Aurender W20 Reference Music Server

Designed to be used with high performance digital-to-analog converters, the Aurender W20 is one of the few Music Players to support external word clocks used in recording studios, and dual-wire mode used by many reference digital-to-analog converters to separate transmission of left and right channels for better fidelity.

With 12TB of (6TBx2) internal hard disk drives and one 240GB solid-state drive cache for playback, the W20 is the perfect solution for even the most extensive high resolution music collections.

Innovative Technology with battery power/dual wire/master clock input
In digital audio, jitter and noise in the audio signal can seriously affect the performance of digital-to-analog converters. The Aurender W20 is the world's first music player to completely eliminate noise from AC power supplies and AC mains through the use of LiFePO4 (LFP) batteries to power audio components. An FPGA-based All Digital Phase Locked Loop system with an Oven-Controlled Crystal Oscillator (OCXO) clock is used to maintain long term jitter to below negligible levels, and specially designed circuitry provides clean, noise-free power to the dedicated USB digital audio output. A solid-state drive cache for playback and extensive shielding using thick aluminum partitions also minimize and eliminate the many types of jitter and noise associated with the use of disk drives for playback.
 
Full Range of Digital Audio Outputs and Ports for Network Connectivity
Designed to be matched with high performance digital-to-analog converters, the Aurender W20 is equipped with various SPDIF outputs (BNC, AES/EBU, coaxial, optical) and one dedicated USB Audio Class 2.0 output. For network connectivity and file transfers, the W20 comes with one a Gigabyte Ethernet port and two USB 2.0 data ports.
 
Aurender App Packed with Convenient Features for Full-Function Control
The Aurender Conductor App turns the iPad into a versatile user interface for Aurender Music Server/Players. All settings and functions of the Aurender Server/Music Player can be easily accessed through the Settings menu, and the Aurender App comes with extensive features to make managing, viewing and playing high resolution music collections a breeze.

External Word Clock Support
Word Clocks are used in recording studios to synchronize timing between devices and ensure jitter-free and time-perfect data transmission. It supports both word clock (dCS DACs or similar) or Master Clock.(MSB DACs or similar)
 
Dual-wire AES/EBU Mode
Dual-wire AES/EBU mode is used by many reference digital-to-analog converters to separate transmission of left and right channels for ultimate fidelity. For example, when Dual AES/EBU mode is used, left and right chanel is transmitted at 96kHz rate to make 192kHz stereo transmission. Since the max frequency is halved, transmission line requirement becomes less strict.
 
Separate LiFePO4 (LFP) Battery Power Supply for Audio Components
Two banks of LiFePO4 batteries alternately power audio components and recharge. This completely isolates audio components from ground noise and also eliminates jitter incurred in converting AC to DC.
 
Internal UPS to protect the storage from the unexpected power outage
A third bank of batteries acts as an Un-interruptible Power Supply (UPS) and should any sudden power outages occur, the Aurender W20 will shut down safely.

Oven-Controlled Crystal Oscillator (OCXO) for long term jitter reduction
OCXOs are among the most accurate and stable clocks in use today. OCXOs are orders of magnitude more accurate and stable than commonly used ordinary crystal oscillators usually found in computers. Temperature changes cause crystal oscillations to fluctuate, which can lead to jitter in the digital audio signal. Moreover, ordinary crystals are much less stable and lose accuracy over time. In OCXO clocks, a very stable high grade crystal oscillator is enclosed in a compartment and kept at a constant temperature to prevent jitter from temperature fluctuations.
 
FPGA-based All Digital Phase-Locked Loop System
An All Digital Phase-Locked Loop system (ADPLL) incorporating Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA) with OCXO clocks precisely times digital audio data transmissions and minimizes jitter to below negligible levels

THE ABSOLUTE SOUND PRODUCT OF THE YEAR 2015

"...the top-of-the-line W20 music server from Aurender offers a no-hassle way of having your music library literally at your fingertips--a couple of taps on an iPad and you can call up any piece of music in your collection. Although many music servers offer this convenience, none in RH's experience can match the W20 in technology, ease of use, and most importantly, sonics."

"Aurender has made a heroic effort to optimize sound quality, an effort that's readily apparent in the listening room, where its sound has a natural and organic quality that comes closer to the "feel" of analog than any other digital source RH has heard. The presentation has a dimensionality, life, bloom, and illumination that one doesn't associate with digital. Technically, the W20 is a wunderkind that includes a computer motherboard built from scratch, and isolated in a shielded sub-enclosure."

"The audio-output board that creates the signal that drives your DAC is powered by rechargeable batteries, so that the signal isn't compromised by AC power-line noise. The W20 is designed to do three things and do them well: store music; allow you to access that music; and then present the highest-quality digital-output signal to your DAC. The W20 has no integral DAC and no CD-ripping capability, and offers no metadata editing. The current state of the art in music servers, it excels in every parameter; its array of features is unmatched ( the 12TB of available storage will accommodate virtually any music library); its interface is wonderful and intuitive; and most importantly, it delivers sound quality unmatched by any other digital source RH has heard. The W20 revealed that standard-resolution files have a space, dimensionality, and ease that were just waiting to be uncovered by playback hardware of this quality. That all adds up to an easy choice for The Absolute Sound's Music Server of the Year Award". RH

THE ABSOLUTE SOUND GOLDEN EAR AWARD 2015

"...Aurender’s top-of-the-line W20 is the most feature-laden and capable turn-key music server on the market. It also happens to have the best music-management app, an important consideration when choosing a server. Load the W20’s internal hard drive (up to a whopping 12TB) with music, connect one of its many digital outputs to a DAC, link a tablet to your wireless network, and you’ve got virtually unlimited music. The W20’s seamless integration with Tidal’s streaming service greatly expands its functionality. You’ll need, however, a Mac or PC with an optical drive to rip to the W20. The W20’s sound quality is outstanding, due perhaps in part to its 128GB of internal cache memory and other performance-oriented design tricks..." RH