Amazing dealer demo this weekend.

guyincognito

I was lucky enough to tag along with some friends to a fantastic local dealer this weekend. We spent several hours listening to some fantastic gear that I have only ever read about until now.

My favorite set-up (cost no object) ended up being the Wilson Benesch Resolution towers with the Dan D'Agustino Progression integrated amplifier. We listened to tracks on Tidal via several different Aurender streamers and Berkeley Audio DACs. The Wilson Benesch speakers are so easy to listen to. They did the best job of reproducing strings that I have ever heard.

For the cost and size I was also completely blown away by the Wilson Tune Tots. They defy logic as to how big they sound. I certainly understand why they are getting amazing reviews.

TEAforONE

That looks like( or rather sounds like) an awesome way to spend a day. I’m jealous!

guyincognito

It was a lot of fun. Jumping between multiple pricepoint systems gave me perspective I previously didn't have. The price of diminishing returns is higher than I thought it was.

pitdogg2

I've had a very hard time finding fault with any Wilson speaker I've heard.
Good stuff!

guyincognito

The big Wilson Alex V's with the Dan D'Agustino monoblocks sounded very good. Literally nothing to complain about at $135k for the speakers alone. That said I found the $80k Wilson Benesch Resolution towers more enjoyable. I think the Wilson's had a flatter response curve compared to the WB. Both sounded very good and both remain firmly outside of budget.

jbreezy5

guyincognito wrote: »

It was a lot of fun. Jumping between multiple pricepoint systems gave me perspective I previously didn't have. The price of diminishing returns is higher than I thought it was.

That’s because it has moved higher.

nooshinjohn

What were your impressions of the Aurender servers?

guyincognito

I have an Aurender n100h paired with a Benchmark DAC2 HGC in my system currently. I heard improvements over the Bluesound Node 2 I replaced and I am a big fan of the conductor app and Aurender customer service and support

The dealer was using the Aurender N30SA with a Berkeley Audio Reference DAC on the big Wilson and Dan D'Agustino system. It sounded amazing but I don't have a point of reference for how much better that $25k streamer is than my entry level streamer.

The dealer did allow my friend to take an Aurender A10 home to do an in-house A/B comparison with his Aurilac Altair G1 (both streamer/DAC combos). On his system consisting of Sonis Faber Olympica Nova V's, PS Audio BHK signature preamp and BHK stereo 250 amplifier (in an untreated room). We all preferred the Aurilac over the Aurender when streaming Tidal and Qobuz. Both are enjoyable, but the Aurilac was more musical to us. The DAC in the Aurender felt more analytical. My take away was that I prefer Aurender streamers but not Aurenders DAC implementations.

Clipdat

Sounds like a fun day. I've heard the smaller Wilson Benesch towers at the California Audio Show (same model shown in your last photo, not sure if you heard those as well).

(not my photo)

guyincognito

We listened to the Kef Referrnce (3's I think) and the Wilson Tune Tots but didn't ever switch over to the smaller Wilson Benesch towers. The two we did hear sounded very good with the Ypsilon integrated. I couldn't get over how good the Wilson Tune Tots sounded.

What did you think of the smaller Wilson Benesh towers when you heard them?

Clipdat

They were pretty good, but I actually liked these smaller ones (http://wilson-benesch.com/endeavour-stand-mounted-loudspeaker/) slightly better that I heard the previous year. Here's a photo I took of them:

They were a little rough around the edges on the first few days of the show since they were brand new, but by day three they were sounding better.

Clipdat

nooshinjohn wrote: »

What were your impressions of the Aurender servers?

I have the brand new A200 in for review right now.

nooshinjohn

Bring it over and we can try it out with my setup...

Clipdat

I know, that would be fun. I don't have any audiophile buddies in the area who like tweaking their systems.

I think one consideration regarding Aurender is if you plan on having a local library of files, or not. Even though the A200 doesn't come with internal storage like the A100 did, it has two easily accessible rear drive bays where you can add a 3.5" HDD/SSD.

So if local files are a priority, the Aurender is a solid choice in terms of usability and UI. However, I still need to explore library management and the challenge of keeping two databases of music updated/synced. I'm not sure how people do this in terms of purchasing new tracks.

