System information

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with dCS components via RS232. My W20 shipped with a solid aluminum USB to RS232 converter for this
communication. Once the dCS Master Clock is connected to the Upsampler, DAC, and Aurender W20 via BNC
word clock cables, and the W20 connected to the Master Clock via USB-RS232 the entire system works beautifully
without user intervention. Users of dCS will understand what I mean when I say this is a complex system capable
of delivering fantastic results. There are other methods of clocking without this W20 - dCS RS232 communication,
but the results aren't nearly as good as this preferred setup. For example the DAC could lock on to the incoming
audio signal, reading the sample rate as the audio comes into the DAC. Or, a user could manually set the clock on
a DAC before switching sample rates. Both of these are less than desirable. The dCS - Aurender communication is
terrific.
Another more traditional way of getting excellent sound quality is to send word clock out from a DAC into the
W20. This places the clock as close to the DAC as possible (actually in it) as preferred by some manufacturers
and listeners. Fortunately none of this "clocking business" is necessary if one doesn't have a component capable
of sending word clock to the W20. This should cover 99% of users as most DACs do not feature word clock in or
outputs. The W20 is capable of stellar sound quality with or without an external clock feed. When using the W20
with my Alpha DAC Series 2 I simply connected a single AES cable between the Alpha and Aurender. This same
configuration was used with the EMM Labs DAC2X in my system. Complexity isn't compulsory for quality. An
external clock feeding the W20 should be considered the icing on the cake when used in the correct system.
In addition to working with dCS on DAC / Master Clock communication the Aurender team has worked with both
Constellation Audio and Berkeley Audio Design. My W20 also shipped with an RS232 to USB adapter that works
with Constellation Audio preamplifiers. Once connected the Aurender iPad application enables control of the
Constellation Audio preamp's volume, input selection, and phase. The Aurender iPad app then becomes the only
remote needed for daily use of a W20 / Constellation based system. At a CES 2014 dinner my friend, industry
veteran, and Aurender dealer Tim Marutani suggested to the Aurender team that they enable USB to infrared
control for the forthcoming Berkeley Audio Design Alpha DAC Reference Series. Close to 24 hours later an Alpha
DAC was scheduled for delivery to Seoul for testing and the Aurender team had a design for a nice USB to IR