You can download a sound pressure meter app to a phone or tablet to level match. As others have said, absent level matching your comparison is not apples to apples. I found USB to be “noisier” than using Ethernet or coaxial. I noticed an immediate improvement in clarity when I introduced a higher quality LUMIN U1 mini streamer between my MacMini and DAC. Can’t say if the Node 2i will buy you any improvement. But If you can’t hear a difference after level matching you have your answer. Computers have varying levels of noise depending on their USB implementation, whether they are running on AC or battery, whether music files are on external or internal drives, hard disks or SSDs. I am speaking about electrical noise generated by these non audio grade products. The DACs also vary in how they handle the digital data stream. Better DACs reclock the data, have isolation built into their power circuitry, etc. Lots of variables. Let your ears decide.
Any advantage to Bluesound Node 2i Versus Streaming from PC
I'm trying a loaner Bluesound Node 2i streamer which salesperson said will sound better than streaming from my PC. I doubted this since both are just feeding a digital signal to my Amp. It's just zeros and ones right? I have the Bluesound connected with a decent (not high end) digital coaxial cable to my Lyngdorf 3400. The PC is connected with a cheap USB cable to the same Lyngdorf. The sensitivity of both inputs is set to 0dB. The bluesound is set to fixed volume and the PC volume is set to max. I am playing Tidal through both input devices. I am trying to discern if there is any difference in sound quality. When played through the amp the bluesound volume is a whole lot louder than the PC. I have not found a way to level match the two inputs for comparison. The bluesound sounds good and is a lot louder per any particular volume setting on the amp. Does this mean the Bluesound is sending a better signal to the amp? Is the coaxial cable a better medium to transmit the audio signal? Is this the reason it's louder? Could the Tidal feed through Bluesound be better than the Tidal Desktop app on my PC? I need some help as I have to decide by Saturday whether to keep the Bluesound or return it. Other than sound quality there are only minor advantages to owning the Bluesound which don't warrant the purchase. My amp has a built in streamer but no built in Tidal (which is the reason I'm using the PC.)