Aurender N100 to a N10?

[Grasshopper]

I'm all for doing a final tuning with cables once i land on the sound I am after.

The USB is the Wireworld Silver Starlight, and the AES cable is the Gold Starlight 7.

I suspect cables can do some changes, however, in both cases it is the same AES cable going into the Baltic 3.

I was previously trying out a Roon Nucleus feeding USB into the Berkley and AES to the B3-

With the N10, I've run both ways (same cables) and am surprised how the USB > Alpha > N10 sounds more musical to me-

Originally Posted by Puma Cat

It could be the AES/EBU cable were you using between the N10 and the Lampi B3. I'd try a Shunyata Alpha AES/EBU or better if possible.

Another idea is you could try going directly from the Aurender N10 with a Shunyata Delta or better USB cable to the Lampi's USB port, and not use the Berkeley Alpha USB, and try that, as well.

I've found that less "gear": cables, devices, and usually, the power supplies for those devices in the path between the source and the DAC, the better.

[salamander]

For what it’s worth, I’ve tried both an Aurender N10, and an Aurender W20SE connected directly to my Berkeley Alpha Reference Series 2 DAC via a Shunyata Sigma V2 AES/EBU cable, and I have also connected both streamers to a Berkeley Alpha USB using a Shunyata Sigma V2 USB cable, then to the Berkeley DAC using the aforementioned Shunyata Sigma AES/EBU cable. To my ears, both Aurender units sounded “more musical” when connected via the Berkeley Alpha USB, as opposed to being connected directly to the Berkeley DAC. I am usually a proponent of less being more, but in this case, I feel having the Berkeley Alpha USB in the chain improved the sound in terms of smoothness and imaging. The W20SE also sounded significantly better than the N10, but that is another topic.

[Grasshopper]

Good feedback. Looks like the "Magic Box" Alpha USB will stay in the chain a while longer ----

Originally Posted by salamander

For what it’s worth, I’ve tried both an Aurender N10, and an Aurender W20SE connected directly to my Berkeley Alpha Reference Series 2 DAC via a Shunyata Sigma V2 AES/EBU cable, and I have also connected both streamers to a Berkeley Alpha USB using a Shunyata Sigma V2 USB cable, then to the Berkeley DAC using the aforementioned Shunyata Sigma AES/EBU cable. To my ears, both Aurender units sounded “more musical” when connected via the Berkeley Alpha USB, as opposed to being connected directly to the Berkeley DAC. I am usually a proponent of less being more, but in this case, I feel having the Berkeley Alpha USB in the chain improved the sound in terms of smoothness and imaging. The W20SE also sounded significantly better than the N10, but that is another topic.