What DACs are your friends using who say it's jaw dropping? The DAC in the Node2i is it's weak point you could do better with a Topping E30 for $130 or Schiit Modi 3 for $99. |
search is your friend, my friend |
@djones51 hes bypassing the node DAC and using the Mac C2600...obviously that's going to be better given the price point/build/etc. I don't need it to sound THAT good, I Just want a bump |
Ok I’ll throw out a DAC. RME ADI-2 fs. |
OK at the low end the 2 I mentioned are good. The RME ADI 2 is around $1000 new is a good DAC. Topping D90 at about $700 is another. |
@djones51 my buddy has the topping but he said its better for headphones versus tower speakers? not sure he's correct, as again im pretty lost on this stuff. Ill look up the RME and the D90. I'm also still considering just getting an Anthem STR |
If your friends are local, why not go over and listen to their system, since they have the same speakers. Many factors can make it sound awesome, the room they have it in is likely a huge factor.
Oops, forgot we have a pandemic. |
I did listen to the C2600 once - I was there to demo the speakers for movies so didn’t give it a detailed listen. I liked it for sure, but trying to find something that’s not $5K! lol
and...sigh. Pandemic |
I have the Anthem STR integrated it's not much less that $5K. The preamp STR is $4K. If movies and gaming is your priority you might look at the Anthem AVM 60 at $3K, it has a good DAC, ARC and is a streamer. |
I noticed on a different thread you use a minidsp for room correction. I used one before getting the Anthem. I prefer ARC to Dirac but if there is a curve you like as you mentioned, after running ARC if you don't like what it does you can look at the Dirac curve you like and tweak the ARC to the same curve. |
@djones51, yeah I have a line on a good price for an avm60. I just wonder if it will sound "better" than my Marantz 8805. I know the room correction is far superior, but I will be moving in 2 months. So, not sure I want to hook it up, calibrate for my room an then do it all again. Also, I was told by a dealer friend that the avm70 is coming...hopefully by the end of the year. So again, do I buy the avm60 at a good price and then get the 70 later? Or just wait. A friend offered to sell me his integrated, but I really don't need the two amp channels since im switching to an ati 6007 in the next few weeks. |
I just picked up the RME ADI -2 fs DAC and it is awesome!!! To my ears it is better than the NAD M51 it is replacing. The bass quality is the best I've ever experienced at home. It is so clear and has great detail without ever being in your face or harsh. I connected my Samsung Tab A to it's USB and pressed play on Qobuz and it played 24/192 tracks no problem and sounded fantastic. The DAC actually locked on when I plugged the USB into the tab. It says USB Disconnected when unplugged along with many other status and fault messages. The feature set is unlike anything on hifi / consumer DACs. 5 selectable digital filters, balance, bass treble, EQ, four selectable output levels along with "auto reference" level. 20 preset memory for all of the above features to be stored.
It has an excellent volume control, which sounds virtually step-less much like the NAD but unlike the NAD the guys at RME were smart enough to put a front panel volume knob on it.
I have not used it to drive a power amp ... it is the digital front end of an all tube system , but who knows I might try it.
Worth every penny. System has never sounded better |
@oddiofyl interesting....you're the second person to recommenced it. I guess I would just run the optical from the BS into this device? I could use the BS for streaming/OS and use this for the DAC...there are other options as well I'm sure. |
Almost any DAC you add will best the Node2. Define your budget and then try to get a trial listen in your system when you’ve narrowed the field |
@mahler123 yea that's what im trying to figure out. I move in a month or two, so might just wait - room acoustics will be much different and I'll have a better idea of what ill be looking for. I'm mainly a HT guy, but the gold note ds-10 sure looks like. Its close to $3K though |
Many vendors have a refund policy on RME such as B&H Photo. You’ll have to call to get a discount but they will... I think I paid $1099 for mine. I would suggest from your Node to run coax over the optical. The RME will pounce all over the DAC in the Node... not even in the same ballpark or State. The RME is a killer DAC, but later add a Teddy Pardo power supply for $398 and it takes it to another level. Start with the RME only and if you don’t like it, return it but don’t be surprised if you keep it. Even out of the box it kicked my other players so don’t worry about not having enough time during the trial for the RME to sound great. Good luck.
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I hope to try a Topping D90 soon seeing it uses the latest AKM chip against my Marantz 8805 and Oppo203 (transport) which I use for 2/ch daily (cd,dsd,hi/rez files, heos stream Amazon HD) with an Halo A21. I find it very satisfying and couldn't be happier but I do wonder about the next level. I demoed a few cables and out found the DH Labs sonic silver hdmi to work extremely well with the 8805 over three others . The 8805 does indeed responds well to the right cabling etc.. and will reward . Oh and a JC5 may be on the way as well. |
OP
When I first bought bought Bluesound I wanted the whole house concept so I had a Vault2 in the main system and a Node2 in the basement system. The latter system featured a Pioneer AVR from the early 2000. I have a PS Audio Digital Link III DAC which was being otherwise employed and the improvement when added to the Node2 was not subtle. Last year I upgraded the AVR to an Anthem 520 and since the newer AVR has a much better DAC than the former AVR that’s the current setup down there.
The point is that you can probably pick up a used inexpensive DAC that will be a major improvement over the Node2. Perhaps go that route and then if you feel the need to upgrade in the future and know your budget you can make a decent choice
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@mahler123 thanks for the input. was speaking to a hi-fi shop owner out here and he was explaining why some streamers/dacs sound so much better. its not necessarily the dac itself - many use the same ones. its the other parts - circuitry, SNR, clocks (?), etc....I hadn't really thought of that, as I'm new to improving my 2 channel. |
I'm getting excellent results with my Vault 2i and the RME. I bought mine from a local pro sound dealer. Parsons Audio in Wellesley MA. Great guys to deal with. |
