I’ve just received a brand spanking-new Aries G1.1. I’ve got three problems with it:
On their website, Auralic claim the Aries G1.1 to be RoonReady. It isn’t. When trying to connect, Roon says that the G1.1 is not certified and therefore refuses to connect:
I’m sure it will be just a matter of time before Auralic sort this out, but they really should have been on top of this before releasing the G1.1.
On their website, Auralic claim that the G1.1 uses dual ‘femto clocks’. The USB oscillator in the G1.1 is the Skyworks Si530, with a measured phase jitter of 0.3ps RMS. I would have expected a ‘femto clock’ to measure in single-digit fs, not 100s of fs.
On their website, Auralic claim that the G1.1, like the G2.1, has a galvanically-isolated USB output:
Unlike the G2.1 which uses a Silanna chip, there is no galvanic isolation at the USB output of the G1.1.
Problems 1 and 2 above, I could live with. No doubt 1 will get sorted out soon enough, and 2 is probably just a matter of definition. But 3 is a total show-stopper for me. Auralic’s claim here is totally false… and in my eyes, unforgiveable.
The G1.1 is all packed up ready to be returned, but one thing I didn’t try was to close and reopen Roon core. I recall reading somewhere that you have to do this for certain things to get updated in Roon?
If I have the inclination, I may take the G1.1 out again and try this. If it works, I could get to take a listen to it at least.
Then it should be listed. Perhaps Roon have been too busy dealing with Roon 2.0 release to update the page? Regardless of that, it should appear as Roon Ready if it actually is. It may not have finished Roon Ready testing yet? Can’t your dealer comment?
If those specifications are as you describe, it doesn’t look like good value for money at £2500.
You should slow down. First the Aries G1.1 is a great streamer and a GREAT value for the money contrary to the opinion of some who probably don’t own one. There is probably a firmware update that would remedy the entire situation that’s why I suggest going slow. Take it out of the box and do some homework. The dealer you bought it from probably had it on the shelf when the latest firmware came out so it’s probably not updated. Check that out first. In answer to your original question “disingenuous or merely incompetent” I would say neither. The word I use when describing the CEO of Auralic is arrogant. He is an arrogant ______ (insert favorite curse word here) that is the head of a company that makes great products. Good luck getting it working or go buy the Lumin U2 Mini.
I’m not at all concerned about point 1. The G1.1 has literally just been released. Should Auralic be claiming that it’s RoonReady, when it isn’t? Of course not. But it will be Roon tested/certified soon enough.
It’s point 3 that I have the biggest grievance with. It’s clearly wrong. The Aries G1.1 does not have a galvanically isolated USB port.
I had a Lumin U1X here on home loan. I couldn’t use it because all Lumin streamers only output 2 channels from their USB ports. I use Roon DSP exclusively to output 8 channels to the multichannel DAC in my fully active system:
I agree with you on the galvanic isolation. The pictures and literature do say that. How do you know that it is not true? I would be upset if that is the case.
Take them to court. Shouting false advertising does nothing to make it stop. Wait. You probably don’t have one so even if it’s false advertising you have not been harmed by it. I am not defending Auralic. But shouting false advertising over and over is useless.
But sharing your experiences on forums such as this is anything but useless.
I can guarantee that Auralic will be on top of all this as soon as they read this. I suspect they will change the blurb on their website about the G1.1’s USB galvanic isolation (because it doesn’t exist), and crack on with Roon testing/certification.
