Innuos or Aurender


I am looking to purchase a server/ streamer maybe even with ripper used. I have narrowed my choices down to the Innuos Zen mini 3 w power supply or the new model Stream1. A power supply would put that over my budget. The Aurenders I'm looking at are the N150, N10 and the A1000. I am looking for ease of use interface, Tidal capable and roon capable. I must be able to transfer my old wav. files on to it. CD ripper software would be a plus even without a cd drawer. Obviously, sound is very important. I will not get to demonstrate either. The rest of my system consists of my newly purchased Garlubidor dac, Lamm 2.1 deluxe pre, VTL st150 amp and Vandersteen 2sig3 speakers.

dpm2340

+1 innuos

Have a Zenith Mk3 and Phoenix USB to my Bricasti M3 DAC.  The sound quality is great and the Sense app works flawlessly. 

Let me also put in a word about Innuos support.  My Phoenix module quit working after a brief power outage.  It could see but not connect to my DAC.  The Stream 1 still worked through the regular USB port, however.  Within the day I was working with a tech in Portugal, with no language barrier at all.  He could not figure out the problem.  Because I had on the very first Stream 1’s that reached customer hands, they asked if they could bring it back to the factory to examine it.  A label was quickly emailed, it was picked up promptly, and I had back from two trans-Atlantic flights in about 9 or 10 days, fully working, with guidance on how to avoid the problem.  I chose to buy a backups to run just the Stream 1 via the LPS1.  I’ve had two power drops since then with no problem.  

When I bought the Stream 1, I looked very hard at the Stream 3, but the cost delta was fairly large, and I want to put that money into a preamp upgrade, about which I am still considering my options in light of all the great postings I received here at Audiogon.

I am using a 2024 iPad Pro 11, which also my primary browsing tool, although I use a MacBook Pro for any sizable writing task, such as lengthy email.  It works, although switching from one album to another very occasionally takes an extra tap on the new album—maybe every three or four days.   It rarely persists, but the rare times that it does, I simply close and open Sense, which happens almost immediately … just several seconds to get full capability.  I also use the web to play music via Tidal Connect on my Mac Mini M4Pro in my office system, which is my old stereo equipment I replaced; t consists of my Mac Mini, a Schiit Mimir DAC, a NAD C356BEE integrated amp, my 1992 Infinity Modulus satellites—the pre-mass market Infinity, and a DefTech Supercube 6000.  The resale was so low on these that I just decided to make them a second system, and it sounds pretty good for old stuff.