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Any reviewer with various hardware options must always give some upfront thought. What type of system to build around temporary review loaners? One should maximally play to their strengths yet remain representative of what a customer might do - two requirements that can quickly conflict. If source is king, a $20.000 digital über deck should get the best of an affordable amp. But that's not realistic. If said amp only flies then, nobody in the real world will ever hear it fully.
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Scanning my options, I picked the $6.000/pr Gallo Reference 3.5s. I'd already put the Neo/Groove duo through its paces on the desktop with the $2.000/pr Stradas and the far cheaper era Speakers Sat 5s. While the three-way Gallos might eclipse the speaker budget of prospective Aura owners, I wanted to demonstrate how the Groove is good enough for such applications. It's not merely groovy—chic, compact, modern and full-featured—but sonically ambitious. Without going to Franck Tchang's big Tango Rs, I had nothing as ambitious on hand as the Gallos. While my Zu Essence are close to half their price, they don't resolve in the same league. To hear it all, the Gallos were it. Around 40 on the dial was happy hour.
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Before the Stello 100 separates were due back in Korea with the Aura and Stello 500 twins, it seemed worthwhile to include them as an alternate source to the Neo. I also had to explore PC audio. This called on my WAV-loaded MacBook Pro with ALO Audio USB cable. Because Entreq had, by request of the Swedish April Music importer, authored a very special I²S cable with the necessary S-video connectors, I threw that into the mix as well. Lastly, my 160GB iPod Classic loaded with WAV and AIFF files would make an appearance through the Groove's dedicated input.
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First port of call was the MacBook vs. the iPod. To make it more of an - um, apples to apples comparison, I ran the Neo without upsampling. Because the Groove remembers volume settings for each input, A/Bs from the comfort of the seat were a remote command away. Those 'in the know' diss an iPod by design. But WAV-loaded and run fixed out through its 30-pin socket, such detractors don't have their feet on the ground. The difference was rather smaller than I'd guarantee the average nay sayer believes. Yes, the USB feed was both shinier and meatier but the degree of difference was quite modest. Those who'd settle on an iPod with uncompressed files would not lose their credibility in my book.
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With the MacBook, how did the USB transceiver and subsequent D/A conversion compare between Stello 100 Sig DAC, Neo and Groove? Going again for no upsampling but premium recordings like Andreas Vollenweider's Air or Renaud Garcia-Fons' Entremundo, the Neo had a bit more body and contrast than the Stello. This was nothing earth-shattering but given the presumed superiority of a standalone DAC with dedicated power supply not shared by a transport, it was amusing to see common knowledge as more common than true. I thought the Neo marginally superior.
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On upsampling vs. none, I favored the latter. To me it sounded easier and spatially more correct. I can appreciate though how someone else might fancy the glossier crisper take of 192kHz upsampling. Available by remote again—and cleverly requiring multiple commands where the first button press calls up the current setting and only subsequent commands begin shuttling through the options—you're in charge. You could easily flavor from track to track. Between Neo and Groove USB streams, the latter was softer and wispier and in subjective quality slightly below the Stello 100 DAC Signature. That itself came a close second to the Neo.
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The next round pitched the Stello 100 duet against the Neo both as legacy disc spinners. Each ran the same 14-track compilation CD sync'd to start simultaneously. A/B-ing now merely required input switching. The Stellos were quite softer on the attacks but occasionally a tad glassy inside the notes such as during vocal peaks riding the edge. They also sounded spatially smaller and not as lit up. Okay. But which digital interconnect did I use? The stock I²S.
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Moving on—actually, up!—to the Entreq completely banished the occasional glassiness. It also switched on more lights at the soundstage. Right. Bits are bits. All properly done digital cables sound the same. Not. More on that in a separate little Entreq review. Here, the quite softer comment of the previous paragraph shrank to marginally so with the Swedish link. I still felt the Neo had a small literal edge. Simultaneously, it also had a tad more body, warmth or fullness. I'd give the nod to Neo.
