A Skeptics Digital Upgrade Journey

Nice. 

Heck of a journey.  Glad u took it.

Nice choices … you will be rewarded going digital.  I did something similar.  I decided to add digital to my modest home theatre system. Already had digital on my main system.  My biggest improvement was replacing my macbook laptop with a dedicated streamer and network roon core. Here’s my set up now.

1- iFi Zen stream using Audioquest carbon USB cable / $300 and $100 used

2- Sonic transporter as roon core using Tidal Hi Res /$1000

3- Black Ice Glass Dac Dsd with Sylvania Nos Gold Label black plates /$650 1.5 yrs ago and $80

4- Added optical isolation  Router-FMC-optical cable- FMC-streamer / $60

5- Topping 3 input LPS both FMC’s and IFi stream use / $130

Can’t get over how good it sounds through my midfi Pioneer elite HT Amp in analog direct mode to my Fritz Rev 5 SE speakers.  

Cheer’s  to the streaming digital journey!

I am not totally sold on digital cables mattering that much.  I like to go 1 or 2 levels above basic computer stock, such as the Audioquest offerings or what might be available on Audio Advisor.  My one experience hearing some ultra expensive digital cables demonstrated was at Axpona, and I couldn’t detect any difference over stock, but ymmv.  However at this point your cables cost more than your streamer, and that for a few hundred dollars more you can seriously improve that.  I would get a Cambridge Audio CXN 60, which sounds much better than the Node and offers stellar AirPlay and Chromecast.  When your back goes out again you can stream easily from your phone and let the wife take a breather.

50+ years of audio and I've learned everything matters...

Good digital success story.

I definitely recommend a streamer upgrade, you will be amazed at how much difference it makes.

I have a feeling I will be upgrading my Node 2i very soon.  Thanks for the post @macg19.  

Agree a quality streamer makes a huge difference. When I upgraded from my audio use only PC laptop to a Bricasti M5 (on my 2 channel system) it was an eye opener. Total believer now. Also, having it as a network player is another step up keeping your computer, NUC or Core anywhere on the network away from your system. Hardwired to the network better than wifi/bluetooth in my experience.

As for Digital cables, my experience is that a quality USB or coax make a definite difference. Ethernet cables not much. A Blue Jeans/nice amazon quality cable sounded as good as several Audioquest/Pangea levels I tried and returned. I use Optical isolation so that may have an impact.

OP,

you seem like a very astute consumer:

doubt the claims, test for yourself, buy what you prefer. +10!!

What @kota1 said.Gathering information and opinions is helpful, but trying and buying what you like best is the only way to know for sure.

Thanks for all the positive feedback. 

I'm good for now on digital upgrades with the possible exception of a power cable for the DAC but have no doubt a higher end dedicated streamer would take it to another level. 

I emailed Ray at Zavfino to see if I can get a 1.0m FINA OCC - that would complete an OCC loom and I am keen to see if I can debunk 'power cables don't matter' - 1.0m is custom though so not returnable. 

If anyone has a suggestion for a used PC I'm open to looking. 

Thanks again.

I would replace the wall outlet first, many available.

@kota1 I have a medical grade leviton but can't install it yet due to temporary physical restrictions. 

@rocray you're welcome!

@macg19 ok this may seem crazy but I have the same DAC as you and love it.  I bought this cable when I bought the DAC 1 1/2 years ago.  I have since tried many power cords to see if I could upgrade the sound. I tried my VH Audio DIY flavors, KimberKable 12TC and 8TC DIY, Chinese Nordost Gold and others and I have been amazed that this one just sounds the best without doubt.  I think it just has some synergy you can’t explain.  It wasn’t as good on my other components  I would recommend trying one they are crazy cheap right now and you can always return it within 30days.  Took me 60-80 hours break in.  I have the gold over copper plug version.  Ears will tell you the truth.  Good luck with it all.

When you swapped cables did you also clean around your gear?

@erik_squires I'm not quite sure what you mean?

