Aurender W20 Music Server

[jdandy]

The Aurender W20 Music Server looks like an amazing new offering from this company.





The W20 incorporates two 3TB hard drives for music storage. Playback is from a 240GB solid state drive. Once your music files are loaded into the SSD the hard drives go into sleep mode. The Aurender W20 has no fans and the hard drives are wrapped in thick aluminum enclosures and mounted on rubber dampers to ensure silent running. They music server supports AIFF, ALAC, FLAC, WAV, M4A, APE files up to 24Bit/192kHz. It requires connection to an external DAC. Digital outputs include Coaxial, Optical, 2 AES/EBU, BNC, and a custom designed port for USB Audio Class 2.0. The W20 also supports an external master word clock through a BNC input.

The Aurender W20 Music Server with iPad App features an audio board containing all the critical audio components powered by two banks of lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries that alternate charging cycles and require zero user intervention. This eliminates the need for filters and isolates the audio circuits from ground noise coming from the electrical mains. A third bank of lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries act as an un-interruptible power supply in case of any sudden electrical power failures, the Aurender W20 will power down and turn off safely without any damage.

The Aurender W20 Music Server with iPad user application is designed to deliver the best user experience in browsing, sorting and convenient selection of songs for playback. Using the intuitive touchscreen functions of the iPad is easy and effortless playback features such as automatic queuing of random song selections at the touch of a button make listening to music a real pleasure.


The Aurender W40 Music Server sounds like an ultra sophisticated music server. It comes with a two year parts and labor warranty and is currently scheduled for release this April, 2013. MSRP $15,000.

There is also the Aurender S10 music server. It retails for $6900.00 with a 2TB hard drive and 64GB solid state drive for music playback. Comments welcomed.

[-E-]

Pass.

Several things in that blurb are red flags in the tech community.

And for that price...

Greed is just plain greed.

[jdandy]

Aurender S10 iPad navigation.

[ame=http://youtu.be/D0HX77ll6uU]Aurender S10 Navigation - YouTube[/ame]

[jdandy]

Originally Posted by Vesuvius

Pass.

Several things in that blurb are red flags in the tech community.

And for that price...

Greed is just plain greed.

E.......Can you expand on the red flags. I agree about the price.

[-E-]

Originally Posted by jdandy

The W20 incorporates two 3TB hard drives for music storage.

RAID, JBOD, user selectable?

Originally Posted by jdandy

Playback is from a 240GB solid state drive.

So then no memory playback.

Originally Posted by jdandy

Once your music files are loaded into the SSD the hard drives go into sleep mode.

Just. Plain. Bad. Even downright stupid.

Originally Posted by jdandy

The Aurender W20 has no fans and the hard drives are wrapped in thick aluminum enclosures and mounted on rubber dampers to ensure silent running.

So no fans and two 3TB monsters "wrapped" - heat will be an issue.

Originally Posted by jdandy

The Aurender W20 Music Server with iPad App features an audio board containing all the critical audio components powered by two banks of lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries that alternate charging cycles and require zero user intervention. This eliminates the need for filters and isolates the audio circuits from ground noise coming from the electrical mains. A third bank of lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries act as an un-interruptible power supply in case of any sudden electrical power failures, the Aurender W20 will power down and turn off safely without any damage.

OK, so the UPS aspect is fine and dandy, but dual lithium batteries (especially new and not well tested ones like LiFe-types) can pose a safety risk. Dreamliner anyone? (and yes I know the lithium type is different - but still same base concept, except here there is no ventilation, no visible heat sink, and plenty of other things getting hot inside that little container.)

Originally Posted by jdandy

The Aurender W20 Music Server with iPad user application is designed to deliver the best user experience in browsing, sorting and convenient selection of songs for playback. Using the intuitive touchscreen functions of the iPad is easy and effortless playback features such as automatic queuing of random song selections at the touch of a button make listening to music a real pleasure.

Woohoo, they have an iPad app. Just like everyone else. Even freeware. Super competitive advantage there! And no love for Android, either.

Originally Posted by jdandy

MSRP $15,000.

[MyPal]

The W20 is certainly a step up from the S10 but falls short of the planned R10 which was scrapped.

I think Aurender are still feeling their way through the infant digital media player market. Nice box, nice software, nice front LCD panels, pig ugly price as many would agree.

My biggest concern about this unit are the big dirty spinners inside. Sure the SSD is used for replay but there's no running away from the fact that internal SATA drives are hot noise polluters.

An improvement would be fully shielded & filtered SATA SSD. Even better PCI/e SSD. For the money you should be getting that plus much more tech like memory playback!

Now that my MCD1100 is upgraded, I'm going to wet my toe by embarking on a CAPSV3/SOtM Zuma PC build with no moving parts. I think by the time I'm done, the result will be better for just a fraction of the price.

[jdandy]

Emile.......I am a neophyte in this area compared to you. Thanks for the critique.

[-E-]

A pleasure as always, Dan.

Your spidey-sense caught the biggest piece of bull-puckey, though: the price tag!

[Washline]

I heard them a week ago. Superb sounding but I do sincerely agree that they are overpriced.

[chops-tube]

The amazing thing is, anybody can build a music server with pretty much the same features and specs as the W20, and not spend more than probably $1500 tops, maybe even cheaper.

It would be a cold day in "H" before I paid $15k for a glorified computer. Then again, I enjoy my CD's.