Thread: Aria 2

It's good.

Once you have put a certain amount of gear through your system, you become acutely aware of what it is capable of & where it's weaknesses lie. The awareness of what that excess of gear brings, is, most of the part to the point where you know very well when you insert a new component into your system, you just Know it is going to be good at first listen.
This is DigiBit's Aria 2 server, http://ariamusicserver.com with 2TB SSD, external LPSU & onboard dac, all boxes ticked & fully optioned.
When I first installed it into my system I put some thought into how I'd execute this so I have done as follows. Loaded it with over 100 cds to give a good choice for me to get a good angle on this component, although DigiBit do put a good smattering of material into the unit so it is ready to play out of box. Connecting the server to the preamp is a Wire World Platinum 7 I/C, my go to cable for new gear,which I consider to be one of the better silver cables available for not adding or detracting anything from the sound but delivering a true rendition of upstream info supplied. After the preamp is Siltech Royal Signature Princess I/C to the 180w Ayon Epsilon mono amps. From the amps are Siltech Royal Signature Prince speaker cables to the Wilson Benesch speakers. One RJ45/CAT6 cable from the server to your modem so your ipad can connect to the server. Turn the server on & once you've downloaded the iaria app, it couldn't be any more simpler or intuitive than to open the app on the ipad, search with the app, click & connect to the server button & you are away in less than five minutes, yes 5, it is that easy. If you are ripping to your h/d you need to be connected to the net to use the incredible database available through this server for the album & songs metadata.

Straight out of the box I could hear so much potential in this unit & hoped like hell it would improve to what I thought it was capable of.The bass was soggy like a hangover, percussion was like an afterthought cardboard box, surprisingly though vocals were really shining through.
My first listening session was for 3 hours & I must say that it was really enjoyable not having to get up & flip the record or put the LP through the ultrasonic cleaner after listening. First impressions were loaded both ways because this unit needs some playing time. With the very well recorded tracks it was a joy to listen to & thoughts reminisce of very well done digital did surface occasionally like the company of an old & trusted friend. Mediocre recordings are just that & it doesn't matter how good your gear is, it wont add what isn't in the recording. I will say though that over time I have found average digital easier listening than average vinyl, although, it is probably more from an expectation perspective that vinyl should deliver & just like digital, it doesn't do it every time.
Within the app is an option of a smart-list that will play 100 random songs from the drive, so after choosing this I put the preamp on mute, turned the amps off & went to bed. This would give the unit another 5 hours of play at least. After getting my morning coffee the next day I already had powered the unit down for a good half hour & then proceeded to load ZZ Top Fandango & Les Hombres...... this thing aint sounding like no soggy hangover I can tell you. Wow. Every time I'd turn it down another tune would just get me a tapping again & it was then that I realised I was sharing ZZ with the neighbourhood at 8 o'clock in the morning.
All in all I have about 30 hours on the unit now & am really looking forward to getting in excess of 300 on it. I am so hoping the dac option was worth it as a one box fits all solution is so relevant in a tech savvy society. .......

Congrats on the new Aria Kev!
The new edition is a lot bigger than the previous and im sure a big improvement. Probably the best look it server on the market imo.

Look forward to your future impressions.

Have you done away with vinyl ?


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Thanks guys, yes I have done away with vinyl, too much time,too much room & too much money. Nelson, I think you are going to sell a lot of these.

Originally Posted by Mike

Blasphemy! JK. Congrats Kev. She's a beauty. Aria makes great stuff, but I don't sell much of it here. Not sure why.


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Originally Posted by joeinid

Congratulations Kev, I'm so happy for you.

...shh. I knew I'd get a kickin! I lost the desire to buy music & when that happens I know I'm not enjoying something, it was then I realised that I wasn't enjoying the whole voyage of vinyl & decided to just sell all related gear. That tt weight from stillpoints is the only thing I have left. Oh, I also have KL Audio, but don't think that it will last for long when I get around to selling it.

This server is starting to sound really good with just 40 hours on it. The bass has improved an incredible amount & some recordings that I never thought that highly of on cd actually sound pretty good on the Aria2. The cat & dog love it!!

hi bzr, congratulations about your fantastic choice

I recently purchased the music server Aria 2 (4Tb sshd) and LPSU. I prefere the version without the DAC. I use as a DAC Meitner MA-1 updated to version 2, and the result is extraordinary

Hi everyone
Have recently bought an Aria 2 with dac and am delighted with it.
Having all my music available in a couple of seconds rather than having to search through piles of CD's is great.
One question, does the LPSU make much difference to the sound?


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