surrender n200 vs n20


good morning. has anyone used or demo’d these 2 unites. i have a a20 and love it, also have a burmester 151mk2, like it even better. also have a aavik s180, nice piece as well.

i recently got a aavik u300 integrated for another system i am putting together, its a very nice piece. i used its dac with the 151mk2 unit, it is very good dac in the u300, not as good as the one in the 151 but its very nice.

therefore, i have decided to go back to aurender for the streamer, i like its app better than the aavik.

thoughts on the n200 vs n20, thanks

ckr1969

I was very surprised how good the N200 sounds with .wav and .Flac files pulled from a HDD or my Vault.   Really good.   

Both units are very good, but the N20 will present with richer tonal density, more separation and clarity, and a wider, taller soundstage. Its internal clock is admirable, and if you go with the N20 then be prepared to use AES to take advantage of the internal clock. 

The Aavik is a very clean sounding unit. If you are pairing it with Borresen speakers (which is what I have), you may benefit from the N20 as it will provide more of that tonal density and weight. The N200 is spectacular but right there in the center of neutral, and the N20 provides a bit more bloom and simply a bit more of everything. 

In full disclosure, I am an authorized Aurender dealer.

I've owned a N20 for almost one year now and I can honestly say it's the best source component I've ever had, both digital and analogue. It's very slightly bettered by the N30 by a very small margin, not worth paying double the price.

I've never demoed the W20SE or the N200.

It's real strength is having a master/word clock input which really elevates its performance amongst it's peers.

Aurender's literature states that AES/EBU is the best sounding output but I must disagree. The USB with external clock is far superior even though an external clock isn't supposed to help USB - go figure. Only USB or I2s will play native DSD.

I need to buy another streamer but it's difficult accepting anything less than the N20 and I know the external clock has a big part to play.

The N20 is THE total package this side of $20k.

I clicked on the support icon at night and when I woke up there was a response.  So far I feel this was one of the most worthwhile upgrades on a long time.  
 

I keep meaning to install the 4 TB SSD  but I can’t stop listening to it.  

@lordmelton

The best output is also dependent on the DAC you are using. I have used different outputs from my Aurrender W20SE to my Audio Research CD9SE and to a Berkeley Reference Alpha 3. The AES was best in both cases. So, perhaps they should have added, depending on your DAC.