The conclusions here are two-fold: firstly they concern the Ultra and its clear musical superiority over the already impressive Aardvark Classic. In a really basic network, it might be considered expensive, but you don’t need to get too serious about streaming hardware before it becomes an indispensible musical bargain. This can be an effective, high-value addition to any streaming set up – with the added advantage that its impact can be assessed on a plug-n-play basis. Like any noise-related product, its benefits will vary depending on the situational and environmental context. The beauty of the Aardvark(s) is that you can experiment easily in your system, to decide if you need the noise noshing audio hedge pig, a herd of them or none at all.
Secondly, the impact of the Aardvark demonstrates just how musically destructive induced noise can be to not just network replay, but any product that is network connected. The degradation introduced to the CH components by an un-filtered, un-sanitised network, even a network that’s only used for remote control, is shocking to hear. Using a noise filter like the Aardvark can substantially mitigate that damage. It ain’t a perfect fix – but it’s so much better than no fix at all.
Both Aardvarks do dual duty, improving any system I’ve used them in as well as acting as the canary in the network noise coal mine. The Classic is good. The Ultra offers more than enough extra performance to justify the doubling in price. They’re practical, affordable and (at least to date) universally effective. Be warned – try and I suspect you’ll buy.
Manufacturer:
Aardvark
Prices and availability
USA
Liquid Hi-Fi
Charlotte, NC
ron@liquidhifi.com
Aardvark Ultra $899 (plus sales tax)
Ardvark Classic $469 (plus sales tax)
United Kingdom
MusicWorks (UK) Ltd
Cheadle, Cheshire
Aardvark Ultra £999 (inc. 20% sales tax)
Ardvark Classic £499 (inc. 20% sales tax)
