsung 8TB SSD costs $900, while adding a 12TB SSD costs $400. Why pay $6,000 more for merely $500 of extra hardware?

 

[QuadDiffuser]

In less than a week after ordering, my new N30 arrived in Singapore from Korea. It's the perfect Christmas present for myself - beautiful in appearance and sonics, I'm overjoyed - hooray !

 

[abeidrov]

How big is a difference between N20 and N30? I’ve auditioned a brand new N20, and after 3 days of breaking in, and especially in critical listening mode it sounded very very good, much closer to my analog rig than my existing servers.
Has anyone compared N20 and N30 head to head? Any more comparisons to Taiko? My understanding is that so far, there have been just one and all the participants preferred N30.

I would really appreciate any advice.
Thanks in advance,
Aziz

 

[timztunz]

How big is a difference between N20 and N30? I’ve auditioned a brand new N20, and after 3 days of breaking in, and especially in critical listening mode it sounded very very good, much closer to my analog rig than my existing servers.
Has anyone compared N20 and N30 head to head? Any more comparisons to Taiko? My understanding is that so far, there have been just one and all the participants preferred N30.

I would really appreciate any advice.
Thanks in advance,
Aziz

"How big" the difference is I think has to be a personal evaluation. For me it was more than I expected. I have an N20 that was fed into a Bricasti M1 DAC and I was really quite pleased with it. But then I wanted to get a Lampizator and got a GG2. That's when the doors really started to open up for me. During this same time period we bought a house in Brazil where my wife is from. I decided I wanted to upgrade the system there by taking the Bricasti and get another N20. My dealer talked me into the N30SA for the main system in Texas saying I would really be surprised. It's a decision I'm very happy with. I was never trying to get digital to better or even equal my analog in terms of enjoyment. I was just trying to close the gap a little. The N30SA and GG2 have done that far more than I expected they would. Considering that you already have the GG2 I would highly recommend you to audition the N30SA if at all possible. If not possible, buy it anyway!

 

[rau]

How big is a difference between N20 and N30? I’ve auditioned a brand new N20, and after 3 days of breaking in, and especially in critical listening mode it sounded very very good, much closer to my analog rig than my existing servers.
Has anyone compared N20 and N30 head to head? Any more comparisons to Taiko? My understanding is that so far, there have been just one and all the participants preferred N30.

I would really appreciate any advice.
Thanks in advance,
Aziz

I went from N20 to N30 also and it was worth the extra cost . I use a lampi with my N30 also great combination.

 

[Ultrafast69]

How big is a difference between N20 and N30? I’ve auditioned a brand new N20, and after 3 days of breaking in, and especially in critical listening mode it sounded very very good, much closer to my analog rig than my existing servers.
Has anyone compared N20 and N30 head to head? Any more comparisons to Taiko? My understanding is that so far, there have been just one and all the participants preferred N30.

I would really appreciate any advice.
Thanks in advance,
Aziz

Is the N30 superior to the N20, yes, however, both are super nice pieces and really depends on how your setup to extract the most out of each these units. With N30, you will hear tighter playback, and more dimensionality, especially in critical mode and this of course depends on your DAC and connection. So there are analysis questions in regards to your system, and of course budget is a factor. In regards to Taiko, it’s a top contender, and much of what is said above needs to be reviewed.

 

[abeidrov]

Thank you all for the answers. I wish, I could audition both N30 and Taiko. Unfortunately, it is not possible. At least, if I get N20, I can justify it by telling myself that I went for a much cheaper product… Getting N30 without auditioning Taiko is a harder choice

 

[bryans]

Thank you all for the answers. I wish, I could audition both N30 and Taiko. Unfortunately, it is not possible. At least, if I get N20, I can justify it by telling myself that I went for a much cheaper product… Getting N30 without auditioning Taiko is a harder choice

My advice is to purchase the one you can demo. Sure you can say the Taiko might be better but you can say that for a lot of things. I'm sure the N20 or N30 would be outstanding in your system. At these levels it really comes down to personal preference/taste.

 

[Audire]

Thank you all for the answers. I wish, I could audition both N30 and Taiko. Unfortunately, it is not possible. At least, if I get N20, I can justify it by telling myself that I went for a much cheaper product… Getting N30 without auditioning Taiko is a harder choice

Congrats on your choice. I own the N30SA and ACS10 (ripping) and enjoy them very much. I believe you will equally enjoy your N20. Congrats Again.

PS: From your signature line, it looks like you’ve put together a fabulous system.

 

[rau]

Thank you all for the answers. I wish, I could audition both N30 and Taiko. Unfortunately, it is not possible. At least, if I get N20, I can justify it by telling myself that I went for a much cheaper product… Getting N30 without auditioning Taiko is a harder choice

I got both N30SA and Taiko Extreme. I also had the N20 . In my opinion the N20 is best value.

 

[abeidrov]

I got both N30SA and Taiko Extreme. I also had the N20 . In my opinion the N20 is best value.

To have both is the best position to be in Have you done any direct comparisons between the 3 servers?

