Aurender N20 Caching Music Server / Streamer

The N20 caching music server/streamer provides the fidelity, features and flexibility the digital audiophile will find attractive and meaningful. A significant advantage is that the N20 contains two empty storage bays. This allows you to customize storage to best meet your budget and intended use. For example, these days many music lovers listen exclusively to streaming content. Therefore, no internal storage is necessary (although it can be easily added at any time if desired). Have a modestly sized music collection? Install an inexpensive 2TB HDD. Own a massive music library? Opt-in for 2 SSDs or HDDs. Fully loaded, the N20 is capable of accommodating an incredible 16TB of solid-state storage!

Key Features

• High Definition caching music server & streamer
• Store up to 16TB of music locally with the dual 2.5” SSD/HDD bays (drives not included)
• 240GB SSD caching storage
• Intel Quad Core CPU & 8GB DDR3 memory
• Stream hi-res music from services such as Tidal, Qobuz, and internet radio
• USB sampling rate up to 32bit / 384kHz, DSD: Up to DSD256 (DoP), Native – Up to DSD512
• SPDIF sampling rate up to 24-bit, 192kHz
• Supports Native DSD, DSD (DSF, DFF), WAV, FLAC, AIFF, ALAC, M4A, APE and more
• Super Capacitor based uninterrupted power supply for safe shutdown
• Oven-Controlled Crystal Oscillator (OCXO) for Long-Term Jitter Reduction
• Audio USB, AES/EBU, Coaxial, BNC (+BNC Word Clock Input), Optical digital outputs
• 8.8” full-colour front panel display
• Gigabit Ethernet LAN port for network connectivity
• Control playback and access technical support from the Aurender Conductor app

“Bringing it home, the Aurender N20 is one of a handful of the best-designed, best-integrated, best-engineered, and, most importantly, best-sounding audio components I have ever had the pleasure to use and experience. As such, it constitutes an innovative new benchmark in digital music server/streamers. Highest possible recommendation—the Aurender N20 is a veritable home run.” – The Absolute Sound

“Those interested in a complete solution that requires zero configuration, from a company with a stellar reputation, offering full support from three continents, high end build quality, reliability second to none, and of course impeccable sound quality, should look no further than the Aurender N20.” – Audiophile style

High Definition Caching Music Server / Streamer

Within the Aurender range of models, the N20 truly represents the best cost/performance ratio in terms of audio performance, features and functionality. Many performance-enhancing design techniques, circuit topologies and upgraded component parts have been employed to push the advancement of digital audio reproduction.

An Intel Quad Core CPU is used to support the most demanding digital file codecs including Native DSD512 transmission. All file types and formats are handled by this processor with exceptional ease and aplomb. Our latest generation SPDIF digital output suite employs transformer isolated grounding for the lowest possible noise floor, and our USB Audio Class 2.0 output benefits from our latest jitter and noise reducing designs. A word clock input is included as well. This allows for an external word clock to be connected, pushing our reference-class SPDIF digital output performance even higher! And, a double-isolated Ethernet LAN port significantly reduces network/router noise, lowering the overall system noise floor for a clearer and more pristine audio signal.

However, improvements are not limited only to the N20’s exceptional audio performance. The new, bold 8.8” full-colour front panel display illustrates the album cover artwork as well as the album name and artist using a large and vibrant readout. And, practically speaking, an internal uninterrupted power supply (UPS) has the ability to perform safe shutdown under an abrupt power outage preventing system and/or disc corruption.

Ultra-High-Quality SPDIF and AES/EBU Digital Audio Outputs

The N20’s AES/EBU, BNC, Coaxial, and Optical outputs provide a superior musical presentation with some DACs due to the superior clock and oscillator. As opposed to asynchronous USB connections, where the DAC pulls packets of information from the player, N20’s SPDIF audio outputs push the signal out to the DAC at intervals defined by the on-board precision OCXO clock. With a clock this precise, once heard, you’ll want to use it.

Oven-Controlled Crystal Oscillator (OCXO) for Long-Term Jitter Reduction

OCXOs are among the most accurate and stable clocks in use today, and are orders of magnitude more accurate and stable than commonly used ordinary crystal oscillators usually found in computers. Temperature changes cause crystal oscillations to fluctuate, which can lead to jitter in the digital audio signal. Moreover, ordinary crystals are much less stable and lose accuracy over time. In OCXO clocks, a very stable, high-grade crystal oscillator is enclosed in a compartment and kept at a constant temperature to maintain an absolutely stable flow of information.

Typical System Configuration

Dedicated USB Audio Class 2.0 Output with Ultra-Low Noise Power Circuitry

The N20’s dedicated USB Audio Class 2.0 output is designed to deliver an exceptionally transparent audio signal free of noise and jitter, and it is shielded from outside electronic interference. The improved module-type design is chassis mounted for strength and durability.

Precision DSD-to-PCM Conversion by FPGA

Many DACs support DSD decoding only on their USB inputs, but not on SPDIF. Additionally, some excellent DACs still in use are non-DSD compliant altogether. That’s why the Aurender N20 (and W20SE and N10) all feature this extremely high-quality method of DSD-to-PCM conversion on-the-fly by FPGA. The resulting sampling frequency output is user selectable between 88.2kHz and 176.4kHz, gain is adjustable 1-6dB and a low-pass filter accommodates 24Hz, 30Hz, 40Hz and 50Hz settings.

