The A10's DAC, designed by John Kim and Justin Jang, uses the Asahi Kasei Microdevices Corporation's AKM 4490 32-bit, 2-channel chip, employed in a fully discrete and balanced dual-mono configuration. (The DAC's linear power supplies are also configured as dual-mono.) The chip has five 32-bit digital filters, and accepts data up to 768kHz PCM and 11.2MHz DSD. Due to the A10's implementation of the DoP protocol, however, at present it can process only DSD64 and DSD128 (5.6448MHz). It also decodes MQA files.
Storage is limited to a 4TB hard disk drive while cached playback is via a 120GB solid-state drive. This two-drive system—in which music stored on the HDD is cached for playback on the SSD—is claimed to completely eliminate electrical and acoustic noise produced by spinning disks, moving heads, and motors.
An HDD icon appears on the Aurender's large, adjustable display as a new track is being cached to SSD. During this period, which doesn't last very long, ultimate sound quality is sacrificed. When the track has been transferred, the HD then goes to sleep to minimize wear, and the sound level returns to optimal.
One of the A10's many features is its ability to use its S/PDIF (TosLink) input to interface with a CD or DVD player, as well as a TV or multi-zone system such as Sonos. In such situations, the A10's variable output enables it to function as a preamplifier in an all-digital system. In addition, the A10's USB 2.0 output lets you send signals to an outboard DAC. The A10 can also play music stored on NAS drives via its Aurender Media Manager (AMM) software and the all-important Aurender Conductor app.
Aurender A10 is not the CD player of the 21st century, it's certainly a viable 21st-century successor to that less-than-perfect source. That the A10 provides a single front-end solution for playing digital music in far more formats, sourced from far more platforms, than the designers of the CD ever envisioned makes it a most tempting proposition for those with limited space and budgets.