RegeHA and Rikhav, thanks
RegeHA, between Aries Mini and MicroRendu, which do u think is likely to be better from a SQ perspective. Chances are dac would be Metrum Hex
Prem,
Hard to say without hearing the microRendu. FWIW, I did like the Aries, both the regular and Mini.
But ethernet for audio is something I've not really played with (though I've been meaning to with the Synology).
For now I guess it comes down to how much stock you put into Chris's reviews.
I'm personally not sold unless I hear it myself and hear things differently... and my misgivings stem from how much it sounds like a Pi at least on paper.
Hi regeha
Even if it's modelled on the RPI its seeiosuly VFM because it has inbuilt Ethernet and USB isolation and it would not need a linear power supply . something like ifi I power would be fine
To top it up it comes with a very good case
If you add everything its seriously VFM for USD 490 including ifi power supply
I agree, but the Pi 3 is also a good sell considering its wireless LAN does not share the same BUS and galvanic isolation and other benefits are achieved too.
I'm not sold on the LPS, as I heard the Aries and it actually suffered from sound degradation with a HDPlex. In fact the standard power supply worked best and the best SQ was with wireless. Even Auralic states wireless would perform better than wired (caveat: with a good WiFi network), so all things considered and with the experience of actually listening - galvanic isolation, clean power, EMI noise, noise floor, etc. - is better achieved via wireless. This has been my experience across multiple setups using varied devices from the budget Chromecast Audio and Pi to the likes of Auralic, NAS, Bluesound, Sono, Naim, and even Pioneer.