Our hobby seems awash with rave reviews of the latest, greatest streamer, but perhaps what’s missing are longer term analyses of performance, reliability etc, etc.
My Node 2i has unquestionably been my most cost effective and rewarding purchase in just under 40 years of being involved in this insanity we call Hi Fi.
I use my Node exclusively as a transport feeding my Benchmark DAC2 HGC and, even though I was very happy with it, like so many of us I fell prey to those gushing reviews of the Eversolo DMP A6 of about a year or so ago.
I didn’t sell my Node to fund the purchase of the A6, thank goodness, because while it is a lovely piece of kit in its own right, its sonic capabilities in that transport role were, I have to say, quite inferior to the very solid and balanced sound of the Node.
I eventually moved the Eversolo on and here I am, over six or seven years into Node 2i ownership (I've not been counting) and completely happy.
Given that streaming is the area of audio where technology should be influencing equipment more rapidly than any other component category, this is a remarkable endorsement of something that cost just under $500 at the time and, if anything, keeps getting better, as BluOS is now arguably unrivaled in its functionality and ease of use.
At the present time, it would seem that those of us who are using our streamers as transports to an external dac have little or nothing to gain from quite serious upgrading.
I’m sure that, at some price point or other, the Node 2i can be beaten as a transport. However I suspect that’s more money than I’d wish to throw at the "problem" and I’m reminded of the adage: "If it ain’t broke don’t fix it."
I hear nothing from the Node that even hints at the budget component it is. Bluesound should be commended for getting it so right with this product.