Auralic Mini DAC/Streamer
voltz
Posts: 5,384
Auralic Min wireless DAC/Streamer
After Taking to Luther about his I went ahead and bought a "Auralic mini" and was able to make a small size portable DAC/streamer to take on the go.
It cost $550 new and comes with a free year of Tidal (a $240 value) and you can put a inter SSD drive inside of it and you control with a apple device (either phone or IPAD) but the bigger IPAD is best to see the graphical interface. And it plays DSD files up to 5.6.!
Basic setup is easy I used my wireless router with internet connection to set it up and use it to stream tidal and do the firmware update it ask for, but I normally then switch to a cheap little wireless router without the net connection to use it in my 2 channel setup & the router is just needed to let the IPAD with the controlling software talk to the DAC to tell it what playlist and/or song to play next!
So now i have a small portable DAC/storage device with 1 TB SSD drive inside that is load with all my digital files like FLAC's and DSD hi-Rez files. no computer needed anymore and the MINI is only 5" x 5" with a nice small foot print. The reviews say if you buy the optional power supple to replace the included wall-wart the sounds SQ goes way up but so far it sounds really awesome to my ears with the wall-wart.
After Taking to Luther about his I went ahead and bought a "Auralic mini" and was able to make a small size portable DAC/streamer to take on the go.
It cost $550 new and comes with a free year of Tidal (a $240 value) and you can put a inter SSD drive inside of it and you control with a apple device (either phone or IPAD) but the bigger IPAD is best to see the graphical interface. And it plays DSD files up to 5.6.!
Basic setup is easy I used my wireless router with internet connection to set it up and use it to stream tidal and do the firmware update it ask for, but I normally then switch to a cheap little wireless router without the net connection to use it in my 2 channel setup & the router is just needed to let the IPAD with the controlling software talk to the DAC to tell it what playlist and/or song to play next!
So now i have a small portable DAC/storage device with 1 TB SSD drive inside that is load with all my digital files like FLAC's and DSD hi-Rez files. no computer needed anymore and the MINI is only 5" x 5" with a nice small foot print. The reviews say if you buy the optional power supple to replace the included wall-wart the sounds SQ goes way up but so far it sounds really awesome to my ears with the wall-wart.
2 ch- Polk CRS+ * Vincent SA-31MK Preamp * Vincent Sp-331 Amp * Marantz SA8005 SACD * Project Xperience Classic TT * Sumiko Blue Point #2 MC cartridge
HT - Polk 703's * NAD T-758 * Adcom 5503 * Oppo 103 * Samsung 60" series 8 LCD
HT - Polk 703's * NAD T-758 * Adcom 5503 * Oppo 103 * Samsung 60" series 8 LCD
Comments
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How do you play Tidal without a computer connection ?HT SYSTEM-
Sony 850c 4k
Pioneer elite vhx 21
Sony 4k BRP
SVS SB-2000
Polk Sig. 20's
Polk FX500 surrounds
Cables-
Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable
Kitchen
Sonos zp90
Grant Fidelity tube dac
B&k 1420
lsi 9's -
Do you know if this is better than the bluesound node 2 or the auralic aries?
Magico, JL, Emm, ARC Ref 10 line, ARC Ref 10 phono, VPI, Lyra, Boulder, AQ Wel, SRA Scuttle Rack, Bluesound -
How do you play Tidal without a computer connection ?
My Simaudio DAC/streamer also does Tidal natively
That Aurilic mini is probably one of the next band for buck network streamer DAC, glad your diggin it2-channel: Modwright KWI-200 Integrated, Dynaudio C1-II Signatures
Desktop rig: LSi7, Polk 110sub, Dayens Ampino amp, W4S DAC/pre, Sonos, JRiver
Gear on standby: Melody 101 tube pre, Unison Research Simply Italy Integrated
Gone to new homes: (Matt Polk's)Threshold Stasis SA12e monoblocks, Pass XA30.5 amp, Usher MD2 speakers, Dynaudio C4 platinum speakers, Modwright LS100 (voltz), Simaudio 780D DAC
erat interfectorem cesar et **** dictatorem dicere a -
Tony, The Mini has Tidal built into the controlling software app used by the IPAD, so basically the IPAD is the computer.
for Tidal to work I do have to the MINI/DAC & my IPAD both connected to my wireless router that has internet access.
a wireless router is always needed to let the IPAD control it even when using just the internal SSD drive but the router does not have to have internet access - thus i can take it anywhere like to LSAF or someones else house
but no TIDAL support without the web. 2 ch- Polk CRS+ * Vincent SA-31MK Preamp * Vincent Sp-331 Amp * Marantz SA8005 SACD * Project Xperience Classic TT * Sumiko Blue Point #2 MC cartridge
HT - Polk 703's * NAD T-758 * Adcom 5503 * Oppo 103 * Samsung 60" series 8 LCD -
Joey , according to a review i read the Blue node 2 & the Mini are equal when the mini uses a external power supply and not the wall wart.
but I have not personal heard the others to compare it with.2 ch- Polk CRS+ * Vincent SA-31MK Preamp * Vincent Sp-331 Amp * Marantz SA8005 SACD * Project Xperience Classic TT * Sumiko Blue Point #2 MC cartridge
HT - Polk 703's * NAD T-758 * Adcom 5503 * Oppo 103 * Samsung 60" series 8 LCD -
Thats one slick SMALL setup. I always like simple setups like that.
