W20SE vs N30?

La Dolce Vita said:
It sounds like youÂ’re answering your own question. :-)

The N30SA is awesome - but so is the W20SE. Do you want to go to the added expense of the isolation platform, the power cord, etc., when youÂ’re splitting hairs with respect to performance?

There is no right or wrong answer here - itÂ’s a personal decision based on what the heart wants and on your budget.

You cannot go wrong. Enjoy.


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Thanks La Dolce Vita. Indeed it sounds like I posted a rhetorical question! Knowing what you know now having lived with both models, would you now rather own two W20SEs if you could do it all over again? If not, why?

I guess what’s throwing me is that when reading the Korean gentleman’s review he doesn’t seem to flinch at purchasing the N30 over the W20SE stating that the latter is more of a pimped out version of the W20, their old platform, and that the soundstage of the N30 is 1.5x that of the W20SE and has greater inner soundstage detail. However, it doesn’t sound like the “sonic gulf” in performance he describes is heard by your ears.

In my particular situation, I do have an extra HRS platform and reference power cord available, which makes my decision harder. Having said that, it’s a head scratcher as to why anyone would opt to purchase the N30SA over the W20SE if the former requires an additional ~$10K investment in reference equipment to sound as good as the W20SE.

Again, your thoughts are much appreciated!

Battles
 
Hi Battles,

I would encourage you to take a quick trip over to Suncoast Audio and do a head-to-head comparison of the N30SA and W20SE. After doing the audition, your decision should become clear and the guess work will be taken out of the equation.

Best of Luck,
Ken
 
Alpinist said:
Hi Battles,

Yes, I am still using the Roon Nucleus + with the Renderer V2 Input Module and it sounds excellent, although not nearly as good as my MSB Transport. I really like being able to adjust the volume through Roon on my IPad. I haven’t tried the EtherRegen but I did use the Gigafoil V4 for awhile. If I were to purchase an Aurender or Taiko Extreme, I would move to the Pro USB/Pro ISL Input Module, as USB is the preferred connection on those servers.

Ken
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Hi Ken,

I am not sure that the USB connection is preferred on Aurenders, USB is best for being able to play all resolution, but for me the AES connection still sounds the best (both N10/N20)

Olaf
 
Does N30 support dual AES output?


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imprezap2 said:
Hi Ken,

I am not sure that the USB connection is preferred on Aurenders, USB is best for being able to play all resolution, but for me the AES connection still sounds the best (both N10/N20)

Olaf
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Hi Olaf,

I totally agree with you that the preferred connection for Aurender + DCS is AES, but for Aurender + MSB (Battles has the Select DAC like me), the preferred connection is USB due to MSB’s superb Pro USB/Pro ISL optical connection, which uses MSB’s latest technology.

Best,
Ken
 
Hi All and Happy Thanksgiving to those of us who are stateside. Just to catch everyone up, I decided to pull the trigger on the N30SA. This was based on a number of conversations I had with those who’ve had direct exposure to the model. No one expressed that it was better than the W20SE, just different, however my instinct is that the newer model should have greater residual value to the extent one were to apply it to the cost of the W30 if and when it is released. Really appreciate everyone’s generous feedback on the W20SE vs N30SA as I narrowed my purchasing decision.

Next step is step is deciding how far to go in isolating the N30SA between the network router and its network input via Sotm, Melco, EtherRegen etc. and whether it’s worth investing in a USB reclocker between the N30SA’s USB output and the USB input of MSB’s ProUSB module. One would hope that the N30SA, being Aurender’s newest flagship model, has improved upon cleaning up the network signal coming into it and the USB signal coming out to it so that another $10K Invesment in input and output signal conditioning wouldn’t yield a significant sonic improvement. However, who knows until the audio gods on WBF have posted their conclusions.

Thanks,
Battles
 
Battles said:
Hi All and Happy Thanksgiving to those of us who are stateside. Just to catch everyone up, I decided to pull the trigger on the N30SA. This was based on a number of conversations I had with those who’ve had direct exposure to the model. No one expressed that it was better than the W20SE, just different, however my instinct is that the newer model should have greater residual value to the extent one were to apply it to the cost of the W30 if and when it is released. Really appreciate everyone’s generous feedback on the W20SE vs N30SA as I narrowed my purchasing decision.

Next step is step is deciding how far to go in isolating the N30SA between the network router and its network input via Sotm, Melco, EtherRegen etc. and whether it’s worth investing in a USB reclocker between the N30SA’s USB output and the USB input of MSB’s ProUSB module. One would hope that the N30SA, being Aurender’s newest flagship model, has improved upon cleaning up the network signal coming into it and the USB signal coming out to it so that another $10K Invesment in input and output signal conditioning wouldn’t yield a significant sonic improvement. However, who knows until the audio gods on WBF have posted their conclusions.

Thanks,
Battles
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Congrats. It’s a great component. Enjoy…


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Congrats Battles on the N30SA! You should have stellar performance running the N30SA to the Pro USB/Pro ISL Input Module on the Select DAC. Top of the line all the way.

Best,
Ken
 
Thanks La Dolce Vita & Ken!

La Dolce Vita, have you experimented with different audiophile switch configurations and/or USB reclocking before / after the N30SA’s signal path? If you have, that might save me some legwork.

Thanks again,

Blake
 
Congrats and good luck. I recently got Aurender N20 and love it with SPDIF out to Esoteric K-01XD. When I was using Antipodes S30 to K-01XD via USB out, I used Ideon 3R Mastertime USB Reclocker and it made noticeable difference, and could not live without it.
My digital side is fiber optic > Sotm SNH (Shunyata sigma) > English electric 8S (sablon 2020) > Eno acoustics . I had etheregen but in this chain, it did not make much difference (despite using excellent power supply- Uptone JS-2).
Other options to consider is Melco S-100 and M12 switch. Since I am happy with my above set up, I am not exploring newer options for now, but as you know, in our hobby, promises can be kept only for few months, at best a year.
 
Congrats Battles/Blake! The Aurender N30SA is a terrific music server/streamer.
 
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