Elegance. Finesse. Resolution. Grace.

If ever Aristotle’s adage: “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts” is applicable in audio, it applies to AP20. And, given the quality and quantity of parts in this equation, that’s saying a lot.

AP20 delivers unprecedented audio performance from an integrated amplifier. It includes the world’s best Class D amp modules in a dual-mono configuration, an analog R2R relay-based volume control and preamp section, Aurender’s best DAC, a master clock input, a headphone output, a suite of digital and analog inputs and outputs, and the most sophisticated linear power supply block Aurender has ever deployed.

The result? An audio component that paints every musical timbre with full-bodied realism. With a delicate touch that’s backed up by enormous headroom for transients and dynamic swings, AP20 drives even the most demanding speaker loads and casts a soundstage that is both expansive and laser-focused.

All of this performance, with the heart of an Aurender.

Other integrated amplifier solutions on the market may offer support for app-controlled streaming, but in nearly every case, the user experience, library management, and software playback engine are an afterthought requiring third-party software and hardware to get the job done. In AP20’s case, more than 10 years of industry-leading experience has made Aurender the digital source component of choice in the world’s finest audio systems. Now, that same holistic digital playback engine and user experience is available from an integrated amplifier that completely removes the need for more components and cables.

Just add speakers, and enjoy a premium HiFi experience, without all the HiFi boxes.

Ultra High-Performance Class D Amplifiers

There’s Class D, and then there’s ridiculously good Class D. AP20 utilizes the finest amplifier modules available. Designed by renowned engineer Bruno Putzeys, the Purifi Eigentakt 1ET400A amplifier is free of digital harshness, edginess, and grain. Featuring impressive specifications that are reflected in its extraordinary audio performance, AP20’s dual-mono amplifier section represents the state-of-the-art of Class D amp technology.

Dead-Quiet Linear Power Supply

Most Class D amplifier implementations utilize switch mode power supplies because they are efficient, cool-running, and inexpensive. However, this can introduce noise and distortion to the signal path, resulting in an audio presentation that lacks a sense of natural analog grace. So, in typical Aurender fashion, AP20 uses SIX discrete toroidal transformers to power the CPU, left & right DAC boards, FPGA processor, and power output stages, respectively.

Aurender’s Best DAC

Aurender designed the AP20 for those seeking the simplicity of an all-in-one unit without sacrificing a high level of resolution, transparency, and inner detail. Built around an integrated dual-mono AKM4497 DAC module, AP20’s best-in-class DAC section delivers high-resolution PCM, DSD, and MQA full-decoding at the highest level.

Analog Volume Control

In any system, the quality of the audio presentation is significantly impacted by the volume control mechanism of the preamplifier. Remarkably, AP20 employs an analog-domain volume control based on an R2R stepped-attenuator system. Volume control of this quality is utterly uncommon in digitally-equipped integrated amps, and it is a major reason why AP20 provides such a natural, open sound.

OCXO Precision Clock

AP20’s OCXO based precision clock generation system incorporates a Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) with sub 100fs jitter-reducing clock generator to precisely time digital audio data transmissions and minimize jitter to below negligible levels.

Analog Pass-Through Inputs

The AP20 provides a suite of analog inputs including 1X balanced XLR and 2X single-ended RCA, offering an ideal solution for integrating external analog sources into your audio system. Vinyl enthusiasts can connect their phono stage to an available analog input and enjoy pure analog pass-through without any A/D conversion in the signal path.

Digital Connectivity

With a variety of digital inputs including 1X RCA SPDIF, 1X BNC SPDIF, and 2X TOSLINK optical interfaces, AP20 is well-equipped to render external digital sources such as a CD transport, media player, or TV via its superior internal DAC.

Variable Output XLR Output

AP20’s high-quality balanced XLR output allows the user to feed a second system such as a distributed whole-home audio installation, or subwoofer(s) with line-level input (XLR-to-RCA adapters may be required in some cases).

Master Clock Input

Although AP20 is equipped with an extremely precise OCXO clock system, jitter can be minimized further by connecting a 10MHz Master Clock signal generator such as Aurender’s MC10.

Dedicated Headphone Section

In addition to being a stellar amplifier for loudspeaker systems, AP20 also features a 1/4″ headphone output for quiet moments.

