It looks like Auralic (famous for their high end Aries and Vega) has just released a new product: Aries Mini. I've been looking for a good replacement for my Squeezebox Classic for a while, and was only able to find options that are significantly more expensive. This looks like it could be "it"!
Hardware specs look standard for a media player, but what sets Auralic apart is their software. To quote from the Aries review (Aries is significantly more expensive, by the way):
"AURALiCs engineers have developed their Tesla hardware platform from the ground up as "a quad-core ARM Coretex-A9 processor running at 1GHz with 1GB DDR3 onboard memory and 4GB of internal storage". A 4MB custom Linux operating system handles the digital audio stream from input to output."
They also offer iOS and Android apps to control the audio player. And from what I have heard/read, their software is supposed to be really well implemented and easy to use (and they frequently keep updating the software and firmware).
The computer related specs are basic, but in addition, it has an inbuilt ESS9018 based DAC. The player (and inbuilt DAC) handles every audio format that exists today, including quad rate DSD and 24/384 PCM. One could also choose to do digital out to a separate DAC (which is how I was using my Squeezebox paired with an Audio GD DAC).
And it will support streaming audio (over wireless or wired) or it will pick up audio from your networked device or storage. Or you can plug in your hard drive into its USB port. In short, everything the SB Touch used to do.
Auralic Aries...Mini | AudioStream
Their specs from their website:
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)
Weight
1.1 pounds (0.5kg)
Hardware specs look standard for a media player, but what sets Auralic apart is their software. To quote from the Aries review (Aries is significantly more expensive, by the way):
"AURALiCs engineers have developed their Tesla hardware platform from the ground up as "a quad-core ARM Coretex-A9 processor running at 1GHz with 1GB DDR3 onboard memory and 4GB of internal storage". A 4MB custom Linux operating system handles the digital audio stream from input to output."
They also offer iOS and Android apps to control the audio player. And from what I have heard/read, their software is supposed to be really well implemented and easy to use (and they frequently keep updating the software and firmware).
The computer related specs are basic, but in addition, it has an inbuilt ESS9018 based DAC. The player (and inbuilt DAC) handles every audio format that exists today, including quad rate DSD and 24/384 PCM. One could also choose to do digital out to a separate DAC (which is how I was using my Squeezebox paired with an Audio GD DAC).
And it will support streaming audio (over wireless or wired) or it will pick up audio from your networked device or storage. Or you can plug in your hard drive into its USB port. In short, everything the SB Touch used to do.
Auralic Aries...Mini | AudioStream
Their specs from their website:
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)
Weight
1.1 pounds (0.5kg)
