Some fairly priced older nodes on eBay.
Although the first ones have a "unique" look for sure.....
Tbh I had thought some aspiring manufacturer might have come up with competition for the Bluesound products by now.
I did see a product by Yamaha, a wxc50.
Anybody know anything about it? |
Some Bluesound dealers seem to have access to refurbish units, try that path... stereo unlimited in San Diego
both the node and Aries mini have pretty good SQ
my aspiration is to give TMR a run for the money!!!! |
Like I need an excuse to spend money...lmao
However to clarify, these streamers are just to give me the option to stream Qobuz through my pair of vintage integrateds that only have analog inputs.
My main rig is an Ayre EX8 full tilt super integrated with built in streaming.
So I really need/want to keep the cost factor under control in this instance even if I lose some on features and SQ.
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I should add, that I have also listened to Aurender combined with the Ayre Codex, and was very impressed.
But, that would be giving the OP another reason to spend more money.
Bob |
Jond.
Well you know I used to have one of those....lol.
Oh if only I could keep everything!
But then it would resemble TMR Audio here!
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It may take a while but keep your eyes peeled for a used Auralic Aries Mini they pop up albeit pretty rarely.
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The original Node (Square Cube), Node 2 and 2i are basically the same.
Only the Wireless is different.
So, if you can find a Node 1, you can get the same thing, only a different box. and it should be well under $300.
I ended up using a Netgear wireless converter to get my Node 1 to the 5ghz band. Works like a charm.
@latlik,
The Node doesn't use a wall wart.
Bob |
I would ruled out any streamer with a wall wart for obvious reasons. |
I have two Node 2 devices. I bought one from my local deal on closeout when the Node 2i was coming out and picked up the second one used. I think both were about $300 each. I also have a couple of Bluesound's speakers for when we travel. I have both of my Node 2 devices running through an external DAC, but the internal DAC is surprisingly good. It sounds like you're familiar with the Bluesound interface, so you know it'll support Qobuz and a lot more. It has analog and digital coax and toslink outs.
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At the $50 price point the Klipsch Gate is tough to beat. Sounds more natural than the Node 2i IMHO. |
I am certainly in no hurry and yes a quick ebay search reveals a few node2 at or under $300.
As a longtime Vault user I have no qualms about the Bluos app and know it is fairly stable.
Was just curious if anybody have reinvented the wheel at the cheap end of the spectrum, maybe not it seems.
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uber,
If you’re no hurry, you may find used Node 2 under $300 🤞 |
Raspberry Pi. several different possibilities . and a Roon subscription. |
You are correct in that I already KNOW that there is nothing at that price to compare at all.
Just wish there was a better control app solution.
Do not mind used at all but would LOVE to stay under $300.
Probably not an option..... |
uber
You may want to define your budget. Compare to that $40 marvel, everything else may not seem budget friendly.
IMO, Bluesound Node 2i is a nice streamer with a well laid out app. It meets all of your requirements 😊 |