Precision DSD-to-PCM Conversion by FPGA

Many DACs support DSD decoding only on their USB inputs, but not on SPDIF. Additionally, many excellent DACs still in use are non-DSD compliant. That’s why the Aurender AP20 (and N30SA, W20SE, N20 and N10) all feature this extremely high-quality method of DSD-to-PCM conversion on-the-fly by FPGA. The resulting sampling frequency output is user selectable between 88.2kHz and 176.4kHz, gain is adjustable by 1-6dB and a low-pass filter accommodates 24Hz, 30Hz, 40Hz and 50Hz settings.

Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS)

At the heart of any music server is essentially a computer, and like a computer, it doesn’t like when its electrical connection is abruptly terminated. In the case of an AC power outage or momentary “brownout”, the AP20 is protected by a clever supercapacitor-based power supply which allows the unit to stay powered on long enough to automatically power down. This prevents the system and hard drives from being corrupted by the loss of AC power.

User-Installable Hard Drive Storage with Solid-State Caching Drive for Playback

The AP20 provides unparalleled flexibility in terms of the type and capacity of drive that can be fitted. In addition to the built in 8TB SSD, an extra disk tray on the rear panel can be fitted with a 1TB/2TB/4TB or 5TB HDD or a 1TB/2TB/4TB or 8TB SSD. These internal storage drives house your music library, and an internal 500GB solid-state drive is used to cache music for playback. If a selected song or album is already cached to the solid-state drive, the storage drive remains idle. This minimizes wear and tear on the drived. Additionally, by caching songs to the solid-state drive for playback, electrical and acoustic noise resulting from spinning disks, moving heads and motors is completely eliminated.

USB HDD and NAS (Network-Attached Storage) Support

The most streamlined user experience occurs when music is stored using internal storage. However, the Aurender platform is also capable of seamlessly integrating content stored on a NAS, external USB HDD or thumb drive. Two USB 3.0 ports on the rear panel are used to import content or playback from the attached storage device. If importing content, Aurender’s SmartCopy program can be used for bulk transfer or to selectively copy specific content onto the internal hard drives.

Upsampling and Critical Listening Mode

AP20 offers the user the ability to upsample any lower resolution content to a user determined sampling rate. Three selections are available to choose from: 44.1/48kHz, 88.2/96kHz and 176.4/192kHz. Since results vary from server-to-DAC combinations, experimentation is in order to determine the best sonic results. Upsampling can only be used when the DAC is connected using the SPDIF digital outputs. USB audio output is always bit-perfect with no DSP. Critical Listening Mode allows the user to defeat any non-essential overhead computing activity besides the minimum needed make your music sound its best. By defeating the display illumination and other background functions, system resources are reduced for the best possible sound quality.

Aurender Conductor App Packed with Convenient Features for Full-Function Control

The Aurender Conductor App turns the iPad, iPhone, Android phones and tablets into a versatile user interface for all Aurender music servers. All settings and functions of the Aurender server can be easily accessed through the Settings menu, and Conductor comes with extensive features to make browsing and playing high resolution music collections 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.

Remote Internet Technical Support

Sending a Remote Support Request through the Aurender App allows engineers to quickly diagnose and correct problems over the Internet. This service can correct for file, software or firmware issues and is a service provided free of charge.

Specifications

Dimensions	16.93″W x 14.2″D x 5.9″H
Weight	57.3 lb
Material	Machined Aluminum Chassis
Front Panel Display	8.8″ 1920 x 480 Wide IPS Color LCD
Power Supply	Full Linear, 2x 400VA Toroidy Transformers (L&R Power Amp), 2x 50W (L&R Audio Boards), 1x50W (CPU), 1x25W (FPGA)
CPU	Intel Low Power Quad Core
RAM	8GB
Library Storage Capacity	2X 2.5″ Compartments (User-Installable Storage)
SSD for System & Cache	480GB NVME
Data USB Ports	2X USB 3.0 (Rear)
Software Suite	Aurender Conductor, A30 Manager
Ethernet Port	Double-Isolated Gigabit LAN
Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS)	Yes (Super Capacitors)
Power Consumption	Play (47W), Peak (80W), Standby (6W)
CD Ripping Capability	N/A