No recommendations on power cords just yet, as I am still saving up for my new cables. However, and if you haven't already done so, upgrade your power to your equipment. Two dedicated lines pulled separately from your electrical panel (not run in the same raceway), one for your amplifier and one for your signal components.....equally revealing and surpising improvements.

@tksteingraber Just ordered one - nothing to lose. Will report back. Thanks!

FYI, Hans recently reviewed the a new Bluesound Powernode, Edge.

@erik_squires  yep I threw away all the empty beer bottles, In and Out wrappers out and cleaned the grease smudges off the dials and buttons prior. Not sure but  I don’t think it improved the dynamics!  🤣

@macg19 consider a fuse upgrade.  I added a QSA yellow with nice improvement. If you don’t mind ordering from Aliexpress they have a fuse as good and probably better for $20 delivered.

https://a.aliexpress.com/_mrGQDx8

@vthokie83 I rent my house, otherwise I would.

It’s physically and electrostatically impossible for a cable to make any difference whatsoever! 
 

Ha!  Just kidding.  For those of us who actually try things and listen over and over, we are part of the cool kids club.  Good job going through the process, because it’s fun AND rewarding.  I get so much enjoyment from music every single day.

Works for me

If it works out in the end that’s all that matters. 

@macg19 

I to have the Node N130 and I got the Teddy Pardo power supply and I bought a Denafrips Pontus ll.  The difference between the DAC in the Node and the Pontus ll is huge! Oh and I bought a DH Labs Silver Sonic Mirage USB interconnect. Everything made a difference, but the external DAC made the biggest.

All the best.

Herniated disc?

I notice that no one has mentioned 'get well soon', if still appropo...

So, consider it done.  ;)

@asvjerry 

I notice that no one has mentioned 'get well soon', if still appropo...

So, consider it done.  ;)

Definitely. Thank you, I really appreciate that. 

@riie Herniated disc?

No, anterior/posterior lumbar fusion, 2 discs removed, spacers added. 35 yo chronic issue, finally fixed. I'm an inch taller. Expect to be back on my mountain bike in 3-4 months but it's humbling.

@curiousjim I was looking at the ARES. My really positive interaction with Vinshine is what gave me the confidence to buy the LYH PSU. 

God bless you and get well soon!

Re streamer without a DAC: I compared many from a few hundred $ to many thousand $. The best in my opinion is the tiny Pro-Ject stream box S2 ultra. It’s good value and sounds as good as some very expensive options I also tried. Also if you are getting into streaming have a trial of Roon - it is an amazing piece of software that transforms the streaming experience, not in sound quality (unless you use the dsp features for tweaking your sound) but simply in every other part of being a music fan. 

Just wanted to say thank you (and thanks to everyone here) for sharing what you’ve done with your digital setup. It’s added confirmation of what careful attention to digital front end adjustment can do 🙏🏼

@dmac67 

I’m sure the Aries ll will be great!  Just remember, you are replacing a $3 chip that’s part of a “Swiss Army Knife “ with a quality product whose only job is digital to analog conversion.  Oh and when I bought the Teddy Pardo, the power supply you bought had not been released yet. If it had I would have bought it also!

Did I miss which Denafrips DAC was purchased? Didnt see a model. I upgraded to a $250 DAC for my Bluesound Node 2i / Bluejean coax / Quboz high rez. I "thought" it helped, maybe slightly. Still hear that brittle digital sound compared to vinyl. Do I chance a big step up to a tube DAC /mod tubes and mod ps for Node 2i and ,maybe, get that warmer sound or upgrade to a very nice cartridge for that amount and improve existing warmer sound, hmm.

@riccitone Cool, you're welcome, I'm pleased the thread was interesting, thanks also to the other contributors.

@bikefi10 Good question. I already have a really nice TT/PS/Cart so I was done with analogue upgrades for the foreseeable future, so it was an easy decision for me even without the medical issue.

Not sure what your analogue rig is so take this with a grain of salt but I was blown away going from a Hana ML to an Aidas CU (details in my virtual system).