Problem is they all cost MORE money than I'm willing to invest lol..."....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963) -
I am actually testing out a blue node 2 right now. Tidal on it is slick. The Auralic is next on my list to check out since it does dsd and the bule does not.
Klipsch The Nines, Audioquest Thunderbird Interconnect, Innuos Zen MK3 W4S recovery, Revolution Audio Labs USB & Ethernet, Border Patrol SE-I, Audioquest Niagara 5000 & Thunder, Cullen Crossover II PC's. -
what if you don't have apple products(android)?Amplifiers: Norma IPA 140, MasterSound Compact 845, Ayre v6xe, Consonance Cyber 800
Preamp: deHavilland Ultraverve 3
Dac: Sonnet Morpheus 2, Musical Paradise mp-d2 mkIII
Transport: Jay's Audio CDT2 mk2, Lumin U1 mini
Speakers: Rosso Fiorentino Volterra II
Speaker Cables: Crystal Clear Magnum Opus 2, Organic Audio Organic Reference 2
Interconnects: Crystal Clear Magnum Opus 2, Argento Organic Reference 2, Argento Organic 2
Power Cables: Argento Organic Reference, Synergistic Research Foundation 10 and 12 ga.
Digital cables: Crystal Clear Magnum Opus 2 bnc, Tellurium Q aes, Silnote Audio Poseidon Signature 2 bnc
Puritan PSM156 -
While I don't use it much anymore, my Auralic Vega DAC is a great price/performance product. However, it is old so I would expect a new version at some point.Lumin X1 file player, Westminster Labs interconnect cable
Sony XA-5400ES SACD; Pass XP-22 pre; X600.5 amps
Magico S5 MKII Mcast Rose speakers; SPOD spikes
Shunyata Triton v3/Typhon QR on source, Denali 2000 (2) on amps
Shunyata Sigma XLR analog ICs, Sigma speaker cables
Shunyata Sigma HC (2), Sigma Analog, Sigma Digital, Z Anaconda (3) power cables
Mapleshade Samson V.3 four shelf solid maple rack, Micropoint brass footers
Three 20 amp circuits. -
what if you don't have apple products(android)?
There is no Android support right now and it doesn't seem like they are working on it either.
I got lucky and my sister gave me her old IPAD one when she upgraded her's.
You could steal Danny's
but he did have one for sale not long ago?
And you have to have some apple product to use it's controlling software.2 ch- Polk CRS+ * Vincent SA-31MK Preamp * Vincent Sp-331 Amp * Marantz SA8005 SACD * Project Xperience Classic TT * Sumiko Blue Point #2 MC cartridge
HT - Polk 703's * NAD T-758 * Adcom 5503 * Oppo 103 * Samsung 60" series 8 LCD -
I love my Aries Mini. Have you seen when you turn the iPad one way you get all the information and when you rotate it 90 degrees it converts to all album covers?
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I hadn't noticed that tell you mention it, as I had the screen-lock on.
I did notice that if I click on a LP and started a song a little pic of the LP would be in the upper left corner and if I touch the little pic it would switch to a view showing all the songs on that LP and a bigger picture of the album cover and then if i clicked on the album cover again it show a large picture of it.
just starting to get use to make playlist and how to search Tidal ...
My sister who almost never touches my 2 channel setup as she won't play any vinyl and doesnt even like flippin CD's loves the MINI, and I catch her listen to my 2 channel setup more & more.
She likes my CRS+'s over my Monitor 10's and said she hears a lot more stuff you can't hear on the 10's
- had to explain how the SDA effect solves the 10's problem with Cross-talk 
BTW Thank you Luther for steering me to the MINI! Kudos to You!!
Think I may pick up the better power supply for it next.
2 ch- Polk CRS+ * Vincent SA-31MK Preamp * Vincent Sp-331 Amp * Marantz SA8005 SACD * Project Xperience Classic TT * Sumiko Blue Point #2 MC cartridge
HT - Polk 703's * NAD T-758 * Adcom 5503 * Oppo 103 * Samsung 60" series 8 LCD
