I use an Auralic Aries G2 into a chord DAC into NAIM amplification.
I’m very happy with it.
It has the colour display you wish for. I find their excellent wireless implementation takes away all the RF that people spend so much time and money trying to eradicate with cables and switches.
Worth googling.
.sjb
Personally, I think the requirement for a screen is something you should try to look past - my streamer has one but it may as well not - I use the iPad exclusively. If you don’t use an iPad or equivalent now, you will get used to it in no time.
I went the AuraliC route as a source to my Naim amp and can thoroughly recommend their products. I have the Altair G1 - combined streamer and DAC which punches way above its weight, especially when using a Melco server to feed it - it’s an astonishingly good combination. If you want a separate streamer then you could consider the Aries - it has a colour display and you can add a HDD for music storage. Better still you could use an iPad and Melco or Innuos to feed it…
Hope that helps.
Edit: @Sloop_John_B just beat me to it! Completely agree.
Looks really good, Price is a little steep within my system but what about the G1?
The Auralic are an excellent option and it should be emphasised that all have the best brought out of them by Naim amplification.
I think the general consensus that the G1 is the sweet spot and G2 is probably in the realm of diminishing returns (if you don’t want to use it with other Auralic products via their link). I don’t think the G1 can have internal storage (my G2 can but hasn’t) and the general consensus is that NAS or USB drive gives better SQ.
.sjb
The G1 will serve your needs if I remember it right. You can install SSD internally and they have a fast app to control it.
Go into YouTube.com and search for Auralic G1 and watch the presentations from people like Darko Audio.
Yes the G1 could be what i am looking for, thanks everyone for your input.
It does have a hdd usb input socket at the back.
Unless someone has a better option
Aurender N100 maybe. Has internal storage and a screen.
I have a G1, works very well but there is no remote so I mainly use it with an iPad.
I use my Naim remote, you can program my G2 for any remote, can you not do the same with the G1?
I find this way of doing things much better than having a separate remote. I use the CD control on the Naim remote to control the Aries.
.sjb
Great tip, I’ll give it a try.
Broken Record time:
Meridian 210.
Max’s out at 9624, but this has no influence on SQ IME and I have had NO issues playing any files regardless of bit depth or freq.
The excellent DCS Network Bridge has just arrived here to replace my NDX2/XPSDR, with storage on my existing Melco N100.
I will miss the remote & screen of the NDX2 but I have an external DAC, and I have halved my investment in the streamer(bridge) and power supply.
A Laufer Teknik Memoryplayer is very musical and analog sounding. No screen but you can operate it from an iPad with JRiver or JRemote app. It will beat the Roon Nucleus and Innuous for musicality.
Well I just had to google it. Amongst other things they make power supplies of which they say the following
“ It nearly eliminates interference, contamination and coloration between digital and analog systems, and reduces digital jitter in nearly every process”
The little bit I think I understand about jitter would seem to make this claim rather spurious.
Of course perhaps if I looked at the Naim or Auralic website it could have similar claims!
.sjb
Hi
What have you got as amp and speakers?
What is interesting about the Laufer Teknik is their IDEAS technology, which essentially reorganizes the digital data sequentially (instead of random access), which is how grooves of a vinyl record is cut. The result is sound just like vinyl records: palpable and musical.
You can find some song clips on YouTube. There’s one comparing them, Innous Statement and SGM Taiko. Even over Youtube you can hear that they are more musical. The other two might be more clear (hifi).
But the price is something as 20k, right?
The OP has a budget around 5k max apparently, as the G2 is too expensive for his needs.
My next door but three neighbour has one so I’ve done the comparison at length. I’d also not heard of them until she acquired it. It barely comes near an Innuos Zen mini but absolutely nowhere near my Zenith. Thought it was exceptionally poor value.
How about the Aurender A100? Storage, Server and DAC in a single box. Comes with a display, too. If you’d like to keep your own DAC, take a look at their N series. I really like the App, which is easy to use and stable. The various color themes are a nice bonus.
There is obviously the Unity core…