My understanding is that except for the better power supply in a separate chassis and 8TB of SSD storage, there is not much difference between N20 and N30SA: they have the same CPU, RAM, buffer size, isolated internet input and the same USB output. So the only factor, that contributes to the better sound quality in case of N30SA is the separation of the PS. Is that correct of am I missing something?

 

[Audire]

To have both is the best position to be in Have you done any direct comparisons between the 3 servers?

My understanding is that except for the better power supply in a separate chassis and 8TB of SSD storage, there is not much difference between N20 and N30SA: they have the same CPU, RAM, buffer size, isolated internet input and the same USB output. So the only factor, that contributes to the better sound quality in case of N30SA is the separation of the PS. Is that correct of am I missing something?

According to the literature “N30SA goes above and beyond the N20 in terms of noise and jitter reduction, increased dynamics and uncompromised purity of the audio signal.” IMO, noise and jitter are the largest factors to be concerned about in digital and the N30 successfully targets both …

We compared the N30 to the W20SE and enjoyed the N30 more. Both are excellent, but the N30 just seems more musical, more like live music …

N30 Literature: Aurender N30SA

I found this recent article on the N30 enlightening. There are no comparisons here to the N20, however it goes into the build of the N30. It’s quite different than the N20.

Aurender N30 split streaming media player​

*** None of this should take away from how good the N20 is but IMO there are multiple reasons why the N30 is still a step above. ***

 

[timztunz]

According to the literature “N30SA goes above and beyond the N20 in terms of noise and jitter reduction, increased dynamics and uncompromised purity of the audio signal.” IMO, noise and jitter are the largest factors to be concerned about in digital and the N30 successfully targets both …

We compared the N30 to the W20SE and enjoyed the N30 more. Both are excellent, but the N30 just seems more musical, more like live music …

N30 Literature: Aurender N30SA

I found this recent article on the N30 enlightening. There are no comparisons here to the N20, however it goes into the build of the N30. It’s quite different than the N20.

Aurender N30 split streaming media player​

*** None of this should take away from how good the N20 is but IMO there are multiple reasons why the N30 is still a step above. ***

I can't agree more wholeheartedly as someone who owns both the N20 and N30SA and enjoy them both enormously in their respective applications. But in the same system there is no question that the N30SA is better, as it should be. Unfortunately I have not had any experience with the Taiko Extreme, but it is certainly highly regarded by MANY here.

 

[abeidrov]

I’ve had N30SA and N20 in my system for about a week now. And I still can’t make up my mind
I am testing both in critical listening mode, yes, there is a difference, I think it’s about a lower noise floor and more dense presentation with N30 compared to N20. But I am not sure, I would spot this difference in a blind test in 100% cases. I have time till this Sunday, it’s a really painful process to choose between 2 great products.

 

[Audire]

I’ve had N30SA and N20 in my system for about a week now. And I still can’t make up my mind
I am testing both in critical listening mode, yes, there is a difference, I think it’s about a lower noise floor and more dense presentation with N30 compared to N20. But I am not sure, I would spot this difference in a blind test in 100% cases. I have time till this Sunday, it’s a really painful process to choose between 2 great products.

I’m not sure about the N20, but the N30SA will take app. 500 hours to break-in. When I initially listened to it things sounded great. That was app. two months ago. Now everything is elevated. The change isn’t subtle either. Have fun.

 

[bryans]

I’ve had N30SA and N20 in my system for about a week now. And I still can’t make up my mind
I am testing both in critical listening mode, yes, there is a difference, I think it’s about a lower noise floor and more dense presentation with N30 compared to N20. But I am not sure, I would spot this difference in a blind test in 100% cases. I have time till this Sunday, it’s a really painful process to choose between 2 great products.

You are correct in that both are great products. You have to make the call of how much better does 12K (difference between the two) get you. I'm sure you will be happy with both.

 

[rau]

Buy the N30 so you don't keep doubting your decision

 

[Ovenmitt]

Hello all,

I used to own a - at least two generations old - N20. When I purchased my DcS system my dealer counseled me away from the Aurender and into a more simple NAS networked server. I’m comfortable with that decision. During this transition I also adapted Roon, which I really like.

Two questions going forward: does Aurender still only accept their proprietary user interface, or can I now also use Roon? To what degree has SQ appreciated over the last 5-6 years through the various updates that Aurender has brought to bear? - realizing this is a subjective question, but maybe the group experience can give me some general sense of things.

Thanks in advance!

 

[GSOphile]

Hello all,

I used to own a - at least two generations old - N20. When I purchased my DcS system my dealer counseled me away from the Aurender and into a more simple NAS networked server. I’m comfortable with that decision. During this transition I also adapted Roon, which I really like.

Two questions going forward: does Aurender still only accept their proprietary user interface, or can I now also use Roon? To what degree has SQ appreciated over the last 5-6 years through the various updates that Aurender has brought to bear? - realizing this is a subjective question, but maybe the group experience can give me some general sense of things.

Thanks in advance!

The Aurender N20 was announced in the US Sept 2020. It is a fairly new current generation product.

 

[bryans]

can I now also use Roon?

No "Full" Roon support with Aurender. You can use Airplay

https://aurender.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360026675134-Can-I-use-my-Aurender-with-Roon-