Note that this is a discontinued product. You may want to visit the brand's page here to browse their newer products.
What reviewers think
Bloggers and YouTubers have tried this product—so we've summarized their strongest opinions below. Links to full reviews follow.
All
MC20
reviews
Brand highlights
Taking a step back to look at reviewers' thoughts of the brand's entire lineup—not just this product—what stands out most is the following:
- Aurender emphasizes ease of use and a "computer-less" experience by developing both the hardware and software in-house, ensuring seamless integration.
- They have a comprehensive ecosystem with various models serving different needs (streaming bridge, DAC, CD ripper, server)—including Roon and Qobuz integration.
- Aurender implements robust power solutions, using separate linear power supplies for critical components and supercapacitor-based UPS systems to protect against power loss.
- The Conductor app provides robust remote technical support, allowing Aurender to remotely access and diagnose/fix issues for its users.
Select products
Aurender Content Server (ACS)
- Positioning: Serves as a centralized content management solution with features like CD ripping and library management.
- Description: The ACS models, such as the ACS10, are designed for audiophiles who need robust library management and centralized storage, offering features like metadata editing and duplicate detection. Unlike the A1000, which focuses on playback, the ACS series excels in content management.
Digital Output Network Transports
- Positioning: These transports are designed to enhance the performance of any DAC with high-quality digital output.
- Description: Aurender's digital output transports, like the N20, provide a jitter-free signal rendering, enhancing the performance of connected DACs. While the A1000 integrates a DAC for direct playback, these transports focus on delivering the best digital signal to external DACs.
AP20
- Positioning: An all-in-one digital source and integrated amplifier, offering a complete audio solution.
- Description: Combines a high-performance Class D amplifier with Aurender's best DAC, providing a powerful and integrated audio solution. Unlike the A1000, which is a network player, the AP20 includes amplification, making it perfect for users who want a simplified setup without separate components.
Our take on the brand
Look inside the brand
Our interview with the brand
What are two key technological innovations or strong opinions that differ you from other brands?
All Aurender models, even dating back to our very first "S10", cache songs to a built in NVMe/SSD prior to playback, for improve stability and to reduce noise from the HDD, even when local storage is installed.
All Aurender models come with either built in storage or empty trays for users to populate their own 2.5" SATA drives in capacities that suite their collection. You only have 200 CD's that are ripped? Purchase a 1TB drive. Have 20,000 album collection, you can install up to an 8TB drive in each available slot!
What's your approach to customer support?
Our support is one of the driving factors for our brand. One of the keystones of this is our remote support capabilities. By sending us an email using our Conductor V4 software (for Android and Apple phones and tablets), we can remotely access the unit and troubleshoot, reconfigure or fix errors that are giving you trouble...without even taking the unit out of your rack! This level of support comes from our hardware and software engineers based in South Korea. This is available for every Aurender customer, whether you just purchased our flagship streamer or you purchased an 8 year old Aurender N100 on the second-hand market. We give this level of service to everyone. I personally offer advice, consultations and troubleshooting assistance for North America, so you can get hands on assistance when Korea is unavailable due to the time difference.
What are your favorite tracks for showcasing the strength of your products?
I have a hard time offering test tracks because everyone's music tastes vary so much. My personal tastes are not considered "audiophile" music and often poorly recorded, such as Punk, Hardcore, Emo and Alternative Music. Now with that said, I thoroughly enjoy listening to all this music through my Aurender! Speakers also play a huge role in how palatable that style of music is presented. If you twisted my arm to pick a test track that resonates with a lot of people, I'd say: Sara Bareilles-"Once Upon Another Time". It's a very intimate recording with a candle wick crackling throughout. Subtle noises in the background and then the bass hits and you realize how big the venue actually is. Every time I play that track, people get a bit of the "Wow" factor.
What other products pair best with yours?
Brand pairings are often user preference and one of the best parts of the hobby, in my opinion. I hear that Aurender is often paired with Berkeley Audio Design, MSB, Audio Research, dCS, just to name a few. The best part of an Aurender is it really gets you all the detail out of your DAC, so you can hear what it is truly capable of.
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