About The AURALiC Aries G1.1 Streaming Transport
When the original Aries Wireless Streaming Bridge was introduced it transformed the digital audio experience, allowing music lovers to stream high-resolution favourites from local and Internet sources over Wi-Fi for the first time. Now AURALiC have given the Aries a "G" style makeover that's bringing a classic device back to the cutting edge.
G1.1 Improvements
The Aries G1.1 has an improved Femto clock, providing an even higher level of precision for the integrated DAC. It also features the high-mass base from AURALiC's award-winning G2.1 series products. This satin silver base plate improves the overall aesthetic appearance and, more importantly, provides extra vibration damping for better sonic performance. In addition, Aries G1.1 now has facility for an on-board HDD/SSD to store your music. A specific HDD kit, available separately, is required for installation. Note: HDD/SSD is not supplied.
Aries G1.1 Overview
The G1.1 update to the Aries draws extensively from innovative technologies developed in AURALiC's top-of-the-line G2 series, with a supercharged hardware platform and a completely transformed industrial design leading the way. Once again, outfitting your home audio system with state-of-the-art streaming performance and features is more accessible than ever — with the Aries G1.1 Wireless Streaming Transporter.
Infused with AURALiC technologies and designs developed for their premier G2 line, the Aries G1.1 connects over Wi-Fi to digital sources like network attached storage, Internet streaming services like TIDAL and Qobuz, Internet Radio, and USB drives to bring high performance streaming to your home audio system. On-Device Playlists, Memory Caching, Gapless Playback and Bit-Perfect Multi-Room functionality are among the features found in all AURALiC streaming devices, and with support for Spotify Connect, AirPlay, and Roon Ready, Aries G1.1 connectivity is more expansive than ever. Improved hardware offers a serious boost in performance in the Aries G1.1, to make it a perfect choice for streaming audiophile-grade resolutions up to DSD512 and PCM 32bit/384k.
Display Brilliance: A 4.0-inch true colour in-plane switching display with a resolution of over 300ppi provides complete operational feedback: playback status, configuration settings, and a full library view for browsing your collection.
Tesla G2: Platform Made for Sound: In 2014 AURALiC developed the original Tesla hardware platform with the goal of creating a high-performance, upgradable platform optimized for audio sound quality. Working hand-in-hand with their control interface and innovative software features, it was the most powerful processing platform available for digital music playback and streaming.
Now there's Tesla G2. 50% faster, with twice the processing resources, Tesla G2 is the hardware powerhouse behind the sonic excellence of the G2 line.
37,500 MIPS Processing Speed: CPU performance that's 50% faster than the original Tesla G1 processor.
200% Memory & Storage: Twice the system memory and data storage means fluid audio signal processing and support for advanced features.
1GB Memory Cache: Open network connections and data fetching are prone to noise that can hurt the quality of your audio signal. The Tesla G2 hardware platform dedicates a whopping 1GB of RAM to the task of caching, lowering the frequency of open circuits and helping your music sound better.
Flexibility to Explore: The Aries G1.1 offers nearly universal connectivity for access to all your digital sources. Tri-band Wi-Fi and Ethernet open your system to UPnP/DLNA media servers, shared network folders, high-resolution Internet Services, and Internet Radio, as well as Roon Ready, Bluetooth, AirPlay, and SongCast control.
CD Playback & Ripping: Still have some love for your old CDs? Not to worry; you can plug a generic USB CD drive into your Aries G1.1 then choose to play a CD, rip a CD while playing, or just rip.
As with AURALiC's Lightning file streaming, this unique CD playback feature uses the same advanced, jitter-reducing Memory Playback technology. CD data is first read, and compared several times for accuracy into the system cache before playing. The result is elimination of potentially induced jitter from the transport, cancelling any negative effects from the quality of your chosen CD drive, potentially improving performance beyond what's offered from competitors' CD players.
Dual Femto Clocks: Dual Femto Clocks have got you covered no matter how you like to connect. With 2 separate, super-accurate clocks cycling on the order of quadrillionths of a second, you'll enjoy extremely low jitter and better sound. One clock takes care of digital outputs, and the second regulates USB output, so you can be sure your musical signal is always rock-steady.
Smart-IR Control: Smart-IR Remote Control lets your AURALiC device map its functionality onto any remote you'd like. Just let the device know which remote you prefer, and all of its operations (play/pause, volume control, track select, etc.) can be assigned to buttons just the way you like them.
The Art of High-End Streaming: Lightning OS is full of cutting-edge innovations that bring your music to life like never before. An extensive memory cache, bit-perfect multi-room functionality and on-device playlists help you seamlessly experience and explore all your high-resolution sources. Take control with user apps like Lightning DS or Roon, and meet true audiophile streaming.
Dual Purer-Power Linear Power Supplies: AURALiC have given the Aries G1.1 two of their ultra-quiet Purer-Power linear power supplies, galvanically isolating them from each other in the obsessive quest to reduce noise for better sonic performance. Processing and display power is completely separated from sensitive audio components that operate on their own dedicated supply. Interference between the separate areas is reduced to zero, so all you'll hear from the Aries G1.1 is the music.
The first of the two Purer-Power supplies feeds the Aries G1.1's processing circuit, LCD display, and storage – whether internal or attached via USB. The second Purer-Power pathway is dedicated to sensitive audio components such as the Femto clock and USB audio output. Both power supplies are galvanically isolated from each other to ensure zero EMI interference between them.
