Aurender W20 and dCS Vivaldi

[Cincy2]

Anyone hooked up an Aurender W20 to a dCS front end? The documentation is a bit confusing and the Aurender guy I've been corresponding with is trying to help but I'm not convinced we have a plan.

Here is my issue. Currently both the upsampler and the DAC get two inputs each from the dCS master clock: one Group is a multiple of 44.1kHz, the other Group is a multiple of 48kHz. So when a file is sent from the server to the upsampler, Vivaldi senses the resolution and adjusts its clock according. When the upsampler out put is sent to the DAC (presumably at a different resolution) Vivaldi gives it the correct clock frequency also.

The W20 setup as depicted on their website only has one clock signal to the DAC from Group 2 and one clock to the Upsampler from Group 1. The W20 gets its own Group 1 also. So the RS232 control signal from the W20 has to be able to change the Group 1 or Group 2 clock (independently as they may be different) to the DAC and Upsampler so that everyone is synched. Is this how you set up the W20 and how does it work?

Eric

[Cincy2]

After a few minor issues with transferring data to the W20 due to the storm system that moved through Florida Sunday night, I finally had a chance to see what the W20 can do. After the file transfer was completed I ran the unit playing repeated tracks for about 48 hours continuous to get a little burn in time on it. I noted earlier that this unit is very heavy. I took this as a sure sign the designers had paid proper attention to shielding and more importantly to the quality of the power supply. I was right.

It only took a few seconds on a familiar track to discern the blacker background created by the W20 compared to my Mac Mini. The individual images stood out in starker contrast. Very nice and not subtle improvement. The connection to the Vivaldi upsampler was asynchronus USB. I want to get familiar with that sound for a few days before I add in the Vivaldi Master Clock connection.

The user interface on the iPad app is fantastic. Easy to use without peeking at the users manual at all. Great overall design and a welcome addition to my system. Thanks to Mike for introducing me to the Aurender products.

[joeinid]

Eric,

What an amazing setup. Well done!

[jdandy]

Eric.......What a fine looking system. I am happy for you. The Aurender W20 is the perfect compliment to such a high-end setup.

Congratulations on selecting a premium source component.

[audio.bill]

Eric - Congrats on the new addition to your fine system! Looks like you need to update your signature accordingly.

[Cincy2]

Eric - Congrats on the new addition to your fine system! Looks like you need to update your signature accordingly.

Yikes! Good catch.

Eric

[Cincy2]

Yesterday I hooked up the W20 to the Vivaldi to permit the Master Clock to synch the unit. The Aurender website has a diagram of how the set up should look. Note that they presume you will upsample all files to DSD (which was true for me anyway). This is important as the clock to the DAC (Group 2) is set for 44.1kHz and is not switched as far as I can tell if you want to change the output resolution.

Diagram: USB1Upsample to DSD:

http://www.aurender.com/page/manual-..._systeminstall


A written summary:

The Master clock has three outputs. Group 1 to W20, Group 1 to Upsampler and Group 2 (Set to 44.1mHz) to DAC. Via the supplied dongle, there is a USB connection to the W20 USB input

The Upsampler has a USB input from the W20 (formerly asynchronous USB), and a clock input from Group 1. The USB input was set to W or synch mode. The Upsampler outputs dual AES to the DAC

The DAC gets dual AES (1 and 2) from the Upsampler (AES 1 and 2 is enabled, AES 3 and 4 is disabled). The DAC also gets a Group 2 clock input on W1 from the clock. The DAC balanced outputs go to my mono blocks.

One note that I didn't see anywhere in the write-up. There is a menu selection in the W20 Settings where you must turn on Clock Synch. Once I enable this capability, the clock switched inputs efficiently when the resolution of the input files changed from 44.1 to 96kHz.

I didn't get a chance last night to do any critical listening. As I stated in a previous post, the asynchronous USB input created a very black background and tight imaging improving my previous set up significantly. I'd be happy right there without any other improvements. I'll post again in a few days.

Cincy

[jfrech]

Very curious how things turn out for you. I'm using a NAS drive off my Vivaldi upsampler and it just takes some time to set up and fool with. I also have Roon...but it seems to soften the transients and not sound as good. Doesn't your W20 have dual AES outputs? Wondering if that is better...