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However, the Entreq'd 100 duo was a very close second. And cheaper. But not as good-looking. And you must add a digital cable and second power cord to offset some of the savings. Bottom line, team April knows exactly what kind of sound they want. They get within the same center area of their bull's eye with Aura and Stello both. These are identical twins, faintly dissimilar if you know where to look but otherwise doppelgänger. They're of course packaged and styled differently. This appeals to a different audience and different dealers.
Otherwise, April = Aura on sound.
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As a headphone amp, the Groove competes against my favorite affordable transistor can opener/amp, Burson Audio's HA-160. Ditto Jan Meier's newest Corda Concerto. The latter is leaner, lighter and more lit up to come across as subjectively keener on resolution. The Burson is the most dynamic. Both are cooler than the meatier denser Groove. My audio-technica Raffinato's SET-ish tonal balance was the ultimately least appropriate mate for the Groove and I also preferred my Grado PS-1000s elsewhere. Sennheiser's rewired HD800s and AKG's equally rewired K-702s however were the cat's pjays on the Groove and preferable to the Concerto.
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In the big rig and as a two-box complete system, Aura's Neo/Groove combo didn't have the leaner, quicker, grittier and harmonically fully tracking demeanor of my usual FirstWatt-based setup which favors full illumination of upper harmonics for subtle tone modulations and performer auras and is exceptionally astute already at low volumes. The Groove preferred being kicked up a few more notches before it fully blossomed. Unlike the transient feistiness of the Zu Essence then or my Peter Daniel AudioSector Patek SE chip amps which are both Thai kick boxers, the Groove was rounder and warmer. This remained true in the bass which had good weight and clarity but not momentous impact. That's the case for all my amps save the big ModWright. None of them are chiselers or jack hammers, not even the KWA-150. It might require higher damping and feedback. To my ears, that nearly invariably clips off the full ring-out of tones prematurely to insert a military bearing into what I prefer to be freer swing.
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The Neo/Groove components are nearly determined to be mistaken for just lookers. Even though the brand name does go back, it's lost most if not all market recognition. April Music meanwhile is very much present and a known player. For company identity and sound cred, would-be buyers should view the Aura brand as repackaged April goods. It explains who stands behind them. It also nails their sonics and tacks an identity to what otherwise is an extremely niche brand. The Neo and Groove are quite forward-thinking with comprehensive PC connectivity and particularly the Groove's iPod integration becomes a sorely needed bridge to embrace mobile audio users.
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When it came time to pack up all the collected April Music goods for return to Korea, my wife asked whether I'd buy her the Aura Note Premier. It's the one-box version of today's twosome. She listened to it ever since its review over Zu Druid Credenzas. As it turned out, that's exactly what April Music's international sales manager Christine Han and her husband have at home [right].
Thinking what else I had that could replace the outbound Aura, I came up empty. To recreate its functionality of CD player, integrated, headphone amp and integrated iPod driver, I'd need four boxes. 'twas the proverbial no brainer to say yes and buy the Aura.
True, the Neo/Groove are even better. But, Ivette didn't ask. And I didn't tell.
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As my Gallo Reference 3.5 tests proved, the Aura Groove is properly endowed for such loads. As the comparison to the well-reviewed Stello 100 transport/DAC combo showed, the Aura Neo is cut from the very same cloth and even a tiny cut above. Add ideal headphone chops for the very best Sennheisers and AKGs and these two are smartly featured compelling choices in the performance-focused lifestyle sector. |
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Quality of packing: Exceptional.
Completeness of delivery: Very good. Includes USB cable, power cord and custom iPod cable.
Fit 'n' finish: Excellent.
Value for money: Fair.
Application conditions: Within reason, none. The Groove is powerful enough to drive most speakers conceivably mated to it on price.
The iPod integration transfers access control to the Groove's remote but requires Aura's own dock. Perfect for shuffle play and the occasional 'next' prompt to skip a track you're not in the mood for, getting at specific albums or tracks through the songs, artists or album lists becomes more cumbersome as your library grows. Because the Groove has only one line of display, you must click through lists alphabetically one entry at a time. In such cases—maxed out iPod capacity, wanting to access specific albums—you're better off with a standard Apple dock plugged into a standard line-level input rather than Aura's dedicated one. Now you have full manual control over the iPod's scroll wheel. |
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