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My longtime friend of 65 years just turned 70. He currently has  a Classe Amp CAP-151, Magneplanar MG3.6/R, Bluesound Node X anniversary edition. He primarily streams from his phone with Bluetooth using Tidal. I was thinking of getting him a Chord Qutest as a 70th birthday present. I'd appreciate opinions on whether or not this will noticeably enhance his listening experience. He's not a tech savvy person and prefers keeping things simple. Thanks in advance for any meaningful suggestions.

beijinglarry

Showing 2 responses by soix

soix
10,167 posts
 

I was assuming you misspoke when you said he was using Bluetooth with Tidal, but if he’s really streaming using Bluetooth that needs to end because it’s a nonstarter and a complete waste of Tidal.  Incidentally the Pontus 15th is apparently a big step up from the 12th, and maybe he could do a demo through @audioman58 here who offers nice discounts and is a distributor for Denafrips products.  Here’s a link in case it helps…

https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lisbcg07-denafrips-pontus-15-dac-excellent-review-da-converters

soix
10,167 posts
 

That’s a very nice thought, but DACs (like all audio equipment) are a very personal choice so without knowing what your friend’s tastes are it’s not really possible to say if it would be an improvement for him or not.  That said, if I was him I would be looking for a better DAC given the rest of his system.  One thing you might consider that would likely make a nice improvement would be to get an external linear power supply for the Node from LHY, SBooster, or Teddy Pardo that would cost anywhere from around $250 - $400 depending on the model.  Hope this helps. 

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