On the heels of launching its Lightning DS Streaming technology and ARIES Streaming Bridge for high-resolution music streaming, AURALiC is now preparing the all-in-one ARIES MINI.
ARIES MINI offers wireless streaming, including Quad-Rate DSD/DXD, a built-in DAC, and new connectivity to a broader market of consumers — the millions of music fans with stereo and AV receiver-based or powered speaker-based audio systems, not just audiophiles. The compact unit shares most software and hardware functions with the original ARIES, plus Bluetooth, at a fraction of the latter’s cost.
“The ARIES MINI begins a new and evolutionary era for the future of the audio industry,” said Xuanqian Wang, president and CEO of AURALiC Limited. “We intentionally set the retail price at an extremely affordable entry point to offer everyone an opportunity to enjoy the convenience and Studio Quality music that modern technology can bring to all.”
Priced at $549 (U.S.), the ARIES MINI also comes with a free one-year subscription to Tidal HiFi’s Lossless music library of 35 million tracks, a $240 value (U.S. and Canada sales, only).
Music may live on a computer, on the internet, or in the cloud — even an SSD/HDD installable inside the ARIES MINI. A USB input allows playing from HDDs and thumbdrives. The ARIES MINI will discover and stream music to an existing audio system.
“Digital audio is changing very fast,” Wang said. “The digital audio component is becoming a software-driven product, rather than a static piece of hardware out of a box. Manufacturers can add new features, functionalities, and ease of use, and improve the sound quality by software updates — and it will be almost transparent and extremely beneficial for customers. In the future, you will no longer be buying a ‘box’ or static piece of hardware.
“That is perhaps the most important transition or education that consumers have to appreciate about what is going on in the audio industry today. And I’m referring not only to audiophiles, but anyone who loves to listen to music. It’s the latter group that will drive our industry’s growth. We want both segments of the market to benefit from our work.”
