W20SE Reference Music Server

The revised and refined version of the Aurender W20, the W20SE raises the bar again in both user experience and audio performance as a reference music server. The Aurender W20SE is the high-end music server of choice for the finest hi-fi audio systems, designed to be used with high-performance digital-to-analog converters (DACs). As a battery-powered reference digital output network transport, the W20SE dramatically lowers the noise floor for a totally silent background. It's one of the few music servers providing support for external word clocks used in professional audio and recording studios. Equipped with a dual-wire mode AES/EBU used by some reference external DACs, the W20SE allows separate transmission of the left and right channels of even better fidelity. With a 4TB internal SSD and 1TB SSD caching drive for playback, the W20SE is the ideal solution for even the most extensive high-resolution music collections.

The W20SE is a flagship model offering top-tier performance in terms of audio quality and processing power. Coveted by music lovers, audiophiles, and connoisseurs of high-fidelity sound, the Aurender W20SE sits in a class of its own delivering a pure, natural sound with great nuance and musicality.

Features:

• Battery-powered Reference Digital Output Network Transport
• USB Output, Dual-AES/EBU, Coaxial, BNC, and Optical Outputs/ Word Clock Input
• Internal UPS protects W20SE under an abrupt power outage condition
• 4TB SSD storage with 1TB SSD caching drive
• Minimalist black and white AMOLED display

Dragon Cable Recommendation: We recommend pairing the Aurender W20SE Music Server with our Black Dragon Power Cable, Silver Dragon Network Cable, Silver Dragon Coax Digital Cable, and Silver Dragon USB Cable (USB A to C). The Silver Dragon Network Cable will provide a stable ethernet connection to the Aurender W20SE for music streaming and data transmission. The solid-core silver conductors in the cable provide high speed, low latency, and low jitter-perfect bit rate communication between audio components. Our Silver Dragon Coax Digital Cable with RCA connectors will provide plenty of detail and an open presentation to your music, providing the best digital transmission possible for your gear. The Coax Digital Cable with BNC connectors can be used to connect an external word clock to the W20SE.

Our Silver Dragon USB Cable will provide the most stable connection for digital transmission between your source device and W20SE. Our USB cables have been optimized for audio transmission of large high-resolution audio files, so you can enjoy your music with the utmost fidelity. The Black Dragon Power Cable is the ultimate power cable designed to be dead quiet and reject all EMI and RFI interference. 4-11Awg Stranded high-purity slow-drawn Copper conductors are used per cable in a star Quad configuration. The cable has a single 100% coverage shield but can be doubled up for noisy environments plus it is relatively flexible.

Minimalist Design with a Monochrome Display

The Aurender W20SE sports a form factor similar to other Aurender models but its monochrome display screen compared to LCDs makes it exceptionally unique. A dual 3.7" AMOLED display adorns the front panel of the W20SE that can be adjusted in the Aurender Conductor App to display different elements. A display menu button on the right side of the front panel allows users to cycle through various display options like song information and playlist menu. Playlists can be selected and played using the four buttons on the front panel to pause, play, track skip, and scroll through playlists. The Aurender W20SE has a nice form factor that complements your existing audio system setup and as an added bonus users can select between a black and silver chassis finish for an even more customized look.

On the back panel of the Aurender W20SE is a host of digital audio outputs: USB Audio Class 2.0 output, AES/EBU XLR outputs, TOSLINK optical output (SPDIF), coaxial RCA output, and coaxial BNC output. There is also a coaxial BNC word clock input, AC power switch, AC power socket, USB 2.0 data ports, and a double isolated gigabit ethernet port for network connectivity and file transfers. The Aurender W20SE's dedicated next-generation USB Audio Class 2.0 output provides a noise and jitter-free transmission to the external DAC delivering the best possible performance. The W20SE features a dual-wire AES/EBU mode and when the AES/EBU outputs are used in dual mode, the left and right channel information is transmitted at a 192kHz sample rate to make a 24-bit/384kHz stereo transmission. An external word clock can be connected to the W20SE through Coax or AES/EBU SPDIF outputs. The W20SE can accept word clocks with the following frequencies: Master clock: 10MHz, 12.8MHz, Word clock: 44.1KHz and 48KHz in multiples from 1 to 512. W20SE supports both word clock (dCS, DACs or similar) or Master Clock (MSB DACs or similar) inputs.

