Introduction
Time really flies. The last time I featured an Aurender product was in 2015 when I did a review for the N10 music streamer - a truly outstanding product. The A1000 featured here is a lot more friendly to the wallet, costing S$5,000 or US$ 3,500.
As a quick recap, Aurender products are slightly different
from the competition. Your music is stored locally - either by copying your
files to the unit’s internal storage, or plugging in a thumb drive or hard
drive to the USB port. Control and operation is via their in-house developed
Conductor software. For best performance, music files are copied on-the-fly
into an internal flash memory cache prior to playback. This means that you
can’t simply stream your music from a UPnP audio server although you can play
these files through a “folder view” mode. Most Aurender models are Roon ready
while the A1000’s certification is in the works.
Aurender offers different levels of functionality from all-in-one units like the AP20 (just add speakers) to the two-box flagship N30SA that has separate boxes for streaming and storage. The A1000 is an all-in-one source, featuring analog outputs, multiple inputs and a preamplifier function. In a nod to video duties, this is the first Aurender product to include a HDMI ARC input, which makes it perfect for handling two-channel home theater duties.
Technical Details
The A1000 is the new entry-level model for Aurender, slotting in below the A200. Curiously, the A1000 offers a few features missing from the pricier A200. Apart from the HDMI ARC input, the A1000 also offers dual-mono DAC chips, Bluetooth, a coaxial output, a USB input and a 12V trigger. However, the A200 justifies its price premium with a superior TCXO clock, double 2.5” drive slots, a double-isolated LAN port and a supercapacitor-based UPS.
The A1000 measures 13.8x14x3.8 inches (W/D/H) and weighs 8.3 kg. As expected from an Aurender product, the unit is constructed from solid aluminium. A 6.9 inch IPS colour LCD panel displays the necessary information. A rotary knob controls volume while a series of buttons control the most essential operations. You can also use the supplied Bluetooth remote control or the Conductor app which runs on both iOS and Android devices.
On the inside, power is supplied through three toroidal transformers - one for the CPU board and the remaining two for each audio channel. Processing is handled by a quad-core 2GHz ARM Coretex-A55 processor. Internal storage is not supplied by default. Instead, a small tray on the rear slides out to accept a 2.5 inch solid-state or hard drive. The tray is secured by two thumb screws and you can have your drive installed in a few minutes without any tools - impressive! There is great attention to detail on the immaculately finished casework, solid aluminium knobs and even the cork-lined footers. You get great pride of ownership for an entry-level product.
The Aurender connects to your network via a 100/1000 ethernet port. There is no built-in wifi. Digital inputs consist of a coaxial, Toslink, USB-B and a HDMI ARC socket. A coaxial and USB-A socket digital output allows connection to an external DAC. The A1000 also has a Bluetooth receiver module (with AptX-HD support),
The DAC section is based on the AK4490REQ chip from Asahi Kasei, used here in mono mode. This supports decoding of PCM data up to 32 bits and 768 KHz sampling rates, as well as DSD streams up to DSD512. The A1000’s analog output is single-ended only. Cheaper products offer balanced outputs and much fancier DAC chips, so this was a bit of a surprise. Expensive DAC chips don’t guarantee good sound though, so I would prefer to judge the A1000 on its sonic merits. The Aurender does not offer any analog inputs, and the volume control operates in the digital domain, which will impact fidelity at low volume settings.
Operation
Setup was easy. I installed the Conductor App on my Android phone and followed the on-screen instructions. Aurender’s local dealer, X-audio supplied a 1 TB SSD to install, and I copied my test files to this via my PC. It is also possible to stream music via Tidal Connect, Spotify Connect, Airplay and Google Cast. The Conductor App is more suited for large-screen tablets, but I found it reliable and stable on my phone too.
In operation, the bright display shows you the album art and track information, including the sampling rate. Rotating the knob changes the volume setting, and feels solid and smooth in use. The App provides a high degree of customisation, including fade in/out when changing tracks and a “critical listening mode” which claims to improve sound quality by shutting down all non-essential background computer activity and the front panel screen/buttons. The Conductor App is easy and intuitive to use. As far as streamers go, it is one of the better interfaces out there.
One notable niggle - the HDMI ARC input often showed that there was no signal lock, even though there was sound. Sometimes, the wrong sampling rates were indicated and the volume behaviour was erratic. This is probably a software issue and owners of the A1000 should disable the preamp function or CEC control until this is fixed. All other inputs and functions worked without any issue.
Sound Quality
Conventional and outdated “wisdom” suggests that digital sources (especially streaming) sound brittle and lacking in body. However, music flows through the Aurender with a highly polished and confident tone. Bass is full, and there is no harshness that plagues the A1000. I was impressed with the coherent sound, quietness and the overall lack of glare. To use a well-worn cliche, the presentation is analog-like, with a smooth and rich flow. There is a full midbass and laidback midrange that made long listening sessions non-fatiguing. Although there is decent treble extension and sparkle, there is a slight restraint in the reproduction of air which made live recordings in particular sound less lively. This gives the Aurender a subtly dark and creamy tone.
The Aurender does soundstaging and imaging like a champ. It offers a precise portrayal of sonic images, with decent width and depth. Separation of instruments and vocals is good, with a very neat presentation even during heavy mixes. Resolution is also above average. Subtle and fine detail in familiar recordings were reproduced competently. The warmth is not overdone and music retains a fair degree of “bite” and texture. An important note, this is with critical listening mode enabled - otherwise the performance level takes a significant hit.
I was pleased with the quality of the Bluetooth input too. I obtained very high-quality sound from my Google Pixel 7 Pro phone. There was also minimal lag, with videos playing with no discernible lip-sync issues.
I connected a fully tricked-out Geschelli Labs J2S DAC to the Aurender via its USB output. My J2S DAC uses the top of the line AKM4499 DAC chip and is outfitted with a flagship linear power supply and Sparkos SS3602 opamps. The Aurender’s internal DAC sounded quieter, cleaner and more resolving by a significant margin. It is comforting to know that the Aurender’s DAC section is of suitably high quality and will be good enough for most users. Nevertheless, you can explore upgrading the DAC but be prepared for a significant financial investment to obtain meaningful improvements.
Conclusion
The A1000 offers an excellent all-in-one streaming solution. Despite being an entry-level product, it performs well enough to satisfy most discerning audiophiles. My only reservation would be the glitches noticed on the HDMI ARC input. Hopefully Aurender is able to fix that via a firmware upgrade soon. Best Buy
This review unit was kindly provided to me by X Audio, the local dealer for Aurender.
Aurender A1000 Network Player - S$5,000 or US$ 3,500
X Audio
Apex@Henderson
201 Henderson Road, #06-13
Singapore 159545
1 comment:
Nice
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