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Hi All First post and Im sooooo excited! A bit about me. I used to be really into Hifi up until about 15 years ago but kids, career and life got me side tracked. So I have about 15 years of catching to do. I have been reading this forum and watching heaps of youtube in the last 2 months in order to catch up. Although its been invaluable, experience is often the best teacher. I have a dilemma. I like the convenience of integrated, but would always go for sound quality over all other criteria. Im thinking of upgrading my lower end old NAD power amp and Rotel pre-amp. There is a great looking Auralic Polaris for sale which is a great all in one solution imo. The alternative might be Schiit Vidar, Schiit Freya with Schiit Modi 3 (which I have). The Schiit Modi 3 is pretty good but nothing amazing in my experience compared to whats in my old Rotel pre. Is Schiit over hyped or am I expecting too much for a cheap component? Does anyone have any experience with comparing something like the Auralic Polaris to something like the Schiit pre/power amp? Can a Schiit Vidar/Freya/Modi compete with the Auralic in sound quality? The Auralic would most probably have a much better DAC than the Schiit Modi 3 I guess, but what would it be comparable too? Are amplifier Class A/B (Schiit) vs Class D (Auralic etc) sound signatures relevant? Im looking for smooth highs (not to forward) and plenty slam in the bass. The amplifier is to drive some Martin Logan Motion 35x and / or Monitor Audio Silver 8 Floor stand speaker. I may change to Buchardt s400 / Kef R3 in the future. Source will be streaming TIDAL. So many questions I know but it would be great if some one could guide me. Thanks a lot

OK, there have been big changes here. A year or so ago my system looked like this: There are photos of this system's evolution here and my old system in a shed in Melbourne here. Anyway, we moved house before the UK "summer" and I fancied a change/couldn't be bothered packing up all that gubbins so I decided to sell up and have a complete change of direction. All that is left is a stack of Fraim and the LP12 rig. The Fraim will be sold soon . The current state of play looks like this: The wallpaper and carpet came with the house. It is a bit of a killer, but I've gotten used to it and am leaving it well alone. The mana is a relic of my misspent youth and was intended to be temporary, but I really quite like it now. The LP12 is definitely more at home on the mana rather than the fraim. Footfall is a thing of the past unless I engage in some of my lumbering elephantine dancing. The Gato amp is a huge surprise. It is 250W into8 ohms and class D to boot, but musically is absolutely superb. I intended to move to a Devaliet, but am happy enough for now. An added bonus is that the Gato does not buzz and hum. Some of the Naim boxes were quite noisy to say the least. This LP matches the wallpaper quite well: The Aro is the only remaining bit of Naim kit I own. It has been a huge shift. Streaming is currently provided by a Simple Audio Roomplayer which is under the Radikal. I am waiting for an Auralic Aries to show up. I am told it will be here during the weekwhich will be good as the Simple Audio is not in the league of my old NDS. So I have gone from a multi-box active system to a passive rig with 3 boxes and a record deck. Do I miss the old rig? Yes, but not much really. Did I have lots of money left over? Not really due to reinvestment , largely because of these chaps: Another view: And one more for luck: Art Alnico 8s in walnut. Absolutely the best speakers I have ever owned, by a country mile. As the new place is bigger this is a dedicated listening room. So there is plenty of space for the vinyl to come out of hiding: My CDs are ripped to a Vortexbox and are in storage in various parts of the house. All I need at the moment is some more furniture as it is a bit of a fortress of solitude at the moment, with a single very comfy armchair only. I haven't been able to find a sofa to suit me yet.

Item: auralic vega dac Location:campsie Price: 1850$ Item Condition: fantastic Reason for selling: not needed Payment Method: Pickup - Cash, Paypal, COD Only Extra Info: I now relist at lower price... great condition and functionaly perfect.

Item: vega Location: campsie Price: 2300 Item Condition: great Reason for selling: unexpected bills Payment Method: Pickup - Cash, Paypal, COD Only Extra Info: very open and transparent with tonnes of detail. A dac that is impressive that would cost well over 5/7 k to beat. I purchased from simply hifi beginning of 2018. you are welcome to try before purchase. I found for super critical detail usb was the go to and for dynamics and overall musicality i chose a good coax. thanks sna donation if sold here. Lowballers will not be answered. Photos: Advertisements without photos of the actual item will not be approved.

