N20 vs N30SA

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Dizzie

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Has anyone compared the N20 to the N30SA? If so, what did you think?
 
Dizzie said:
Sorry, I don't speak Taptalk. :hmmm:
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I have both. The N30SA is clearly better, but the N20 is really the sweet spot if you will. The N30SA gives you that last 10-20%. In our streamer shootout, the customers said the N30SA “sounds more real, more like music.”


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Haven't heard the N30A, but the N20, at it's price point, is really superb. So, I agree fully with Mike and La Dolce Vita that the N20 really hits a sweet spot for performance for it's price. Also, same content played on the N20 vs. played back via Roon, clearly sounds better on the N20*. I also wrote the review of the N20 for TAS, so reading that may prove helpful, also. I really liked it very much.

Just a note while both have a large, beautiful full color display on the front panel, at least with the N20, it sounds better with the front color display turned off, and I'd presume that's the case with the N30A, as well. Fortunately, Aurender provides an easy way to toggle off the front color display.

It also has a dedicated chassis ground terminal on the rear panel that you use to can connect to an Altaira; this is the best way to connect to Altaira, and I can only imagine how good it would sound connected to an Altaira, now that I think about it. I'm sure Mike can speak to that. 👍

*–Actually, I should qualify that by saying that it sounded better than my Mac Mini* functioning as my Roon Core. Not sure that would be the case with Alita, Battle Angel (my recently acquired Akasa-cased Intel NUC) running ROCK.
 
Thanks to everyone for the responses. Please keep them coming.

To be clear. I already have an N20. I think it and the US support team are superb. The question is whether upgrading to an N30 is worth it at twice the cost. My damn Sound Labs keep demanding more.:evil: Such a curse.

I recently sold all my LPs. When I sell my TT, cleaner, and phono stage, I am seriously considering upgrading to an N30 and moving the N20 to my second system. But it would be wasted there since the system is primarily HT and rarely used for music. The bonus there would be getting rid of my Laufer-Teknik Memory Player and finally being done with one-off failed science projects, broken promises, and poor customer service. I would probably use that system for music more with an N20 in place but it would still be largely wasted.

FYI, I do not stream. My music is primarily ripped CDs. I have some hires downloads of music from the 60's-80's but I am disappointed with the quality. I think hires of many of the older recordings only exacerbates the original shortcomings. Bass can be overdone and the top end aggressive. My best CD-rips sound better.
 
Dizzie said:
Thanks to everyone for the responses. Please keep them coming.

To be clear. I already have an N20. I think it and the US support team are superb. The question is whether upgrading to an N30 is worth it at twice the cost. My damn Sound Labs keep demanding more.:evil: Such a curse.

I recently sold all my LPs. When I sell my TT, cleaner, and phono stage, I am seriously considering upgrading to an N30 and moving the N20 to my second system. But it would be wasted there since the system is primarily HT and rarely used for music. The bonus there would be getting rid of my Laufer-Teknik Memory Player and finally being done with one-off failed science projects, broken promises, and poor customer service. I would probably use that system for music more with an N20 in place but it would still be largely wasted.

FYI, I do not stream. My music is primarily ripped CDs. I have some hires downloads of music from the 60's-80's but I am disappointed with the quality. I think hires of many of the older recordings only exacerbates the original shortcomings. Bass can be overdone and the top end aggressive. My best CD-rips sound better.
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A lot of those older hi res files are just the 16/44 upsampled by a mastering engineer and not actually reconverted using the original source and a better A2D, hence why, sorry to say, the original analog pressing/tape/whatever remains best. But I know….you’re all digital now.


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I'll just add to Mike's comment that the best-sounding digital recordings I've heard (other than those from Linn) are 16/44: the Audio Wave Blue Note XRC24 series. These are Redbook 16/44 recordings but...they've been re-mastered by Alan Yoshida. While these are discs, I played them back as digital files ripped from disc using the app, XLD. Outstanding.

I read a quote once that if Alan Yoshida had mastered all digital recordings, we wouldn't need 24/96, 24/192, DSD64, 128, 256, MQA, blah, blah, blah, yada, yada, yada. And...I agree. In my experience, its about the quality of the recording and... the mastering.

Audio-Wave.jpg
 
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