Aurender A15
Aurender A15 pairs smooth, slightly warm resolution with bold dynamics, revealing low-level texture, lifelike voices and a remarkably quiet backdrop. Barry Jones found its imaging more tightly defined than his reference streamer, yet capable of expansive scale. Dual-mono DACs, Roon-ready streaming, onboard storage and a precision-built chassis make this a persuasive all-in-one digital front end.
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Deliciously Crispy
Sound Quality
93/100
Build Quality
90/100
Features Usability
89/100
Value for Money
88/100
Pros
Highly resolved yet smooth, slightly warm sound combines strong dynamics, natural vocal presence and very low perceived noise.
Delivers sharply focused imaging and clear instrumental separation while retaining expansive soundstage scale on suitable recordings.
Roon setup was swift, with support for major streaming services, user-installable storage and useful digital inputs.
Substantial machined-aluminum construction, clear large display and polished control implementation feel appropriately premium.
Cons
Premium pricing makes it a considered investment rather than an entry point to high-quality streaming.
Connectivity omits AES/EBU, S/PDIF digital output and word-clock connections, which may limit flexibility in some advanced digital systems.
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What Reviewers Are Saying
SOUND QUALITY PERFORMANCE 93/100
The A15 is described as a smooth, slightly warm and highly resolved digital source, combining powerful dynamics with unusually quiet backgrounds and strong image definition. Barry Jones found it more tightly focused than his Lumin T1 while still capable of expansive scale, with subtle textures and lifelike instrumental and vocal presence.
Overall Sound
94/100
SoundStage Solo heard a big, bold and detailed presentation with excellent dynamics, crisp percussion, full-bodied vocals, and a convincing sense of room ambience. The review repeatedly praises its smoothness and realism, from sharply placed voices to instruments that sound natural, energetic and delicately nuanced.
Digital Signal Integrity
91/100
The review highlights separate linear supplies for the DAC boards, double-isolated Ethernet, and SSD caching intended to reduce electrical and mechanical noise. In listening, the resulting background was described as vanishingly quiet, with stronger separation, focus and retrieval of low-level texture.
FEATURES USABILITY PERFORMANCE 89/100
The A15 combines server, streamer and DAC functions in a polished package, with major streaming-service support and straightforward Roon integration. Its connectivity is purposeful rather than sprawling, emphasizing isolated Ethernet, internal-storage bays, digital inputs and a dedicated USB audio output.
Streaming Software
89/100
Tidal, Qobuz, Spotify Connect and Internet Radio are supported, while Aurender Conductor handles the native platform. The reviewer was also able to add the A15 to Roon and begin using it within seconds, pointing to an uncomplicated setup experience.
Features Connectivity
88/100
The A15 provides double-isolated Gigabit Ethernet, two USB data ports, two user-installable storage bays, optical and coaxial digital inputs, balanced and unbalanced analog outputs, and a dedicated USB digital output. It supports high-resolution PCM and DSD playback, though it does not offer AES/EBU, S/PDIF or word-clock connections.
Assessments of Build Quality, Usability, and Overall Propositions.
Build Quality
90/100
SoundStage Solo calls the A15 beautifully crafted and precision-made, noting its substantial 12kg chassis, smooth lines and elegant heat sinks. The review presents it as a serious, well-finished component rather than simply an attractive streamer.
Value for Money
88/100
At AU$14,495, the A15 is a premium all-in-one digital component. SoundStage Solo nevertheless calls it very easy to recommend at its price, citing its finish, technology and overall performance.
Reviews & Sources
Professional reviews and sources for this product's Watt'n Potatoes analysis.
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Specifications
- Dimensions
- W16.9″ x D14″ x H3.8″ (3.3″ w/o feet)
- Weight
- 26.2 lb
- Material
- Machined Aluminum Chassis
- Front Panel Display
- 6.9″ 1280 x 480 Wide IPS Color LCD
- Power Supply
- Full Linear, 1x50W (CPU), 2x25W (DAC L&R), 1x25W (FPGA)
- CPU
- Intel Low Power Quad Core
- RAM
- 8GB
- Library Storage Capacity
- 2X 2.5″ Compartments (User-Installable Storage)
- SSD for System & Cache
- 240GB NVME
- Data USB Ports
- 2X USB 3.0 (Rear)
- Software Suite
- Aurender Conductor
- Ethernet Port
- Double-Isolated Gigabit LAN
- Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS)
- Yes (Super Capacitors)
- Power Consumption
- Play (29W), Peak (42W), Standby (7W)
- CD Ripping Capability
- N/A
- Analog Outputs
- RCA (Unbalanced), XLR (Balanced)
- DAC Chipset
- AKM 4490 – Dual-Mono
- Audio Word Clock
- TCXO
- Analog Outputs Supported Format
- Up to 768kHz/32bit PCM, DSD512 (Native)
- Digital Outputs
- USB Audio (Dedicated)
- USB Output Supported Format
- Up to 768kHz/32bit PCM, DSD512 (Native), DSD256 (DoP)
- SPDIF & AES/EBU Output Supported Format
- N/A
- Digital Inputs
- 1X Optical/Toslink, 2X Coax RCA
- Headphone Section
- N/A
- Master Clock Input
- N/A
- MQA Support
- MQA Full-Decoder On Board
- Compatible Formats
- DSD (DSF, DFF), WAV, FLAC, AIFF, ALAC, M4A, APE and others
- DSD-to-PCM Conversion
- N/A
Manufacturer's Description — Aurender
Signature Analog Music Server
MQA Full-Decoder DAC
High-End sound, lifestyle convenience
Ultra High-Performance Analog Output Network Player with Dual-Mono MQA Full-Decoder DAC, RCA + Balanced XLR Analog Outputs
Elegant Simplicity
The revolutionary A10 changed the paradigm for Aurender by introducing our first music server/streamer with a built-in DAC. A15 is the upgraded replacement of A10, featuring many new features and audible improvements.
