TECHWEEK
The South Korean company Aurender , known for its ultra-high-end network components, has introduced the Aurender AP20 all-in-one device, an integrated amplifier with a DAC unit and a network streamer. To create a complete stereo system, it is enough to add only a couple of passive speakers to the new product.
The Aurender AP20 integrated amplifier is equipped with both analog and digital inputs, allowing the component to be used with digital sources such as optical disc transport. The AP20 is made in the concept of “double mono”, the output stages operate in class D and provide 200 W in each of the channels when operating on a load with a nominal resistance of 8 ohms and 350 W at a load of 4 ohms. The damping factor in this case reaches 800 for a load of 8 ohms. To control the volume, an analog relay controller on a resistive matrix R2R is used. There is also a headphone amplifier. Analog switching includes a balanced XLR and two unbalanced RCA inputs, as well as a balanced preamp output for use with external power amps or powered speakers.
But the heart of the Aurender AP20 is definitely its proprietary network streamer and DAC unit. To connect digital sources, there are two optical and two coaxial (one on the BNC connector) inputs. There is also a BNC sync input for connecting an external clock generator. Integration into a computer network is only wired – via an Ethernet RJ45 port. In addition, Aurender AP20 is capable of playing audio files from external drives, for which it has two USB 3.0 ports. But that’s not all! The device is equipped with two slots for installing internal 2.5-inch drives – SSD or HDD. Thus, you can store your music library inside the Aurender AP20, minimizing the number of elements and cables in the system.
The Aurender AP20 uses one of the best class D amplifier modules, the Purifi Eigentakt 1ET400A, designed by renowned engineer Bruno Putzeys. The sound of this module lacks the digital graininess often experienced by Class D amplifiers. Most Class D amplifier implementations use switching power supplies because they are efficient, cool, and inexpensive. However, a switching power supply can introduce noise and distortion into the signal path. The Aurender AP20 uses a total of six toroidal power transformer power supplies to power the CPU, left and right DAC boards, FPGA and Purifi Eigentakt 1ET400A output stages respectively.
The Aurender AP20’s digital-to-analogue conversion is based on Asahi Kasei’s AKM4497 DAC chips, allowing high-resolution PCM, DSD and MQA digital streams to be decoded. In any audio system, the sound quality is significantly affected by the preamp volume control system. The Aurender AP20 is equipped with an analog volume control based on the R2R step attenuator. This type of volume control is not often found in integrated amplifiers with class D output stages, and the manufacturer claims that this is the main reason why the Aurender AP20 delivers such a natural, open sound.
The Aurender AP20’s OCXO-based precision clocking system includes a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) clock generator that reduces jitter to less than 100 fs for precise timing of digital audio data transmission and minimizing jitter to negligible levels. In addition, the component is equipped with an input for connecting an external 10 MHz Master Clock generator, such as, for example, the MC10 from Aurender.
The Aurender AP20 Network Integrated Amplifier is expected to go on sale during the fourth quarter of 2023. In Europe, the recommended price of new items will be 23,900 euros .
