For Whom?
Contents
Who had Aurender sketched on the whiteboard during the development of this Aurender A30? Definately not teenagers with a summer job. This device is really for the people who either take their hobby very seriously and want to put a lot of money aside or for the (very) prosperous citizen with a big heart for music.
Now that target group is still relatively large. And it is not the specific target group that Aurender had sketched on the whiteboard. The Aurender A30 is for the minimalists. The minimalists who do not want to make concessions in terms of functionality and quality. Just like the dCS Bartok. But the Bartok sounds different. And because of that, it will attract a different enthusiast.
The Aurender A30 is for those looking for detail. Wanting to gain insight into the stratification of a track. Wanting to hear the structure and lines flawlessly. Want to feel… People who want to hear every fiber of a nylon string. Although the dCS is a dac that lets you hear a lot; the Aurender A30 goes even further. Perhaps magnify it a little. That is something you should like.
Conclusion
Aurender really makes an all-in-one statement with the A30. Pair it with a few nice active speakers - think ATC SCM100 ASL or SCM150 ASL in rosewood - and you're done. It's as simple as that. We estimate it will be extremely difficult to beat such a combination.There are some things we love about this Aurender A30 and a few things we think Aurender can improve. Nice is the housing, the finish on the inside, the app and the various functions that work together beautifully. Think of ripping, searching, the large, beautiful display and the ease with which everything works. Things that can be improved: the volume knob wobbles and the fact that there is one disc in this A30. Backup is possible, but we'd rather see either RAID-1 or a backup function to a network drive.