Aurender W20

W20 is the music server of choice for the very finest stereo systems in the world. Designed to be used with high performance digital-to-analog converters, the Aurender W20 is one of the few music servers to support external word clocks used in recording studios, and dual-wire mode AES/EBU used by many reference digital-to-analog converters to separate transmission of left and right channels for better fidelity. However, even without using the word clock input or dual AES/EBU outputs, W20’s battery power supply provides a dramatically lower noise floor for a completely silent background. With 12TB (6TBx2) internal HDDs 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 AES/EBU, 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 server 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 caching drive for playback and extensive shielding using thick aluminum partitions also minimize and eliminate the many types of jitter and noise usually 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, dual AES/EBU, coaxial and optical) and one dedicated USB Audio Class 2.0 output. For network connectivity and file transfers, the W20 comes with one a Gigabit Ethernet port and two USB 2.0 data ports.

Aurender Conductor App Packed with Convenient Features for Full-Function Control
The Aurender Conductor App turns the iPad into a versatile user interface for Aurender music servers. All settings and functions of the Aurender server can be easily accessed through the Settings menu, and the app comes with extensive features to make browsing and playing high resolution music collections a breeze.

MQA Core Decoder (optional in-app purchase)
Aurender’s optional MQA Core Decoder upgrade enables “first-level” MQA unfolding to play MQA files at up to 48 or 96 kHz.

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. W20 can accept clocks with the following frequencies: Master clock : 10 MHz, 12.8 MHz, Word clock : 44.1 KHz and 48 KHz multiples from 1 to 512. W20 supports both word clock (dCS DACs or similar) or Master Clock (MSB DACs or similar) inputs.

Dual-Wire Mode AES/EBU
Dual-wire AES/EBU mode is used by reference digital-to-analog converters to double the level of resolution possible on an AES/EBU digital interconnect. When dual AES/EBU mode is used, left and right channel information transmitted at 96kHz sample 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
Three banks of LiFePO4 batteries alternately power audio components and recharge. This completely isolates audio components from ground noise and also eliminates jitter and distortion incurred in converting AC to DC.

Internal UPS to Protect Against an Abrupt Power Outage
W20’s batteries act as an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) and protect the system in case any sudden power outages occur. The Aurender W20 will always 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

12TB Hard Disk Drive Storage with Solid-State Drive Cache for Playback
An internal hard drive provides 12TB of storage and a 240G solid-state drive is used to cache music for playback. If a selected song or album is already cached to the solid-state drive, the hard drive will remain asleep. This minimizes wear and tear on the hard drive. By caching songs to the solid-state drive for playback, electrical and acoustic noise resulting from spinning disks, moving heads and motors are also completely eliminated.

Dedicated USB Audio Class 2.0 Output with Ultra Low Noise Power Circuitry
The dedicated USB Audio Class 2.0 output is designed to deliver an exceptionally transparent audio signal free of noise, and is shielded from outside electronic interference.

Quality Fanless Switching Mode Power Supply (SMPS for CPU board)
A fanless Switching Mode Power Supply delivers stable power to non-audio components and is enclosed in a separate compartment to prevent any interference to other components.

Isolated and Damped Hard Disk Drives Within its Own Aluminum Casing
In the “Fort Knox” of hard drive enclosures, the internal hard disk drives are suspended on floating brackets to minimize vibrations. They are housed in a machined aluminum compartment for complete isolation.

USB HDD and NAS (Network-Attached Storage) Support
Best performance occurs when music is stored on the Aurender’s internal storage. However, the Aurender platform is also capable of seamlessly integrating content stored on a NAS or external USB hard drive.

Remote Internet Technical Support
Sending a Remote Support Request through the Aurender Conductor App allows engineers to quickly diagnose and correct problems over the Internet.

W20 SPECIFICATIONS

Compatible Formats DSD(DSF, DFF), WAV, FLAC, AIFF, ALAC, M4A, APE and others
Bit and Sample Rates SPDIF : Up to 24-bit, 192kHz (PCM); 1-bit, 2.8MHz (DSD64)
USB : 32bit /384kHz, 1-bit, 2.8MHz (DSD64); 1-bit, 5.6MHz (DSD128)
Width ​Full Size (430mm / 16.93in)
Height ​106 mm / 4.17 in
Length ​370 mm / 14.6 in
Weight 21.9kg / 48.3 lbs
SSD for System and Cache 240G
​Music Storage ​12TB HDD (3.5″ 6TB x 2)
Power ​Battery+SMPS
Display ​3.7″ Dual AMOLED
Digital Audio Output ​​​​USB, COAX, Optical, BNC, AES/EBU x 2 (Dual-Wire)
Master Clock Input ​Word Clock or Master Clock Input (BNC) 10 MHz, 12.8 MHz (44.1 kHz and 48 kHz multiples from 1 to 512)​, Input impedance 75 Ω
​Other I/O ​Gigabit Ethernet, USB Port x2
Power Consumption Play (40W), Peak (70W), Standby (3.5W)