Item: aries Location:campsie Price: 1300$ Item Condition: great Reason for selling: already have another .. Payment Method: Pickup - Cash, Paypal, COD Only Extra Info: really good streamer.. yes it may not be as good as an audiophile cd player!! But i can show you how amazing it is if set up correctly. no mucking around with me... if you want it. Then show up with cash. Simple can package deal with my vega also up for sale to serious buyers. Photos: Advertisements without photos of the actual item will not be approved.

Item: Auralic Taurus Pre (Balanced Class A Preamplifier and Headphone Amplifier) Location: Coffs Harbour Price: Sold Item Condition: mint Reason for selling: need money Payment Method: Pickup - Cash, Paypal, COD Only Extra Info: Very well reviewed Auralic Taurus Pre, fully balanced class A preamp and headphone amp , heaps of good review online, comes with all original accessories. Pictures:

Item: Auralic Taurus MkI Headphone Amp / Pre amplifier Location: Sydney Price: $850 plus postage Item Condition: 9/10 Reason for selling: Ended up with two! Payment Method: Pickup - Cash, Paypal, COD Only Extra Info: Hi everyone, I bought this on SNA two weeks ago from Snrub. It's a terrific unit- exactly as described by Snrub in his original post (see below). But long story short.... after looking for a Taurus for quite a while I eventually ended up with two! So I'm offering this one for sale again. It's been tested and sounds superb- and includes a nice power cable as per the original listing. Offered for the same price as before. I'm happy to post- just contact me for a quote. Cheers, Dom Pictures:

Item: monos Location:campsie Price: 2800$ Item Condition: very good. Slight scratch from stacking Reason for selling: upgraded Payment Method: Pickup - Cash, Paypal, COD Only Extra Info: my beautiful babies are up for sale!!! Sad face. these were driving my focal 1038's. they ran them pretty good but not perfect as the speakers are pretty big 400 watts. And usually require smart big amps. the merak is super detailed but not so much as to say clinical. They can be sweet amd warm depending on the pre. I have ran a few pre's from tubes and solid states. The best so far is a coda i bought recently from sna. also up for sale. alot of people have been surprised by their ability. I really would love to hear them on larger bookshelves so the amps can stretch their legs. some people might message me to say they have seen them cheaper etc.. i don't care. this is my price and i collect alot of auralic and i know exaclty how much they are worth. to prove their beast like power and finesse i will easily do demo. Bring your speakers i dont mind. I just need 24 hours heads up. upgraded fuses and very good power cables are a must.. Pictures:

Item: Auralic Aries (Femto) Location:Lane Cove 2066 Price: sold Item Condition: 9.5/10 Reason for selling:upgrade Payment Method: Pickup - Cash Extra Info: a great streaming transport, comes with packaging and auralic lps. Pictures:

Item: Auralic Taurus MK1 balanced headphone amplifier Location: Braybrook VIC 3019 Price: $999 (price drop from $1,200!) Item Condition: used in great condition Reason for selling: not using as much Payment Method: Pickup - Cash, Paypal Extra Info: Auralic Taurus MK1 Balanced headphone amplifier. Since bought about a year ago have used it only on a few occasions, its in great condition, selling as I'm just not using heaphones as much as I thought I would. Pickup from Braybrook VIC 3019 or can post anywhere in Australia (extra cost). Pictures:

Item: Auralic Merak Monoblock Balanced Power Amplifiers 200W/400W Location: Inner Sydney Price: $2,250 2,100 plus postage for both Item Condition: 8/10 (a couple of minor cosmetic marks on top plates, front plates and sides are perfect) Reason for selling: Freeing up some cash as moving house soon Payment Method: Cash on Pickup, otherwise Paypal, COD Only Extra Info: I had initially listed these as a package deal with my Auralic Taurus Pre Preamp, but have now decided to relist individually (Mark OKd this). These were purchased from Addicted to Audio about 5 months ago. They were floor stock and I paid them 2,800 bucks, however the price new was north of $6,500! They work flawlessly and produce a really incredible sound, which I would describe as powerful, precise, elegant and neutral, but far from col or clinical. Each Monoblock is rated at 200W in 8ohm and 400W in 4ohm (continuous power). Both are fully balanced. They incorporate an innovative hybrid design (half way between class A and D, at least this is my understanding), in which the advantages of class D amplifiers (small size, efficiency, zero heating) are paired with those of class A/B amps (high energy storage, massive power supply, and great control on all speaker types, including difficult loads). Each mono block has a linear power supply and 56,000uF capacitors array and can store up to 120J of energy, while remaining 90% efficient. This means they run stone cold even with low impedance speakers at high volumes. Each Monoblock has a circuit (which can be bypassed) that switches the amp on or off when a very low input signal is detected (or not detected), while keeping the output stage on at all times. This results in the amps being always ready to sound at their best (no need for any warm up time), while consuming virtually no energy when at idle. These have only balanced line in, and each of them has a low level line out that is controlled from the preamp and can be used to send the signal to active subs or more amplifiers. The exceptional quality of these mono blocks is confirmed in several reviews, including on SNA, where they were tested with the matching Taurus Preamp (that I am also selling separately). Here are some examples: http://www.theabsolutesound.co...c-merak-mono-power-amplifiers/ http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/auralic3/1.html https://www.stereo.net.au/reviews/auralic-taurus-and-merak-pre-power-combination/ Specs and user manual here: http://www.auralic.com/download/MERAK_USERSGUIDE_R1.pdf Specifications Continuous Output Power; 200W/400W (8ohm/4ohm) Peak Current Output: >16 amp (40 ms) Frequency Response: 20Hz - 20KHz, +/- 0.5dB THD+N: <0.01%, 20Hz-20KHz@1W IMD: <0.01%, 20Hz-20KHz@1W Residual Noise: <50uV, 20Hz-20KHz, A-weighted Input Ports: 1 x XLR, Sensitivity: 2.2Vrms(RCA input requires adapter) Input Impedance; 10K Ohm Output Ports: 1 x XLR invert output ( for BTL mode) 1 x Cardas patented CE binding post Damping Factors; >800, 8ohm@1Khz Optimized Loads: 2ohm to 16 ohm Power dissipation: warm-up mode: 5W playback mode: 15W/450W (idle/max. output) Dimension: 330W x 330D x 70H Weight: 8.5kg I purchased them to drive my Magnepans 1.7, a notoriously very demanding speaker, which they did beautifully. I have now sold the Magnepans and do not require these anymore, plus I am moving to a larger house and I need to cover some extra expenses. The original boxes are missing but given the small size, contained weight and simple shape these can be packed up professionally and safely posted Pictures:

Item: Auralic Gemini 1000 DAC/Headamp/Headphone Stand Location: Inner West Sydney Price: Relisted (RRP: $1,719) Item Condition: 9/10 Reason for selling: Need funds Payment Method: Pickup - Cash, Paypal, COD Only Extra Info: Can ship at buyers cost & risk, prefer pick up. Up for sale is an Auralic Gemini 1000 (new price is US$1199), which is very rarely seen in the used market. Has original boxing. Was purchased new in June 2017 - white colour with silver base. The Gemini 1000 has been compared favourably by head-fi'ers with the Auralic Vega / Taurus stack, and also to the Chord Hugo. It also has a favourable review from Srdjan at 6moons. The headphone stand itself costs $400! See these links: * http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/auralic7/1.html * https://www.head-fi.org/threads/auralic-gemini.684704/page-2 The Gemini 1000 version gives up very little to the Gemini 2000, which makes the 1000 a real bargain. It is an excellent DAC + Headamp... AND a top notch headphone stand all in one. Inputs: USB (Windows, OSX, Linux), optical, 3.5mm line-in Output: 6.3mm Headphone Jack AND 4-pin XLR Power: 1000 mW of Class-A power!! DSD support: YES! Double rate DSD and DXD Voltage: DC input (universal AC), so will work anywhere Was servicing my Hifiman HE1000v2 very well, while taking up very small real estate AND storing my headphones stylishly while not in use. But I’ve now sold the HE1000v2, so also looking to sell the Gemini. Mine is the white version (looks AS new): http://hifiheaven.net/shop/AURALiC-GEMINI-1000-Headphone-Dock-in-White Pictures:

Item: Auralic Gemini 1000 DAC/Headamp/Headphone Stand Location: Inner West Sydney Price: SOLD shipped Australia wide (RRP: A$1,719) Item Condition: 9/10 Reason for selling: Need funds Payment Method: Pickup - Cash, Paypal, COD Only Extra Info: Has original boxing. Up for sale is an Auralic Gemini 1000 (new price is US$1199). Manufacturer website: http://www.auralic.com/gemini/#Welcome Was purchased new in June 2017 from official Australian dealer - white colour with silver base. The Gemini 1000 has been compared favourably by head-fi'ers with the Auralic Vega / Taurus stack, and also to the Chord Hugo. It also has a favourable review from Srdjan at 6moons. The headphone stand itself costs $400! See these links: * http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/auralic7/1.html * https://www.head-fi.org/threads/auralic-gemini.684704/page-2 The Gemini 1000 version gives up very little to the Gemini 2000, which makes the 1000 a real bargain. It is an excellent DAC + Headamp... AND a top notch headphone stand all in one. Inputs: USB (Windows, OSX, Linux), optical, 3.5mm line-in Output: 6.3mm Headphone Jack AND 4-pin XLR Power: 1000 mW of Class-A power!! DSD support: YES! Double rate DSD and DXD Voltage: DC input (universal AC), so will work anywhere Was servicing my Hifiman HE1000v2 (and now serves my Utopia) very well, while taking up very small real estate AND storing my headphones stylishly while not in use.

Item: Auralic Vega Dac and Auralic Aries Location: Melbourne Price: 2750 + postage and any paypal fees Item Condition: Very good Reason for selling: Downsizing Payment Method: Pickup - Cash, Paypal Extra Info: An excellent combination with great sound and functionality. The Aries is the femto clock version with Auralic's external purer power power supply. Local sale preferred but have original packaging and will post at buyer's expense. Would also prefer to sell both together, but if noone goes for both will sell separately for $1900 Vega and $975 Aries. Note that this only includes 1 remote, which works with both the Aries and the Vega. An additional/replacement remote can be sourced from Auralic for $50. I can also include an Uptone Audio amber regen for an additional $150, which I'd recommend. Pictures:

Item: Auralia Vega Location: Perth Price: $1750 Item Condition: Excellent Reason for selling: Need the money Payment Method: Pickup - Cash, Paypal, Postage at your expense, EFT Extra Info: Amazing DAC. Lots of positive reviews. RRP $4499 I don't have the original box but will ship securely at buyer's expense. https://www.stereophile.com/content/auralic-vega-da-processor http://www.stereo.net.au/reviews/auralic-vega-digital-audio-processor-dac

Item: Auralic Aries mini Location: Brisbane Price: $450 = I have marked this down due to the marking of the top cover – this is as low as I will go! Item Condition: 8.5/10 for Mini Reason for selling: I got a NUC which does most of what the Mini does (still a work in progress!) Payment Method: Pickup local (paypal preferred or cash)– or post (paypal), can post at buyers expense (postage for both is $16 including insurance & sign of delivery) I listened to this unit for about a week before getting the upgraded power supply. It was an instant step up from the SBT though it didn’t have the fat bass character of that unit but was noticeably lower in background noise and jitter (I love the SBT so don't take that the wrong way!). Auralic are a bit bashful about fully promoting the virtues of this device – I think they feel it may cannibalise their more expensive units. I have not heard the other Auralic devices but more mere mortals like me, it would be hard to justify spending a great deal more money when this thing sounds so satisfying. Delivers pristine audio through analogue (using a ESS Sabre 9018KM2 dac chip) or via USB or coaxial SPDIF. It also allows you to add an external hard-drive (happily drives a portable HDD). Has an internal space for a HDD or SDD (Auralic recommends and SSD). The device supports AirPlay and Bluetooth and most formats including DSD. Supports bit perfect or DSD over PCM. It creates a cache of your library of music and acts as a DLNA server. It can also stream across WIFI or Ethernet from a remote library though I’ve never tried this feature. I would characterise the sound as very clean (very low jitter) and detailed but not in the least bit fatiguing and very engaging. It certainly sounds great powering a Daleviat which is not a warm amplifier so it does not tend towards a cool sound by any means. You can alter the treble character with the variable filters to your taste & requirements. I also found the Sabre DAC (analogue) a pleasant surprise given my previous experience with them in the past. You set it up using the Lightning DS server (Ipad or Iphone) and then you can use a multitude of Android or IOS app’s to control it or use Lightning DS which is very nice on the Ipad. The Mini is very versatile – it has happily streamed music to any DAC or USB to SPDIF transport that I have connected to it. Has 4 digital filters to tweak the sound to your taste. Obligatory DAR Review (thanks Johnny): http://www.digitalaudioreview.net/2016/02/audiophile-grade-streaming-with-the-auralic-aries-mini/ http://www.computeraudiophile.com/content/721-auralic-aries-mini-and-lightning-ds-review/ http://www.the-ear.net/review-hardware/auralic-aries-mini-network-streamer-and-dac Specs: Streaming Services Local uPnP/DLNA library content TIDAL, Qobuz and WiMP online streaming Internet Radio AirPlay, Songcast and Bluetooth USB hard drive files Optional internal HDD/SSD DLNA/uPNP compatible server software Supported File Types AAC, AIFF, ALAC, APE, DIFF, DSF, FLAC, MP3, OGG, WAV, WV and WMA Sampling Rates PCM in 44.1Khz - 384Khz at 16 - 32bits DSD64, DSD128, DSD256 Control Software AURALiC Lightning DS OpenHome compatible software Media Server Compatibility Built-in Lightning Server Minimserver, Twonky, Asset UPnP, JRiver Input RJ45 Gigabit Ethernet Dual-Band WiFi connection USB 2.0 High-Speed for external disk Output USB 2.0 High-Speed for compatible DAC** Coaxial, TOSLINK*** Power Consumption Playback: 10W at max. Dimension Approx. 5.3"W x 5.3"D x 1.1"H (13.5cm x 13.5cm x 2.8cm) Weight 1.1 pounds (0.5kg) PICTURES: I consider myself to be very careful with my gear but I work in an office with a few other people who obviously do not share my sensibilities. I left the Mini in what I thought was a safe location in a cupboard only to find that someone had dragged cables over it at some point. YAAARGGH! Anyway, the scratching on the Mini isn't too heavy but being a black plastic it tends to highlight it. And doesn’t affect performance (as you’d expect). There is a small chip on one of the corners too visible in photo 2. If you close your eyes, you won't be to see it. The power supply has some miniscule abrasions on it which is a side effect of the powder-coated finish I guess. NOTE - DOES NOT INCLUDE THE GIESELER POWER SUPPLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Item: AURALiC LPS 16V Ultra Low Noise Linear Power Supply Location: Central Coast Price: $325 ... includes Paypal fees and free Registered Postage … RRP for LPS is $649 Item Condition: Excellent Reason for selling: Surplus , I have other suitable power supplies Payment Method: Paypal Extra Info: Selling the Auralic 16V/1A LPS Linear Power Supply that came with my Auralic Aries Femto version. *** This would suite someone who has a Aries LE or Aries Mini, who wish’s to upgrade their power supply *** It is in excellent condition, please see photo’s. Comes with the original box for the Auralic LPS, which includes ; - Linear Power Supply - DC power cable to connect to Aries - Have also included a AC Power Cord (to connect to Linear Power Supply) Pictures:

Item: Auralic Vega DAC - 1 month old Location: Melbourne, happy to sell interstate but additional price to be included for shipping Price: $2,200 (inc. $20 donation) Item Condition: Basically brand new in original box, only served for a month Reason for selling: Need the funds to upgrade my streamer - I'm happy to imagine it will find a happy home for xmas Payment Method: Pickup - Cash (COD) if pickup or Paypal if shipping (with additional costs for the transaction) Extra Info: Bought late November - virtually new and still under warranty - comes with the original invoice. Edit: also comes with remote control (although not photographed). I'm sure you all know about the positive (and deserving) reviews: http://www.stereophile.com/content/auralic-vega-da-processor http://www.audiostream.com/content/auralic-vega-digital-audio-processor-0 Pictures:

I have two SBT units in my home, happily streaming music from by QNAP server to bedroom and study. Linear power supplies, reclockers etc. All was fine.... until.... ARIES MINI Specifications Streaming Services Local uPnP/DLNA library content Qobuz and WiMP online streaming Internet Radio AirPlay and Songcast USB hard drive files Optional internal HDD/SSD Supported File Types AAC, AIFF, ALAC, APE, DIFF, DSF, FLAC, MP3, OGG, WAV, WV and WMA Sampling Rates PCM in 44.1Khz - 384Khz at 16 - 32bits DSD64, DSD128, DSD256 Control Software AURALiC Lightning DS OpenHome compatible software Media Server Compatibility Minimserver, Twonky, Asset UPnP, JRiver DLNA/uPNP compatible server software Input RJ45 Gigabit Ethernet Dual-Band WiFi connection USB 2.0 High-Speed for external disk Output USB 2.0 High-Speed for compatible DAC** Coaxial, TOSLINK*** Power Consumption Playback: 20W at max. Dimension Appox. 5.3"W x 5.3"D x 1.1"H (13.5cm x 13.5cm x 2.8cm) So will this kill off the Touch and the community keeping SqueezeBox Server alive? What looks like a large Apple TV? Discuss