And, while it's a true high performance all-in-one Digital Source Component, it is priced to be highly competitive with comparable separate DAC & Transport setups. A15 is performance-packed with balanced analog outputs and a resolving dual-mono AKM4490 digital-to-analog convertor with MQA full-decoder technology. As with all of Aurender's "A" series, A15 is designed to take full advantage of the vast selection of MQA encoded music available today. It also has two rear panel bays which can accommodate user-installable 2.5″ HDDs or SSDs of up to 8TB each to store the largest of music libraries. An elegant front panel display shows album cover art along with artist name and song title in living color.
A15 is a great choice for the devoted audiophile replacing an aging CD player, laptop or just for wanting the inherent simplicity of a great sounding one-box source component.
Key Features
Dual Mono MQA Full-Decoder DAC
At the heart of A15 is a dual-mono configuration of the exquisite AKM4490 DAC chipset. With a resolved, smooth sonic signature that is free of etched "digital" harshness, A15 is a source of musical purity in any system. In addition to delivering the highest possible audio performance that the MQA process offers, A15's built-in DAC also decodes PCM up to 32-bit/768kHz, and DSD up to DSD512.
Linear Power Supply with Integrated UPS
In sensitive digital source components, the power supply plays a critical role in the overall sonic presentation. A15's fully-linear power supply structure incorporates four audiophile-grade toroidal transformers, along with advanced shielding and isolation, to prevent noise from being introduced to the signal path at this stage.
User-Installable Storage Options
A15 is built with two trays for user-installable storage. Need a lot of capacity? Load up to 2 8TB SSDs! Not into storing files and prefer to stream? Leave them empty, and don't pay for storage capacity you won't use.
FPGA-Based Precision Clock
A high-precision clock generation system incorporating Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA) runs A15's DAC section. An extremely accurate sub 100fs clock generator precisely times the digital audio data transmission to reduce jitter well below negligible levels.
Variable Output XLR & RCA Outputs
A15's high quality Balanced (XLR) and Unbalanced (RCA) outputs guarantee compatibility with any preamp, integrated amp, or even power amps! DAC-level lossless volume control enables A15 to function as a preamp when connected directly to a power amplifier.
Digital Connectivity
Coaxial and Optical digital inputs are included for the connection of additional digital sources such as a CD transport, TV, etc. Any device connected this way will take full advantage of the superior sound quality of the DAC within the A15.
Hallmarks of Aurender
Hardware <> Software Integration
A closed system. Aurender playback and control software is developed in the same building as its hardware. Superior integration means that Aurender's software engineers are able to specifically optimize playback performance of the extremely robust hardware at their disposal.
Caching Playback Engine
Other systems buffer. Aurenders cache. Every Aurender model features a massive solid state memory from which all playback occurs. This important feature helps to minimize system resource requirements for enhanced audio performance and stability.
Dedicated USB Audio Output
USB is prone to transferring noise between devices. Aurender's dedicated USB Audio output is physically and electrically isolated from the noise-generating CPU board to minimize noise in the sensitive audio interconnect.
Low-Power High-Efficiency CPU
A powerful CPU is essential to making any computer run smoothly and quickly. However, with more power comes more noise. Aurender's low-power high-efficiency Intel CPUs have enough headroom to run the machine while minimizing the amount of current drawn in order to keep the noise floor as low as possible.
Elegant Front Panel Display
Easy to read high resolution LCD display. Dynamic, elegant, understated.
Double Isolated LAN Port
Two layers of transformer based isolation to filter noise out of Ethernet connection.
Local Library Storage Capacity
Every Aurender contains either massive built-in internal storage capacity, or at least one slot for super easy user-installable storage options. Enjoy localized media storage, and ditch the cumbersome NAS or HDD.
Integrated Streaming Services
The entire world of streaming music content is available to you within one great app. Enjoy integrated access to TIDAL, Qobuz, and Internet Radio. Plus Spotify Connect and AirPlay.
Critical Listening Mode
Enable Critical Listening Mode to defeat the front panel screen, buttons, and all background computing activity that is not essential for playing music. CLM offers an even quieter, more transparent audio presentation.
USB HDD and NAS Connectivity
The best user experience occurs when your music content is stored on Aurender's internal storage. However, USB 3.0 data ports and NAS share connectivity are included in order to play or import content stored on a NAS, external USB hard drive, or thumb drive.
Remote Internet Technical Support
In case you should encounter any difficulty or problems, Aurender's dedicated support team may log into your system remotely to diagnose and fix any issues. We take support extremely seriously, and we're here to help!
Verified Dealers
Online Dealers
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Authorized dealers for Aurender A15
- Absoulute Audio plus Video — in-store — Aiken, South Carolina, United States (website)
- The ASOC Gallery of Fine Audio — in-store — Stratford, Ontario, Canada (website)
- The Music Room — online and in-store — Erie, Colorado, United States (website)
- 110Hz — online and in-store — Kielce, Województwo świętokrzyskie, Poland (website)
- 3mA Audio — online and in-store — Houston, Texas, United States (website)
- A 10 Audio Room 4 Music — in-store — Amsterdam Nieuw-West, Noord-Holland, Netherlands (website)
- Addicted to Audio — online and in-store — Epping, Victoria, Australia (website)
- All That Audio — in-store — Anaheim, California, United States (website)
- Alpha High End — online and in-store — Brasschaat, Vlaams Gewest, Belgium (website)
- American Sound — in-store — Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada (website)
and 142 more verified dealers