Tom, I’d like to get your assessment of the user interface on the T8, including playlist management - especially how random play is handled. Based on your initial impressions, it seems like the UI will be the tilt factor for one vs the other.
Not sure if you use Apple Music, or if you even want to try it, but I’d be curious if the T8 successfully performs gapless playback from Apple Music.
I have read on other forums that it does support lossless. I have not verified it.
Standard model
Apple has lossless for sure. I am referring to gaps between songs. The RS 130 is gapless for Qobuz, thank goodness, but not Apple Music. When playing live recordings, and many studio recordings for that matter, gapless playback is essential. I have already deleted the Apple Music app from my RS130 just so that I am not reminded of its inadequacy.
At one point I had an interrupted reading on several songs on Qobuz
In the RS 130 menu I emptied the cache and everything works perfectly
Can be a track
No, Rosehan said Rose can’t play Apple Music in a gapless fashion. It is an operating system thing I think. It is ok, I have gotten over it as part of my Rose extrication process.
When I ordered my RS130 last year I was looking forward to listening to Apple Music natively without using Airplay. When I got it going I learned it was an API with no gapless playback with a lossy format, what a let down that was. The app was so unusable that I bought a Roon lifetime subscription. Along came Eversolo with lossless Apple Music built in and hi res with the side loaded app. Bye bye went the RS130 and would never purchase another product from that company again. At $5895 USD, I’d opt for a Lumin U2 instead.
Auralic is now gone. Low cost high quality Chinese competition killed its sales.
AURALiC Ceases Trading Effective Immediately
Posted on 25th September, 2025
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The rumour mill has been swirling for some months now about the long-term future of the high-end streaming brand, AURALiC.
The most visible sign of trouble emerged in mid-September 2025 when AURALiC’s community forum mysteriously disappeared without explanation. The forum had served as a crucial hub where CEO Xuanqian Wang personally engaged with customers, offering technical support and product insights.
Adding to the uncertainty, the company founder, Wang, stepped down from his leadership role at the beginning of 2025. Wang, who had been the face of AURALiC since founding the company in 2009, according to online sources, announced his departure to pursue “other ventures and race sports cars” while maintaining his ownership stake.
The timing of Wang’s departure has proven particularly unfortunate given the mounting challenges facing the company. His personal involvement in customer support and product development had been a cornerstone of AURALiC’s reputation in the audiophile community.
Earlier this year, AURALiC suspended all shipments to US addresses, citing “US government tariff policy” as the reason. This decision effectively shut the company out of what was likely a crucial segment of the global high-end audio market, and the suspension has reportedly contributed to a dramatic decline in overall sales.
Distributors of AURALiC that we had spoken to had reported difficulties obtaining new stock from AURALiC for quite some time.
AURALiC has said it will not issue any official statement regarding its current financial situation. However, multiple sources have reported to StereoNET that they have been informed, “that effective immediately, the company will no longer continue operations due to a significant decline in sales performance. Sales have dropped by 80% this year due to the tariff war, increasing competition from cheaper streaming products and challenging economic conditions worldwide.”
It was also suggested by some sources that the company’s IP is for sale, with an asking price of US$2 million. One source who wished to remain anonymous told us:
We have been dedicated champions for the brand for six years and have been very happy to support you in connecting your customers with the best streaming devices available. We are yet to receive full details from Auralic of what the future holds in terms of service and support, so we will update you as soon as we know more.
AURALiC’s troubles reflect broader challenges facing specialised audio equipment manufacturers. The combination of trade tensions, supply chain disruptions, and increased competition from both traditional audio companies and technology giants has compressed industry margins.
It’s a sad day when our industry loses another brand, and AURALiC had been on the rise in terms of popularity and product evolution for many years. The best outcome might be a lifeline in the form of a buyer emerging for the IP, and that the brand’s technology lives on in other products. We will continue to monitor the situation and update readers as the story develops.
Marc Rushton
StereoNET’s Founder and Publisher was born in England and raised on British Hi-Fi before moving to Australia. He developed an early love of music and playing bass guitar before discovering the studio and the other side of the mixing desk. After writing for print magazines, Marc saw the future in digital publishing and founded the first version of StereoNET in 1999.
And Tidal isn’t feeling too good either : Alarming news about Tidal | What's Best Audio and Video Forum. The Best High End Audio Forum on the planet!
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…and based on that little article, you seriously think Tidal is in trouble? Amazing how some clowns can put out these kinds of bait pieces — good for nothing more than being retold in a stinking hobo camp. Judging by the link, that’s probably exactly where you got it from…
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Thanks for posting the news on Auralic. A salesman from Upscale Audio made a comment about not knowing what the future held for them. After seeing this post about them ceasing operations, I looked at the Upscale Audio web site and saw they have all the Auralic units on sale now since they have them in stock! I owned a pre owned Auralic that I bought from a dealer specializing in high end equipment. The unit had a 90-day warranty and a 30-day return period if you weren’t happy with it. The second time I used it I knew why it was traded in. I returned it and got my money back.
It may be good as a secondary dac, you still need one for primary purpose, for hi-res file though. I know most would say, just enough already…
vik (boris) you are completely retarded and the only neuron you have is playing tricks on you. You have a big block!
After listening to the T8 for nearly two weeks, it sounds better than the RS130 in my system.
Operation interface is clean, intuitive, and user-friendly.
The room correction and EQ features greatly enhance user experience and improve sound quality.
I sold the RS130. No regrets at all.
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@TomT I agree with you. Received my T8 last week and very happy with how it sounds in my system. I haven’t figured out how to use the room correction on it, but will eventually get one and try it. I moved my A10 up to my bedroom and have modified some of the DSP on it since my sub is slightly too large for the room and needed to tone down the low end some. Using that unit as a streaming DAC and it sounds great.
I sold my RS130 last may and have no regrets. The unit I sold broke down 3 months after selling. I provided the purchase receipt to the buyer since the warranty stays with the unit regardless of it being sold.
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If you don’t own one, how do you have an opinion of it? Thanks to the RS130, I own 3 Eversolo units. At least Eversolo knows how to provide an interface that actually works. I am an Apple Music subscriber and appreciate that I can stream both lossless and high resolution from AM. The Rose Apple Music interface is a total embarrassment to the brand. The AM interface on the RS130 is total garbage playing AAC at 256 kpbs is total crap. I moved passed the iPod SQ years ago.
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Did your momma wipe your booty today yet?
At a much lower price, and just because you do not know how to use something properly (because you have slightly less brains than a piece of rock) does not mean that humans with brains don’t.
Also, your opinions are worse about as much as your “brains” – nothing.
Of course it would. Which, incidentally, is exactly the same as any Rose device. Unless you are intelligent enough to know how to use REW or similar, in which case it soulds much better.
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Does the T8 play Apple Music gapless?
I’ll double check again tonight but shouldn’t be any different from the A10 that I have. That does play gapless through the side loaded app which is the native Apple Music app in Android. Apple Music through the Eversolo app is through an API and is lossless but not gapless.
Apple Music is still easier to navigate on an iPad, but no thank you since you can only use Airplay.
This is all on Apple and no one else. It may bite them someday.
Interesting, can you tell us how you connect the T8 to your system and which DAC you are using?