ActiveUSB: The second generation of AURALiC's ActiveUSB provides more than just asynchronous control over USB data for enhanced accuracy and precise re-clocking to reduce jitter. It also bypasses the USB power stream, using its own Purer-Power linear power supply instead. That means dirty USB power — and the EMI noise that comes along with it — is kept as far from the music as possible.
AURALiC Aries G1.1 Reviews
"The Aries G1.1 maintains Auralic's position as a serious competitor in the mid price streaming audio stakes, it isn't inexpensive but will give the alternatives a very good run for their money. The Lightning DS control app alone raises it above the majority. The option of an SSD onboard is one that I would encourage prospective users to take up, it represents a significant saving on standalone drives of a similar quality and takes up no space either. Auralic have done a fine job with this latest addition to the range and anyone looking for a top notch streamer at a sensible price should give it a try." The Ear
"The G1.1 breathes purity, clarity, and control without unnatural edge or that awful leanness that accompanies poorly done digital replay...I'm going to stick to purity as a defining characteristic of the ARIES G1.1 because all of the music I experienced through it had this quality. From dead silence, to a whisper, to an all out sonic assault, there was no sign, no sonic fingerprint of the ARIES G1.1 resounding around the Barn to detract from the power of the music in play....I rank the Auralic ARIES G1.1 right up with the best performing digital transports to have come through the Barn. If you're looking for a very full featured streamer that checks all of the right boxes in terms of what we want a streamer to do, the ARIES G1.1 belongs on your audition list." Twittering Machines
"The beauty of the Aries G1.1 is two-fold: first, its clear, logical control interface makes setup and accessing even extensive music libraries simple, and second, it imposes nothing of itself on what it's playing, rather getting out of the way and letting your DAC do its stuff. Add in the solidity of its design and build, plus the flexibility of its capabilities, and it's a compelling buy for network music playback." Hi-Fi News
Out Take
If you have a favourite DAC which you know and love but are beginning to have doubts about the audio qualities of the computer you have plugged into it then maybe it's time to consider a dedicated streamer and revert to using your computer for web browsing and productivity duties. The Aries G1.1 will show you just what you have been missing by trying to coax good sound out of your computer with its horrible noisy power supplies. In fact, the moment you start listening to how pure music sounds through the Aries G1.1 you will wonder what took you so long to invest in a dedicated streaming transport. Not only does it sound wonderful, it also sports almost every feature your audio loving heart could desire and is about as future proof as these types of things get. At the price, the AURALiC Aries G1.1 is in a class by itself. If you have a system and a DAC to do it justice, don't hesitate, just buy it.
Main Features & Specifications
- Design: Network Music Streaming Transport (needs to be connected to a DAC)
- AURALiC's Streamer, the Aries G1.1 offers the full suite of AURALiC's streaming and serving software, Lightning DS and Lightning Server, if you're serious about streaming and you have a DAC, Aries G1.1 is for you.
- Featuring AURALiC's Tesla 2 platform, the Aries G1.1 borrows from the premium series and enjoys 50% more processing speed. Regarding power, the Aries G1.1 is CLEAN, employing dual Purer-Power Linear PSU's, separating Aries from the competition.
- The G1.1 Aries is engineered with a High-Mass base plate, borrowed form the G2.1 family. The base plate improves vibration dampening and sonic performance.
- In addition, Aries G1.1 now has facility for on-board HDD/SSD, specific HDD kit is required for installation. Note: HDD/SSD is not supplied.
- Aries G1.1 can playback and rip CD's*
- *CD player/ripper requires addition USB CD-ROM or DVD-ROM optical drive (separately powered)
Technical
- Streaming File Formats
- Lossless: AIFF, ALAC, APE, DIFF, DSF, FLAC, OGG, WAV and WV
- Lossy: AAC, MP3, MQA* and WMA
- *AURALiC streaming devices can act as a passthrough for unaltered MQA files to a customer's own MQA-certified DAC for downstream processing.
- Sampling Rates
- PCM: 44.1KHz to 384KHz in 32Bit
- DSD: DSD64 (2.8224MHz), DSD128 (5.6448MHz), DSD256 (11.2896MHz), DSD512 (22.57892MHz)
- Control Software
- AURALiC Lightning DS for iOS
- AURALiC Lightning DS for web browser (device setting only)
- OpenHome compatible control software (BubbleUPnP, Kazoo) for Android users
- Roon (Roon Core required separately)
- Streaming Inputs: Network shared folder, USB Storage, USB CD Drive, UPnP/DLNA Media Server, native TIDAL, HighResAudio and Qobuz Sublime+, Internet Radio, AirPlay, Bluetooth, Songcast, RoonReady (Subject to local availability)
- Audio Outputs
- Digital Outputs: AES/EBU, Coaxial, Toslink
- USB Output: USB Host to compatible DAC
- Network
- Wired Gigabit Ethernet
- Wireless: 802.11b/g/n/ac Tri-Band Wi-Fi
- Power Consumption
- Sleep: <10W
- Playback: 50W at max
- Included Accessories: 2 x external Wi-Fi antennas, power cable, user guide
- IEC C13 Power Socket: Upgrade to an IsoTek cable for improved performance
- Finish: Anodised Aluminium Case in Matte Black
- Dimensions (WxHxD): 340 x 80 x 320mm
- Weight: 7.2 kg
- Manufacturer's Warranty: 1 Year
Note: Features & Specifications Subject To Change Without Notice. E&OE