Auralic Vega G2 Up and Running....

rooftop59 wrote: »

How’s it sound? Does it compare the the disc spinner?

Not at all on my system.

When I was down in Hotlanta and was listening to Joe's system a few years ago, it was very hard to distinguish whether or not it was physical media or the Auralic. I believe he had the G1. With that said, on my system, the differences are pretty easily distinguishable. You can immediately tell if it's the network player or physical media.

I will hook up the Tri-Vista to it just for S&Giggles and see if there is any difference. That may or may not bring me closer to physical. We'll see. It is a night and day difference between what I had though. It is a lot closer to physical media. I guess that would depend on one's system. Mine just so happens to be very revealing of the differences.

Tom

Wow, I should update this thread. The Auralic no longer sounds like what I described above. I have come a long way with it since then.

BB, I have a Marantz SA-7S1. Pretty soon, it will just be a transport though.

Tom

So, how about an update, eh? Y'all down wid'it?

When I say that I have come a long way? I wasn't kidding. The Auralic Vega G2 has now exceeded my expectations and honestly? I have found myself listening more to this NAP than I have physical music. Now, will it replace all of my physical music? Heck no man. That's just silly talk.

But....I will say this. (and this is all recording/bit rate dependent)

Streaming tunes does have the ability to sound better than physical music. I never thought I would say this but it's true. It isn't like I can just play anything and it sounds better....it completely depends. Now that I have had the unit for a while and have extracted all that I can out of her until more gear hits to improve it, I can say that I have done a direct A/B with the Marantz SA-7S1 with the Auralic Vega G2 and even listening to SACD's on the Marantz? Sometimes the Vega G2 surpasses the SACD layer on the Marantz. Keep in mind, this is Marantz's Reference CDP.

Not that the Marantz is the TOTL CD/SACD player out there but it does hold a rather high bar for playback capabilities and is definitely the best player I have heard in my system (after going through about 40 or so CDP's through the years/systems I have had). I thought I was done with CDP's but one of a couple of things are true....

1 - It's not as good as I thought it was
2 - I prefer the DAC better in the Auralic
3 - The Marantz is already outdated
4 - The Auralic really is that good
5 - They may be onto something with streaming technology

Whatever the reason, there have been many more occasions than "just a few" to where I have heard things I have never heard before on any format or any system. This, on tracks/albums that I am intimately familiar with.

Most of it is pleasurable but it does change the sound of some instruments/singers/sounds. It also makes mistakes in the mastering/recording more apparent. As with anything, there are attributes and deficiencies, but I will say this. The attributes far outweigh the deficiencies.

Here's a great example of a specific attribute. I have always loved wood instruments and I have always chased these types of instruments (and the reproductive effort thereof) to sound as real as possible. I want to know where the bow is. I want to know where they are strumming versus, moving their fingers to achieve particular notes. Well, one attribute of this unit is that you can easily perceive a very palpable image of a Double Bass being played and actually "hear" the reflections within the body of the instrument, as it is being played.

Now, I will NOT tout this as the latest and greatest.

A specific deficiency is that when I hear a recording while streaming, I am like, "I have heard better, there is something missing". So, I will get up, grab a CD (or SACD/XRCD or any of the other of the digital alphabet soup), put it in and hit play....doing a direct A/B at the flick of a button on the remote and the comparison becomes laughable.

So, it all boils down (in my experience so far) that streaming is HEAVILY dependent on the original rip/download or whatever it is that Tidal/Qobuz does in order to get you the music. Some of it simply and honestly sounds phenomenal. This is a pleasant surprise....and one that I didn't ever think streaming would ever offer. Some of it sounds......well, that's why I still have physical music.

I still have the Shunyata Omega Ethernet cable coming but it (unfortunately) won't arrive until around the 11th or so of January. I am still researching LPS's and then I will have to look into DC cables for in between the LPS's and the Auralic's PS input. I am also eyeing a Masterpiece Series M1 fuse for the Auralic.

So, if you do decide to get this unit? Stock....it's decent but well below the threshold of where I was at with the Marantz. With that said, with just the "accidental discovery" of a simple and cheap Ethernet cable? For the first time in my NAP journey? I heard potential. A great deal of potential too. Now that I am extracting that potential, it has paid off. Sometimes in spades, other times, not so much.

That's when I go back to physical music. Well, that, and when something I want to listen to isn't available on streaming.

Oh......one more thing. All of the trouble I had for the first year of owning the Auralic Vega G2 had NOTHING to do with the unit itself. It was all issues with my network at the house. Now that this aspect has been resolved? I haven't had so much as one "hiccup" from The Auralic Vega G2. She's been working flawlessly.

Tom

Sorry, I misspoke. Please allow me to clarify. The LPS is for the mesh network satellite router that's hooked up to the Auralic Vega G2 via Ethernet.

Tom

There was a company that made a solid silver fuse insert

Can't recall who but it did exist