Aurender N20 Signature Music Server & Network Transport

The Aurender N20 is a reference-level digital music server and network transport designed for use with a high-performance external DAC. It provides dedicated USB Audio, AES/EBU, BNC coaxial, RCA coaxial and optical digital outputs, OCXO-controlled clocking, external master-clock input, dual user-installable storage bays and Aurender's Conductor music-management platform. Aurender Music

Unlike a streaming DAC, the N20 contains no DAC and no analog outputs. Its purpose is digital source playback: streaming and locally stored music are processed, cached and delivered to an external DAC through dedicated digital outputs. Aurender Music

OCXO-Controlled Digital Outputs

The N20 uses an Oven-Controlled Crystal Oscillator (OCXO) to govern its AES/EBU and S/PDIF outputs. The BNC coaxial, RCA coaxial and AES/EBU outputs are OCXO controlled, while the dedicated USB Audio output is filtered and isolated for connection to compatible asynchronous USB DACs. Aurender Music

USB Audio supports up to 32-bit/768kHz PCM and native DSD512, while AES/EBU and S/PDIF support PCM up to 32-bit/192kHz and DSD64 via DoP. Aurender Music

External Master Clock Input

A 75-ohm BNC clock input allows the N20 to synchronize with a compatible external master clock such as the Aurender MC20 or MC10.

Supported clock frequencies include 10MHz, 12.8MHz and 44.1/48kHz multiples from 1x through 512x. Aurender Music

Linear Power Supply & Supercapacitor UPS

The N20 uses separate power-supply architecture for its computing and digital-audio circuitry. Aurender specifies a 50W supply for the CPU and dual 35W supplies for the digital output board.

An integrated supercapacitor-based uninterruptible power supply provides controlled shutdown during an unexpected power failure, protecting the operating system and internal data. Aurender Music

Dual User-Installable Music Storage

Two internal 2.5-inch storage bays accept user-installed HDD or SSD storage. The N20 ships without music-library storage installed, allowing capacity to be selected for the individual system.

Aurender currently specifies support for up to two 8TB SSDs, providing up to 16TB of internal music storage when appropriately configured. A separate 480GB NVMe SSD is dedicated to the operating system and playback cache. Aurender Music

If the system is used exclusively for streaming, the storage bays can simply remain empty.

PCM Upsampling & DSD-to-PCM Conversion

For the N20's S/PDIF digital outputs, lower-resolution PCM can be upsampled to 176.4 or 192kHz.

FPGA processing also enables conversion of DSD64, DSD128, DSD256 and DSD512 to 88.2/176.4kHz PCM when required for S/PDIF-connected DACs.

The dedicated USB Audio output remains bit-perfect without this digital signal processing. Aurender Music

Double-Isolated Gigabit Ethernet

The N20 connects to the network through a double-isolated Gigabit Ethernet port. Aurender uses two transformers in the Ethernet circuit for additional electrical noise isolation without compromising the network signal. Aurender Music

Two rear USB 3.0 data ports can be used to import files from external USB storage and connect compatible external control devices. These ports are separate from the N20's dedicated USB Audio output. Aurender Music

8.8-Inch Full-Color Display

The machined aluminum front panel incorporates an 8.8-inch 1920 × 480 IPS color LCD capable of displaying album artwork, artist information and track data.

Front-panel controls provide playback, track navigation, display selection and playlist access without requiring the control application for basic operation. Aurender Music

Aurender N20 Technical Specifications

These are Aurender's current published specifications. Aurender Music

Dimensions

Aurender's current page lists the N20 at 16.9" wide × 14" deep × 4.4" high (3.9" chassis height). The manufacturer's table itself contains a labeling typo that repeats “W” for the second dimension; I've expressed it here as depth rather than carrying that typo into the listing. Aurender Music

Aurender Conductor

The N20 is operated through Aurender Conductor for music-library management, playback, queue creation and system configuration. An iOS or Android device is required for app-based control, and the N20 requires a wired Ethernet connection to the local network. Aurender Music

The N20 is also currently listed by Aurender as Roon Ready and can operate as a supported network renderer/player. Aurender Music

Aurender N20 at The Grid HiFi

The Aurender N20 is built for systems where the streamer and digital transport are treated with the same importance as the DAC, amplification and loudspeakers. Its combination of OCXO clocking, isolated USB Audio, AES/EBU and S/PDIF outputs, external clock support and configurable internal storage makes it particularly suited to reference digital front ends.

The Grid HiFi can match the N20 with reference DACs from dCS, Berkeley Audio Design, EMM Labs, Meitner and other high-performance digital systems, as well as appropriate network, clock and digital-cable architecture.

Order the Aurender N20 from The Grid HiFi or call (713) 218-8120 for system matching and digital-source configuration.