I know things can go wrong with digital signal chains that result in degraded sound. The latest weirdness I heard in my system was crazy tempo shifts with corresponding pitch shifts - like a very badly warped record. I thought such a thing was impossible with digital! This turned out to be a problem with one part of the signal chain being set to 44.1 kHz and another part at 48 kHz. You'd think it'd just re-sample and play normally but instead it kept falling behind and then catching up by sporadically changing the playback speed. While I have fixed dropout problems with better cables I haven't heard changes in sound quality in my system from changing out the digital cables. I don't doubt though that there are times when a cable might be the culprit in very noticeably degraded sound quality.

@tksteingraber The monosaudio power cord went in today and back out after about 4 hours. It did prove that cables make a difference:) 

I've ordered the Zavfino Fina OCC for the DAC, 2 week lead time as 1m is custom. I also ordered a Pangea AC 14SE MKII Signature (Cardas copper) for $80 just for fun to play with in the meantime. 

I did order 2 fuses from ALI-E ($40, why not) for AMP and DAC, as well as a Synergistic Research Orange for my amp, on sale from CableCo for $100. 

Fun and games at this point...

@macg19 good to hear you are having fun with trial and error.  It is what makes this hobby fun for me.  The power cable improved quite a bit after 60-80 hours.  I bought a plug adapter off amazon and plug it into my second fridge in garage for a week or so to break them in. Zavfino is my next go to company…great choice.

@macg19 Tried to comment on your profile but kept erroring. Didnt want to sidetrack this thread.

My tt is Musichall 9.1mmf, cart is a lower end, but nice warm Nagaoka, Schitt PS, Odyseey amp, Magnepan 1.7i s, Rhymik sub. So, yes my cart is porportionaly low end for my rig. Im sure a big step up would make a noticeable diffetence.

My wife loves the variety with Qobuz, but even she says, " how much to make it better"? I say ALOT!

@bikefi10 Thanks for being considerate - no worries.

The cart and phono stage may be in need of an upgrade. You could start with something in the range of the Hana ML ($1200) and do the PS later.

OR

Given you have an older Node, get a better streamer/DAC and keep it to a one box solution. My wife was also unimpressed with the stock Node 130 compared to the analogue rig. Now it’s much closer.

A few more tweeks...

• upgraded internet speed from 250 to 500 mbps - this made a noticeable difference on it's own
• added an ASUS AX5400 router and now run all wifi devices off that, with the Node hardwired into the Cox modem (Broadcom chipset) - this didn't make much difference based on a quick comparison
• added Symposium Roller Block Jr's under the Tube DAC (I had an extra set so no extra expense) 
• The Pangea AC 14SE MKII Signature PC didn't make any noticeable difference

Unrelated to the Digital source, I did add a Synergistic Research Orange fuse to the integrated tube amp - this was a noticeable improvement - I felt it slightly improved the bass and the sound stage seemed more defined. I have a premium fuse coming for the DAC.

Once the Zavfino PC arrives I'll be done (really) - I'm hoping I hear an improvement.

Crap - the ASUS router is adding noise to my analogue chain. A faint, rapid beat, seems like it's in time with the flashing LEDs. It's going back.

@tksteingraber 

Thanks for the tip on the gold power chord. Using it on my Node with an adapter. Very good results. I bought the Rhodium one too but have not tried it yet. Like to do one tweak at a time to understand the changes.

@dolfan  hope they work out for you.  Low risk  at that price.  They take some play time to be at their best.  In think they work best on the lower draw components like streamer, DAC …. I am not a Rhodium fan.  It is lower in conducting and its main benefit is that it’s a very strong/hard metal and the plating won’t rub off for heavy use plugging in and out.  I like copper then gold for home audio use.

@dolfan I highly recommend the PSU-LPS upgrade noted in the OP for the Node if you don’t mind voiding the warranty or are out of warranty.

you could use the new PC for the LPS without an adapter 

I have one on order. Thank you