The new Aurender AP20 is the brand’s first integrated amplifier, to which the equally new MC10 master clock fits nicely.
Importer More Music is already excited about the announced Aurender AP20: ‘We know…. there are many integrated amplifier solutions. But none of them include a digital front-end with Aurender’s signature caching playback engine and the stylish ease of use that Aurender owners experience and love. With Aurender’s typically excellent level of craftsmanship and an absolute refusal to compromise on DAC, preamp and amplifier, we have something very special here. The specifications are certainly impressive, just wait until you hear what the AP20 can do to your favorite speakers‘.
Just wait
Sounds promising, but before you can actually hear it, you’ll have to wait until sometime in the fourth quarter of this year. So for now, we have do with the promise above and specs below:
- Purifi 1ET400A Eigentakt dual-mono power amplifier modules push 200 WPC into 8Ω, 350 into 4Ω
- Fully linear PSU block with exceptionally high-quality discrete toroidal transformers (6 even)
- R2R stepped attenuator analog volume control
- Dual-Mono AKM4497 DAC cards
- Precision OCXO rev 2 internal clock
- Analog inputs with pure analog pass-through
- Analog output (for subwoofer secondary/distributed audio system)
- 1/4″ headphone output (unbalanced)
- Digital inputs (coaxial and optical)
- 2x user installable slots for SSD/HDD storage (2.5″)
- 10 MHz Master Clock input
The price of the AP20 is €23,900.
Aurender MC10
The last mentioned item in the specifications brings us naturally to the also newly announced MC10. Good news in advance, because you don’t have to wait that long for this one: available from next month. Special is that the Aurender MC10 has its own Rubidium atomic clock on board, which obviously guarantees an extremely accurate 10 MHz output. Interestingly, compared to the MC20, the MC10 is almost halved in price. Aurender achieved this -so we read- by removing the expensive dual-OCXO word clock modules and associated interface technology from the MC20. These OCXO-controlled word clock outputs only work effectively with a dCS DAC. In short: if you don’t have a dCS in use, you’re better off with the cheaper MC10.
‘Just connecting a clock signal output from the MC10 to your compatible Aurender (N20, W20, W20SE, N30SA, AP20) can significantly improve the performance of the already very low jitter digital audio output. You will notice significant improvements in sound staging and timbral accuracy/realism. Think FOCUS, perfectly defined images, instruments and voices sounding live, and the complete disappearance of speakers.
Simultaneously connect one of the MC10’s outputs to a compatible DAC (Esoteric, CH Precision) or to the master clock input of the dCS-Vivaldi clock. (Yes, you can add more precision to the dCS master clock!) and you are at the epitome of a digital front-end. It can turn an excellent system into a downright excellent-good system,” explains More Music.
The MC10 has a price tag of €17,500.