MUSIC SERVER: WEISS 301, Aurender, LUMIN.... HELP !

also to reply to bmichels... you can setup a local network between your ipad and your man
the man comes with a small antenae
you can link to your nas with a cat 6 cable
 
Aurender now supports DSD

Hmmmmmm........... :)
 
The Aria Music Server will arrive in our showroom in Stockholm/Sweden very soon. One of the most complete, well designed and reasonably priced units I've found.

http://ariamusicserver.com/

interesting. Please can you explain why it is better than AURENDER or LUMIN or WEISS ? What are its keys selling points against those already well established products ?
 
interesting. Please can you explain why it is better than AURENDER or LUMIN or WEISS ? What are its keys selling points against those already well established products ?

The very short version - it's new years eve after all :) - is that it has ripping capabilities built in combined with lots of powerful features (fanless, SSD-storage, network connectivity over DLNA/UPnP, DSD-support, iPhone/Ipad connectivity etc.) as well as great flexibility (optional DAC, harddrives, power supplies, analogue inputs etc.). All at a starting price of €4000.

Full specification here.
 
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The very short version - it's new years eve after all :) - is that it has ripping capabilities built in combined with lots of powerful features (fanless, SSD-storage, network connectivity over DLNA/UPnP, DSD-support, iPhone/Ipad connectivity etc.) as well as a great flexibility (optional DAC, harddrives, power supplies, analogue inputs etc.). All at a starting price of €4000.

Full specification here.

Looking at the internals, Aria it is way overpriced IMO. It is like 300 euro in computer parts + soundcard + a nice box.

server.jpg

A regular CAPS v3 on batteries is much more advanced and way cheaper too.
 
Looking at the internals, Aria it is way overpriced IMO. It is like 300 euro in computer parts + soundcard + a nice box.

A regular CAPS v3 on batteries is much more advanced and way cheaper too.

Thanks for the "inside info". What makes the competition more impressive (internally) in your opinion? These units are computers optimized for music playback after all. There's always the option of building your own music server - if you've got the time, knowledge and interest in doing so.
 
Thanks for the "inside info". What makes the competition more impressive (internally) in your opinion? These units are computers optimized for music playback after all. There's always the option of building your own music server - if you've got the time, knowledge and interest in doing so.

And then you have solutions like Vortexbox with complete hardware + software solutions for £300...
 
And then you have solutions like Vortexbox with complete hardware + software solutions for £300...

I believe you need to judge these products within the context of the overall experience. Sound quality, casing, industrial design, flexibility, upgradeability, usability, software interface etc. all contribute to the overall experience. Vortexbox seems impressive in their own right, but to be fair, it does look more like a DIY-project to me.
 
I believe you need to judge these products within the context of the overall experience. Sound quality, casing, industrial design, flexibility, upgradeability, usability, software interface etc. all contribute to the overall experience.

Indeed - bringing the question back to "what makes the Aria product better than competing products"?

Vortexbox seems impressive in their own right, but to be fair, it does look more like a DIY-project to me.

They do send pre-packaged, ready to run solutions, but also cater for more DIY-oriented customers. I would count that as a good thing.
 
Thanks for the "inside info". What makes the competition more impressive (internally) in your opinion? These units are computers optimized for music playback after all. There's always the option of building your own music server - if you've got the time, knowledge and interest in doing so.

I'm just saying that the price is very high for what it offers. CAPS servers can be ordered ready built from Small Green Computer (or any local computer shop - the formula is available) if someone feels he will not be able to build one himself.

For the price you can get a ready built CAPS V3 server, recommended battery power supply from RWA (or two Ultra Low Noise PSU from Teddy Pardo) and even the class leading BADA USB converter, if you need one.

Plus, there is the SOtM sMS-1000 Audiophile Music Server, which does basicly all that Aria does, also has a nice aluminium box, plus even adds the 2TB hard drive for storage - all for is eur 2600,00:

SOtM-SMS-1000.jpg


Just saying.
 
Indeed - bringing the question back to "what makes the Aria product better than competing products"?

As a customer, I believe you need to ask yourself this question. In other words, what matters to you? If convenience, industrial design, and user experience matters (besides the obvious - sound quality), the premium cost might actually be quite fair. Apple has succeded in creating great designs and intuitive user experiences more than anything else. That's what you get - and pay a premium for. If that's not of any value to you, there are lots of other brands and products on the market that offers more (performance) for less.
 
As a customer, I believe you need to ask yourself this question. In other words, what matters to you? If convenience, industrial design, and user experience matters (besides the obvious - sound quality), the premium cost might actually be quite fair.

I agree about the "customer experience" part - there are lots of people out there that pay silly amounts of money for mechanical wrist watches that are far less accurate than my cheap Seiko. But how do you justify your statement about sound quality? Any special reasons why this box would deliver a better quality sound than a Vortexbox or a CAPS server? Any measurements to support the claim?
 
I agree about the "customer experience" part - there are lots of people out there that pay silly amounts of money for mechanical wrist watches that are far less accurate than my cheap Seiko. But how do you justify your statement about sound quality? Any special reasons why this box would deliver a better quality sound than a Vortexbox or a CAPS server? Any measurements to support the claim?

As I haven't yet recieved the unit partnered with the fact that it's a rather new product on the market, I can't tell you if it performs as well or better than the competition. Time will tell. Personally, I believe there's rather small differences sonically inbetween products within this segment as soon as the basic criterias has been met. The largest challenge for the manufacturers at the moment in my opinion is to create "plug and play" compability, a simple setup and a superior user experience.
 
As I haven't yet recieved the unit partnered with the fact that it's a rather new product on the market, I can't tell you if it performs as well or better than the competition.

Fair enough - thus it is too early to conclude anything about the sound quality.

Personally, I believe there's rather small differences sonically inbetween products within this segment as soon as the basic criterias has been met. The largest challenge for the manufacturers at the moment in my opinion is to create "plug and play" compability, a simple setup and a superior user experience.

I agree.
 
The size thread for the a Ultra SS is M6 to ¼-20
for the Stillpoints
 
What about a laptop or MAC mini with a separate DAC? How does that compare?
 

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