Streamers — AURALiC ARIES S1

The ARIES S1 is a streaming processor from AURALiC that works as a pure network transport, with no internal DAC, and passes its output on to a separate converter. It shares the Tesla G3 streaming platform with the larger G2.2 models and takes over several of their technologies, including Direct Memory Access, Direct Data Recording and galvanic isolation. In Europe it was listed at EUR 1,999 including tax, and the US price was USD 1,999, or USD 2,998 with an upgraded external power supply in place of the internal one.

Key specs that matter

Resolution reaches PCM 384 kHz at 32 bit and DSD512. It reads the usual lossless and lossy file types, MQA among them. Outputs are AES/EBU, Toslink, coaxial and a USB port for a DAC. On the input side there are USB-A, USB-B, two optical Toslink, one coaxial and an RJ45 network socket. The black anodised aluminium housing measures 207 x 290 x 85 mm and weighs 4 kg. The unit uses under 3 W in standby, under 10 W in sleep and a maximum of 25 W while playing.

Engineering and use context

The quad-core 64-bit Tesla G3 architecture is rated by AURALiC at eight times the processing capacity of the older G2 platform. Streaming arrives over gigabit Ethernet through the Lightning DS app, AirPlay 2, TIDAL Connect, Spotify Connect and internet radio, and Bluetooth is also on board. The unit supports UPnP and is Roon Ready. Because it has digital inputs as well, the S1 can route other sources, and a USB drive or CD drive can be attached for playback and ripping. Inside are 2 GB of DDR4 system memory and a 60 femto master clock, while a full-width colour screen sits on the front panel next to power and playback buttons. Built-in processing includes a resampler, a parametric equaliser, speaker placement compensation and loudness leveling.

Pairing

With no DAC inside, the ARIES S1 must be connected to a separate digital converter or a DAC-equipped amplifier, using the USB, AES/EBU, coaxial or optical output. Its narrow case suits compact equipment racks and desktop systems. A wired Ethernet connection is required for network streaming, since this model offers no WiFi. Besides the Connect services, Qobuz and Amazon Music Unlimited are reachable directly from the unit.

Alternatives

The AURALiC ARIES G2.2 is the larger streaming transporter in the range, adding a Purer-Power linear supply, 4 GB of DDR4 memory and a Lightning Link output in a 340 x 320 x 96 mm case.