Aurender n200, talk me out of signing on the dotted line


I’ve requested an invoice.  My current system has an Audio Mirror 4 with Tele E88cc, Pass int-25, Acoustic Zen Crescendo 2 speakers and a REL 12” sub.   The sound is to my taste in that it is organic, swings with the music and is not lean.  It’s a bit grainy and I attribute that to the Lumin u2 mini, internet radio and Spotify sources in who-knows-what amounts.  Enjoyable none-the-less as is, I am all in for the Aurender.  Talk me out of it.  Please!  

wlutke

@wlutke 

Thanks for the clarification. My last post was to ensure that you’ve exhausted all the options to maximize the performance of U2 Mini. Go for N200 and call it a day! 

I’m not a fan of Aurender. I started streaming with a Raspberry Pi using a DigiOne HAT for SPDIF out to my DAC. It ran great, sounded good, but wasn’t very elegant, so I replaced it with a new N100H from an authorized dealer. The Aurender was never really stable and after months of back-and-forth with Aurender’s only tech guy, I gave up. I dumped it at a loss for a Bryston BDP-3 and I’ve been happy as a clam every since. Aurender said maybe something was wrong with my filing system, but there’s nothing unusual there and I’d never had an issue using any other hardware or software.

I know many audiophiles love their Aurenders, and that (along with my dealer’s recommendation) is what led to my purchase. In the end, my Aurender was nothing but a nuisance. Good riddance.

I went from an Eversolo Master Edition with linear power supply installed to a used Aurender N200 for about $3000 on TMR (somehow it was a smokin' hot deal) and the difference was very apparent---Clear, detailed!.  I don't use Roon and stream Qobuz but I'm very glad I got the Aurender

@pdreher 

I have, had exact experience with the N200 and iPad. Tuff to connect, can’t connect, lose connection after 10-20 minutes. Reboot iPad, reboot Aurender, reboot router. Took the iPad to Apple, said everything checks out, placed a service ticket with Aurender, back and forth, ultimately nothing they could come up with. 
THEN, I switched to the iPhone and wala, no more connection issues. Sorry you sold as I almost did. 

As others have mentioned, the Conductor App can be an issue for some people. For me, I can not add a song to a Qobuz playlist and support is still troublshooting. Original ticket was a month or so ago.  In addition, the program crashes once per session, which is any easy fix to reboot.  Otherwise, the unit itself is well built and I enjoy the sound.