Innovative Technology for Exceptional Playback

In the world of digital audio, jitter and noise in the audio signal can adversely affect the performance of digital-to-analog converters. The Aurender W20 was the world’s first music server to completely eliminate noise from AC power supplies and AC mains through the use of LiFePO4 (LFP) batteries to power the audio circuitry. The Aurender W20SE uses the same scheme to minimize the noise in the audio output and act as an uninterruptible power supply to protect the system in case of any sudden power outages. An FPGA-based All Digital Phase Locked Loop system with an Oven-Controlled Crystal Oscillator (OCXO) clock is used to maintain long-term jitter to below negligible levels, precisely timing digital audio transmission. With OXCO clocks, a very stable high-grade crystal oscillator is employed and is enclosed in a compartment that's kept at a constant temperature to prevent jitter created by temperature fluctuations. The Aurender N30SA, N20, and W20SE all employ OCXO clocks for a smooth, saturated, and laser-focused audio presentation.

The Aurender W20SE features a new linear power supply that powers the CPU, storage, and more, providing a highly stable and low-noise environment. A solid-state caching drive for playback isolated by extensive shielding using thick aluminum partitions also minimizes and eliminates the many types of jitter and noise usually associated with the use of disk drives for playback. Caching using the 1TB SSD is done for files and streaming content. This increases stability and improves the sound quality of files when using streaming services such as Qobuz, Spotify, and Tidal. The best practice is to store music on the W20SE's internal SSDs, however, Aurender's platform is capable of selecting and playing content from a NAS or external USB hard drive using Folder/File browsing. Content on the USB HDD or NAS drive can be conveniently copied to the internal storage of W20SE using the Aurender Conductor App. Or, you can use a Mac/PC to transfer content over the network if you wish.

High-Quality Sound at your Fingertips

The Aurender W20SE can be operated using the Aurender Conductor App, a versatile user interface with full-function control. All settings and functions of the Aurender W20SE server can be easily accessed through the Settings menu, and the Conductor App comes with extensive features to make browsing and playing high-resolution digital music libraries a breeze. Two streaming services, Qobuz and Tidal (subscription required) are embedded within the Conductor App allowing easy access to millions of high-resolution albums. Being integrated, links to content found on streaming services can be added to your main file library making it easy to combine and compile content in one location. The Aurender Conductor can be utilized on both iOS and Android platforms, so users can access their music using the Apple iPad, iPhone, or various Android phones or tablets.

MQA decoding is also available through Aurender's MQA Core Decoder, allowing playback of MQA files at up to 88.2kHz or 96kHz. When paired with a DAC that performs MQA rendering, the W20SE provides full MQA decoding. The server also features an extremely high-quality DSD-to-PCM conversion platformed by FPGA. The W20SE accomplishes DSD to PCM conversion precisely using thousands of tap filters inside the FPGA delivering superior audio performance. Via USB, the W20SE supports PCM up to 32-bit/384kHz, DSD (DoP) up to DSD256, and DSD (Native) up to DSD512. SPDIF delivers DSD64 and PCM up to 24-bit/192kHz.

What's In the Box?

• Aurender W20SE
• AC Power Cord
• Quick Start Guide

Aurender Music Server Comparison

N150

Intel Dual CPU

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3.0″ AMOLED

2.5" SATA HDD Bay Configurable Storage

240GB m.2 NVME System Cache

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Tidal, Qobuz, Spotify Connect

MQA Decoding Purchaseable

Sample Rate
Up to DSD 512 (USB DSD)
Up to 32bit / 384kHz (USB PCM)
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—

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Outputs
USB
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—

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Headphone Outputs
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Balanced
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—
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Power SE
—
—
—

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1 Gbps Ethernet (2x Isolated)

2x USB A

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Full Linear Power Supply

Battery Backup

11.7 lbs

8.5 x 2.5 x 13.9 inches

N200

Intel Quad Core

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6.9" LCD

2.5" SATA HDD Bay Configurable Storage

240GB m.2 NVME System Cache

—

Tidal, Qobuz, Spotify Connect

MQA Decoding Purchaseable

Sample Rate
Up to DSD 512 (USB DSD)
Up to 32bit / 384kHz (USB PCM)
Up to 24bit / 192 kHz (S/pdif PCM)

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Outputs
RCA, USB
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Headphone Outputs
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Balanced
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—
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Power SE
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—
—

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1 Gbps Ethernet

2x USB A

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Full Linear Power Supply

Battery Backup

19.8 lbs

13.0 x 3.8 x 14.0 inches

Select a DAP to view and compare specifications

Select a DAP to view and compare specifications

Press and Reviews

Aurender Magazine

Guides & Advice
by Moon Audio

AudioStream

by Rafe Arnott
Oct. 2019

AudioStream

by Rafe Arnott
Feb. 2020

The Absolute Sound

by Robert Harley
Oct. 2020

PRODUCT REVIEWS

MOON AUDIO REVIEW & VIDEO