[Cincy2]

Very curious how things turn out for you. I'm using a NAS drive off my Vivaldi upsampler and it just takes some time to set up and fool with. I also have Roon...but it seems to soften the transients and not sound as good. Doesn't your W20 have dual AES outputs? Wondering if that is better...

Yes the W20 has a dual AES output that will feed a DAC. I run dual AES from the upsampler to the DAC so i am using the W20's USB connection.

Eric

[Ritmo]

Can't wait to read about how the system is sounding after the W20 breaks in Eric.

[Cincy2]

I spent about an hour and a half with my reference tracks last night with the full system setup as previously described. The W20 with the asynchronous input to my upsampler had a dramatic effect on noise level and contrast between background and images. The system with a time synched input was different (and better by my definition) but the change was more subtle. It showed itself in tracks with solo saxophone or clarinet where the image "density" and bloom was enhanced. On well recorded piano tracks the percussive sound of the notes has a faster rise time i.e. the impact of hammer on string was sharper and more natural (we have a very good german Bluthner piano so I am very sensitive to how a recorded track sounds). Cymbals shimmered a bit more delicately.

In combination with all the other improvements in the system I have made in the last six months (Vivaldi software / hardware 2.0 upgrade, D'Agostino M400's, Magico M3's, Rel G1Mk2's and a room set up by Jim Smith, the W20 in its time synched form adds a layer satisfaction beyond what I thought was possible in a stereo system. I'm done...for a while anyway.

Cincy

[SMBunny]

Hi Eric,

What a wonderful & perfect setup.

I understand the dCS Vivaldi has built-in network / music streaming function. I wonder if the addition of your Aurender W20 (appears to be duplicated, function wise) has any improvement on the overall performance of your system? Have you made any comparison (e.g. Aurender W20 + dCS Vivaldi vs. dCS Vivaldi alone)? Can you share with me your experience and advice?

I have recently bought a dCS Vivaldi One. Its sound quality is very good (best ever compared to my past entry-level hifi equipment). However, I've found that the Vivaldi 2.0 iPad App isn't very user-friendly (at least less powerful than expected) and it has quite a number of issues when playing music especially DSD files. Further, my fidata (an audio grade NAS / music server with only 1TB SSD storage - made by the Japanese) is running out of storage. In the circumstances, I am thinking of getting the Aurender W20 as its control App is more innovative & powerful and more importantly it has much bigger storage (12TB?).

Many thanks,
Simon

[joeinid]

Welcome to the forum Simon. Thank you for joining.

[SMBunny]

Welcome to the forum Simon. Thank you for joining.

Thanks Joe!

[UltraFast69]

I spent about an hour and a half with my reference tracks last night with the full system setup as previously described. The W20 with the asynchronous input to my upsampler had a dramatic effect on noise level and contrast between background and images. The system with a time synched input was different (and better by my definition) but the change was more subtle. It showed itself in tracks with solo saxophone or clarinet where the image "density" and bloom was enhanced. On well recorded piano tracks the percussive sound of the notes has a faster rise time i.e. the impact of hammer on string was sharper and more natural (we have a very good german Bluthner piano so I am very sensitive to how a recorded track sounds). Cymbals shimmered a bit more delicately.

In combination with all the other improvements in the system I have made in the last six months (Vivaldi software / hardware 2.0 upgrade, D'Agostino M400's, Magico M3's, Rel G1Mk2's and a room set up by Jim Smith, the W20 in its time synched form adds a layer satisfaction beyond what I thought was possible in a stereo system. I'm done...for a while anyway.

Cincy

I can see how you would stick a fork in it for the time being, you went through a serious upgrade path, very impressive!

[still-one]

Has anyone figured a way to use the W20 connected to the Rossini Clock where Roon sees the W20's files and the Rossini is the endpoint?

I am considering adding a Rossini clock.

[Phishphan]

Has anyone figured a way to use the W20 connected to the Rossini Clock where Roon sees the W20's files and the Rossini is the endpoint?

I am considering adding a Rossini clock.

You should be able to point Roon to any drive on the network, which would include the Aurender drive(s). But why have Roon and a W20? Seems like a hell of a lot to spend on a media player just to use a hard drive. You can pick up the same hard drive for a few hundred bucks


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