Both make a difference to these ears, and the ZENith is pretty good to start.
Would be great to hear listeners initial thoughts on the AL in the context of their systems, and how it holds up to competing devices. I’d also be interested in reading about potential improvement opportunities from the early adopters.
2 Likes
Pick one you can be happy with and do not worry about it.
3 Likes
Do you consider the step up in sound quality is worth the difference in price (relatively speaking - with or without considering the law of deminishing returns)?
Have you been comparing against other sources (like the PST)?
1 Like
I guess most beta testers of the Airlens come from a Bridge II or another rather inferior solution. Few only might come from a big Auralic or similar, so we may have to wait a while for more interesting comparisons.
3 Likes
The AL has an improved notable enhanced sound quality. My wife and I did not have to strain our ears to hear much higher audio quality, especially instrument separation. I estimate around 20% improvement. I A/Bed from Jriver PC simultaneous same streams to the iFi and AL, and switched inputs on the DAC II I have using my FR30 speakers.
8 Likes
Very glad the AL has TIDAL Connect which I use about as much as I use Roon.
1 Like
Based on your previous posts I would have presumed that, but … you were a beta tester, correct? Maybe you don’t have context to another streamer, but you did use it, right?
Thank you for sharing!!
Picked one up in Boulder today! Just got it up and running a few minutes ago.
In the event that another has a similar issue arise, my RAL hdmi/i2s cable (i.e. not the PS Audio i2s cable sent with the unit) slipped out of the back of the airlens and I was scratching my head as to why I wasn’t hearing anything. Brad’s cables have ALWAYS lacked that plugged-in stability. Anyway, slipped it back in, and POW it works like a champion. Super easy to put into play IMHO. Way easier than my Red, which was also purchased this year.
7 Likes
I got my beta unit a couple days before they got Roon working so, in the interim, I fired up an old Mac Mini that still had JRMC installed. The program recognized the AirLens and played fine, except JRemote lost connection a few times (the program itself still played from the Mac Mini when that happened). I have not yet done a qualitative comparison of Roon and JRMC (for one thing, I’d need to use a different library since currently one is FLAC and the other AIFF) or compared my current streamer (Auralic Aries G1). In general the AirLens performed very well.
1 Like
An AQ cable ?
Thanks! Did you play DSF files over the AL and was it played gapless? Bridge II did only for a certain time inbetween until a bug was reintroduced and never removed.
(Attachment jimhar130.vcf is missing)
No. Again, RAL. Seek and ye…
Will be keen to hear how you go!
I went up to DSD256 (had to change a setting to get 256 to work). In a brief test just now gapless worked fine.
3 Likes
Waiting on the G1 comparison here! 
2 Likes
Let us know how it sounds next to the Red! 