FPGA-Based All-Digital Phase-Locked Loop System

An All-Digital Phase-Locked Loop system (ADPLL) incorporating Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA) with OCXO clocks precisely times digital audio data transmissions and minimizes jitter to below negligible levels. The results are sonically audible with better image focus, a wider, deeper, taller soundstage presentation and an uncanny analog-like organic quality.

Dedicated Word Clock Input

The N20 offers support for an external word clock which can, in some cases, improve upon the SPDIF audio performance in terms of musical rhythm, pace, timing, and phase coherance. If the user wants to use a separate master clock and SPDIF interconnects, a music server with master clock input is needed as well as a DAC with master clock input. The external word clock can then be used to synchronize timing between both digital devices ensuring jitter-free and time-perfect data transmission. N20 can accept word clocks with the following frequencies: Master clock: 10MHz, 12.8MHz, Word clock: 44.1KHz and 48KHz in multiples from 1 to 512. N20 supports both word clock (dCS, DACs or similar) or Master Clock (MSB DACs or similar) inputs.

Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS)

At the heart of any music server is, essentially, a computer. Like any desktop computer, it doesn’t like when its electrical connection is abruptly terminated. In the case of an AC power outage or momentary “brownout”, the N20 is protected by a clever super capacitor-based power supply which allows the unit to stay powered on long enough to automatically power down. This prevents the system and hard drives from being corrupted by the loss of AC power.

User-Installable Hard Drive Storage with Solid-State Caching Drive for Playback

The N20 provides unparalleled flexibility in terms of the type and capacity of drive that can be fitted. Each of the two trays on the rear panel can be fitted with a 1TB/2TB/4TB or 5TB HDD or a 1TB/2TB/4TB or 8TB SSD. You can choose to install one or both to accommodate your current capacity and/or future expansion of your digital files. If installed, these internal hard drives provide storage for your music library and an internal 500GB solid-state drive is used to cache music for playback. If a selected song or album is already cached to the solid-state drive, the storage drive remains idle. This minimizes the system’s overhead resources in se, and wear and tear on the hard drive. Additionally, by caching songs to the solid-state drive for playback, electrical and acoustic noise resulting from spinning disks, moving heads and motors is completely eliminated.

USB HDD and NAS (Network-Attached Storage) Support

The most streamlined use case occurs when music is stored on the Aurender’s internal storage. However, the Aurender platform is also capable of seamlessly integrating content stored on a NAS, external USB HDD or thumb drive. Two USB 2.0 ports on the rear panel are used to import content or playback from the attached storage device. If importing content, Aurender’s SmartCopy feature can be used for bulk transfer or to selectively copy specific content onto the internal hard drives.

Upsampling and Critical Listening Mode

N20 offers the user the ability to upsample any lower resolution content to a user determined sampling rate. Three selections are available to choose from: 44.1/48kHz, 88.2/96kHz and 176.4/192kHz. Since results vary from server-to-DAC combinations, experimentation is in order to determine the sonic results. Upsampling effects only the system’s SPDIF digital outputs, not USB. Critical Listening Mode is a feature that allows the user to defeat any background tasks and circuitry that are non-essential to playing music. By defeating the display illumination and disabling other background functions, system resources are reduced for the best possible sound quality.

The Aurender Conductor App Takes Control of Your Music

The Aurender Conductor App turns your iPad, iPhone, Android phone or tablet into a highly versatile user interface for Aurender Music Servers making managing, viewing, playing and streaming high-resolution music collections a breeze. All permissions, behaviours and functions of the Aurender Music Server / Streamer can be easily accessed through the Settings menu of the Aurender Conductor App. Embedded within Conductor are the lossless streaming services Tidal and Qobuz (subscription required). Spotify Connect and internet radio are also available as alternative music sources. When using a streaming service, Aurender handles the streaming content the same way as files stored internally (Tidal and Qobuz only), so all functions and operations are the same with either library. In fact, it’s easy to combine streaming content into your library of files making all content appear to be one and the same.

Download the Aurender Conductor App

MQA Core Decoder (optional in-app purchase)

Aurender’s MQA Core Decoder upgrade enables MQA Core or first unfold allowing playback of MQA files at up to 88.2kHz or 96kHz. This is beneficial if using a non-MQA DAC as Core Decoding will deliver some of the MQA benefit from MQA encoded content. Additionally, MQA Core Decoder will work with DACs that perform MQA rendering which is the second stage of MQA decoding. Together, they provides full MQA decoding.

Remote Internet Technical Support

In the unlikely event you may need technical support, you can do so right from the Aurender Conductor App. Sending a Remote Support Request from Aurender’s app allows their engineers to quickly diagnose and correct problems over the Internet, should they ever occur.

Aurender – The Future of Sound

Laptops and consumer-grade network products are a significant source of noise and jitter, and a high-quality streamer is potentially one of the biggest upgrades you can make in a digital system. Aurender designs its products with sonic quality first, using the best components, most efficient processing, high-quality clocks, and excellent isolation.

Through in-house engineering and manufacturing, Aurender makes the finest high-fidelity music servers and audio players on the market. Their design process starts with a blank sheet of paper. Everything from circuit design to industrial design is meticulously engineered with a focus on performance and build quality.

Aurender’s hand-picked components have changed the game, standing head and shoulders above the rest of the field.