The Auralic brand is well established at the heart of network music playback, with the company, originating in Beijing, now having established a network across North America and Europe, and developing its range from its original ARK MX DAC in 2010 to a full line-up of digital products designed to address just about every ‘computer audio’ need.

The Vega S1 we have here is the latest development of the company’s first Vega model, a 2012, and also a new twist for the current line-up, being a compact ‘half-width’ model – just 20.7cm wide – designed to maximise space in users’ set-ups. The new S1 line comes in two versions, each selling for just shy of £2000: the Vega S1 is a full-function network player, complete with analogue outputs to feed directly into amplification, and can also be operated as digital-to-analogue converter for external digital sources; meanwhile the Aries S1, described as a ‘streaming processor’, has similar input connectivity, but only has digital outputs, being designed for use with an external DAC.

In addition, either unit can be used with an external power supply unit, the S1 Purer-Power External Power Supply Unit, adding just under £1000 to the price, and built with dual toroidal transformers as well as offering the advantage of moving the mains section away from the streaming and audio electronics. It connects to the Aries or Vega S1 models using a cable terminated in an HDMI-style plug.

One of the major advantages of Auralic’s products has always been the sheer amount of in-house engineering involved: not only is just about everything within developed by the company’s own engineers, but the processing runs on what the company calls its Lightning operating system, developed piecemeal with the Lightning DS control app with which the devices are controlled using a smartphone or tablet. The result is a degree of integration unavailable from those brands relying on third-party apps to ‘drive’ their products, and makes setting up and operating the likes of the Vega S1 simple and enjoyable.

Yes, you can use those third-party offerings – such as Bubble UPnP or the Linn-developed Kazoo – to control the Auralic if you wish, or if you are forced to by the fact Lightning DS is only available for the Apple iOS platform, but the dedicated app is the best way to control the Vega S1: it will find your new product on your home network, walk you through its set-up, and log it in to the various streaming services (for which you’ll need subscriptions, as usual) and your own music library stored on your network.

Compact it may be, but this is a remarkably flexible piece of equipment: as well as playing music over a home network – connection is via wired Ethernet only – from those local storage devices, it can also stream online services including Amazon Music, Qobuz, AirPlay 2, TIDAL Connect, Spotify Connect and internet radio, and is Roon-ready (although at the time of review this was awaiting certification). In addition it has those digital inputs, on coaxial, two optical and USB Type-B, and a dedicated DAC-only mode to shut down all the streaming circuitry when using these, while its analogue output is available on both unbalanced RCA sockets and balanced XLRs, with a choice of fixed level (to connect to a conventional amplifier or preamp) or variable level to allow the Vega S1 to be used directly into a power amplifier or active speakers.

The output stage, including that volume control, is all-analogue: the volume adjustment uses relays and passive resistors for signal purity, while the outgoing signal is amplified by high-output Class A modules able to drive even the most demanding amp input stages when the Vega S1 is used in ‘preamplifier’ mode: all these analogue devices are Auralic’s own Orfeo designs.

Meanwhile the digital-to-analogue conversion here, capable of handling file formats up to 384kHz/32bit and DSD512, is what the company calls its ‘Fusion’ DAC: this involves taking an off-the-shelf converter and stripping away all its ancillary functions, including the digital filter and oversampling. Delegating these tasks to Auralic’s own digital processing, running on the latest version of its Tesla platform, leaves the DAC chipset to do no more than the final digital-to-analogue task.

Galvanic isolation between the processing and the audio circuits isolates the DAC from any extraneous electrical noise, while the use of all that dedicated processing allows the user a wide range of options for customising the sound of the Vega S1, from switchable digital filters to an unusual tone system which ‘refines the output sound character of the DAC by incorporating harmonic elements into the music signal, based on a model rooted in auditory psychology.’ As ever, and after lengthy experimentation, it’s perhaps best to say these options will be a matter of personal taste – but they’re available to choose or ignore.

PERFORMANCE

One characteristic I have noted during past times spent with Auralic products is their ability to deliver a sound that’s both neutral and highly revealing, meaning one can tune a system with the choice of amplification and speakers, rather than having to compensate for any overt character in the source component – and so it is with the compact Vega S1, which delivered a wonderfully free-breathing yet weighty performance of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe’s DG set of the four Brahms symphonies under Yannick Nézet-Séguin. Freed from the ‘big guns’ approach to these works, this set has a sprightly, tight and focused view of the symphonies, and the Auralic is perfectly placed to present the refreshing deftness of the sound.

Striking, too, is the sheer resolution it brings to bear with the simple but lush sound of The Gesualdo Six’s latest release, ‘Queen of Hearts’, maintaining absolute focus on the voices while giving the Chesterton Church acoustic space to breathe to convincing effect, while its rhythmic acuity is much in evidence with Orchestra Orfeo’s recording of Britten’s Simple Symphony on its ‘Romanza’ set, with rich yet tightly controlled string tones from this relatively young ensemble.

That’s not to say the Vega S1 can’t handle all the weight of large orchestral forces: it does just that with the magnificent rendition of Bruckner’s Seventh by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra under Manfred Honeck, with a fine sense of restrained power ready to be unleashed at any moment, but is just as captivating with Melvyn Tan’s recent release of Beethoven’s final sonatas, the sound having total focus while the listener is swept along by the performance.

As a neutral platform on which to build an impressive sounding system, the new ‘baby’ Auralic belies its compact dimensions with a remarkably mature and involving sound, without a hint of artifice despite that massive processing power working away beneath the surface. Yes, in a highly revealing system the addition of the optional power supply will reveal even more of its abilities, but for most listeners the one-box version will be more than thrilling enough.

Auralic Vega S1

Type Network player/DAC

Price £1955 (£2933 with power supply)

Networking Ethernet

Services include Amazon Music, AirPlay 2, DLNA/UPnP playback from local storage, Qobuz, Spotify Connect, TIDAL Connect, and internet radio. Roon-ready

File formats handled (depending on input) Up to 384kHz/32bit and DSD512

Digital inputs Two optical, one coaxial, USB-Type B for computer, USB Type-A for storage, CD drive, etc.

Analogue outputs RCA/Balanced XLR, fixed or variable

Other connections Mains, input for optional power supply

Control Lightning DS app on iOS, third-party DLNA apps

Dimensions (WxHxD) 20.7x29x8.5cm

us.auralic.com

This article originally appeared in the October 2024 issue of Gramophone magazine. Never miss an issue – subscribe to Gramophone today