Anyway sorry for the stream of consciousness post, but I guess what I'm getting at is are you planning on streaming with Tidal/Qobuz or are you planning on having a local library of files, or both?

msg

I like stream of consciousness posts and thoughtful writing. Don't apologize for your writing just because some people are unable to focus through their next barrage of phone notifications.

guyincognito

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Clipdat wrote: »

nooshinjohn wrote: »

What were your impressions of the Aurender servers?

I have the brand new A200 in for review right now.

Do you have any plans to try the A200 with an external DAC by chance? I would be curious what your impressions are between the built in DAC and something else in your arsenal.

Clipdat

Sure! I can try it just as a streaming transport connected to my SA-KI Ruby.

nooshinjohn

Clipdat wrote: »

I know, that would be fun. I don't have any audiophile buddies in the area who like tweaking their systems.

I think one consideration regarding Aurender is if you plan on having a local library of files, or not. Even though the A200 doesn't come with internal storage like the A100 did, it has two easily accessible rear drive bays where you can add a 3.5" HDD/SSD.

So if local files are a priority, the Aurender is a solid choice in terms of usability and UI. However, I still need to explore library management and the challenge of keeping two databases of music updated/synced. I'm not sure how people do this in terms of purchasing new tracks.

Anyway sorry for the stream of consciousness post, but I guess what I'm getting at is are you planning on streaming with Tidal/Qobuz or are you planning on having a local library of files, or both?

I have well north of a TB of stuff stored already on my PC, but I would like to get those files onto a dedicated server, along with streaming sources. I may use Tidal going forward, because it can sort everything in one place.

Clipdat

Sounds like an Aurender product might fit your use case then. Would be interested in comparing the A200's internal DAC vs the DAC in your Arcam.

nooshinjohn

Clipdat wrote: »

Sounds like an Aurender product might fit your use case then. Would be interested in comparing the A200's internal DAC vs the DAC in your Arcam.

Bring it over and let's make it happen.

Clipdat

Lol stop acting like you're 30 mins down the road.

mhardy6647

Clipdat wrote: »

Lol stop acting like you're 30 mins down the road.

by plane...

guyincognito

My Aurender N150h came with 2TB of internal storage (but they have larger drive options available). I play a mix of local files as well as streaming Tidal and Qobuz. The Aurender Conducter app is fantastic. You can mix and match content and build Playlists from local files and both streaming services. Its Linux based and seems very stable in the long run (ive had mine around a year now i think). Aurender also has long term tech support and great customer service on their products. I have been very pleased with mine.

Clipdat

How do you purchase/manage/organize your local files and then copy them to the Aurender? I'm assuming a PC/Mac where the music first gets downloaded to? How do you keep the two databases in sync?

guyincognito

It's been awhile but from what I recall you can add files from an external hard drive plugged directly into the unit or from a computer on the same network. You have to enable file sharing in the aurender settings menu if you do it over the network (via the conductor app) but after that it was all easy enough. You manage existing local files via computer as well, assuming so you don't accidentally delete stuff from while using the app.

nooshinjohn

Clipdat wrote: »

Lol stop acting like you're 30 mins down the road.

Where do you live?

Clipdat

I'm up in the SF bay area.

Clipdat

guyincognito wrote: »

It's been awhile but from what I recall you can add files from an external hard drive plugged directly into the unit or from a computer on the same network. You have to enable file sharing in the aurender settings menu if you do it over the network (via the conductor app) but after that it was all easy enough. You manage existing local files via computer as well, assuming so you don't accidentally delete stuff from while using the app.

Thank you, got it showing up now on the network and copying files to it from my Windows machine.

nooshinjohn

Clipdat wrote: »

I'm up in the SF bay area.

It’s not that far grab a flight into Burbank and I will come and get you. Then you can fly back in the evening....

Clipdat

I **** hate flying lol, more now than ever. I'm still debating if I should even bother going to Axpona in April.

Clipdat

Just arrange an in-home demo with a local dealer if you are that interested in Aurender. Isn't Upscale close to you?