Description
Aurender A15 Music Server & Streamer
The Aurender A15 Music Server & Streamer 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.
Features
- Ultra High-Performance Analog Output Network Player
- MQA Full-Decoder DAC
- 2 x Slot for 2.5″ HDD or SSD Drive (user-installable)
- Variable-Output Balanced XLR and Single-Ended RCA Analog Outputs
- USB Digital Output / Coaxial and Optical Digital Inputs
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.
Specifications
Physical 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 |
Technical Specifications
| 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 |
Audio Specifications
| Analog Outputs | RCA (Unbalanced), XLR (Balanced) |
| DAC Chipset | AKM 4490 – Dual-Mono |
| Audio Word Clock | TCXO |
| Analog Outputs Supported Format | PCM: Up to 32-bit / 768 kHz; DSD: Up to DSD256, + DSD512 (Converted to PCM) |
| Digital Outputs | USB Audio (Dedicated) |
| USB Output Supported Format | Up To 32-bit / 384 kHz, DSD128 (DoP), DSD256 (Native) |
| 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 |
