To go one step further than the N30SA (VU#51 review; Remarkable), Aurender launches the N50 server.
Comprising three aluminum chassis, the N50 separates the server part from the audio and power supply parts. But unlike the N30SA, where the 8.8″ IPS LCD screen is located on the power supply unit, in this new device it joins the unit dedicated solely to data flow management. Here, two USB 3.0 ports allow you to integrate NAS or external hard drive, although we would advise you to prefer internal memory to keep noise to a minimum, available by inserting two SSD disks in the slots provided. Surprisingly, the device doesn’t feature a fiber SFP port, and for the time being remains faithful to an isolated RJ45 port placed next to a USB audio 2.0 output port.
In the second chassis, the power supply is managed by two huge toroidal transformers, each designed to send current to one of the other chassis, vacuum-encapsulated and epoxy-filled under a stainless steel casing. These then benefit from multi-layer filtering on both AC and DC current, again with the aim of eliminating noise as far as possible.
The purpose of the third chassis is to transfer the audio signal from the first box to the DAC, with the most isolated outputs possible and enhanced feedback monitoring via LED. It has two AES/EBU outputs, two coaxial and one optical, plus a clock input for connecting an external clock. But more than the others, it’s the separately placed I2S output that seems best recommended, while the USB is, as mentioned above, placed directly in the first box.
With the Aurender N20 costing 13 500 € and the N30SA 25 900 €, we will leave you to estimate the price of the N50 before it is officially announced!
22/05/2025
