How about keep the Node and spend on a good DAC?
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I use a Bryston BCD3, just a bit outside your price range. They just added Qobuz The software program for the Bryston, Manic Moose, is a mess. It doesn’t navigate Qobuz, or anything else for that matter, very well. I also have to say that when I compare the Bryston to my Bluesound Node2, the Bryston is a significant upgrade while listening to CDS that have been burned to my NAS. Qobuz also sounds better on the Bryston, but the gap between it and the Bluesound isn’t quite as apparent (but it’s there). Ymmv, perhaps depending upon your bandwidth, how you connect, etc. Qobuz isn’t my primary source, and given the frustrations of dealing with Manic Moose, lately I’ve just been listening to it with Bluesound. |
I have been a Roon user for a few years and my last upgrade was to purchase a Roon Nucleus Plus, which I highly recommend. They also sell a Roon Nucleus, but I decided to opt for the Plus model (faster processor, more memory). The only "downside" is that it only has USB ports; if your DAC sounds its best with the USB input (as mine does), you should be "good", but if you need a coax or optical feed to the DAC, the Roon Nucleus or Nucleus plus would not be an option for you. If you are good with doing your own installs, you might opt for an Intel NUC and do your own install of the Roon core...a lot less money than the Roon branded NUC. |
My advice would be to keep the Node and start with a good DAC. My personal favorite is the Chord Qutest, and it should work great with your Node 2. I have had my Qutest paired with a Node 2i. More recently I picked up a Roon Nucleus, and am now using the Nucleus via USB (in my case Curious USB Cable) to the Nucleus .... and simply love it. That combo in its entirety would more than likely bust your budget. But if you take a stepping stone approach, a good DAC would be the very first item on my road map and will give you the best bang for the buck in terms of enhanced SQ. |
I'm in the "add a DAC" camp. Streamers are dependant on interfaces and it's likely new music sources will continue to appear. BluOS has a good interface that seems to be flexible. I read a lot of comments about higher end streamers that say something like "It's great, but... (something less than positives about the interface). Streaming is a pretty rapidly evolving space, I'd hate to dump a bunch of money into something that's obsolete in a couple of years or can't play a new service that comes out. DACs are also still evolving, but a really good or great sounding DAC should still sound great years from now. |
A. Dump the 2. Buy the new 2i. Net cost = + $300. Reviews are out- read them. B. Buy the Line Magnetic DAC $2,300 if you can get one. If the wait is too long then buy a Black Ice DAC $800. The way this technology is advancing I would strongly consider going cheap ($800) knowing 2 years = new ballgame C. Change to Amazon HiRez Streaming. $13/month. Merry Christmas! |
How about this... https://www.magnahifi.com/en/webshop/product/mano-ultra I have one of these using Volumio to control it with the Quobuz plugin. It only has Coax out for general use, but it also has I2S via HDMI to connect to an Audio-Gd DAC, I have the R2R7, but the 8 is almost as good and a lot cheaper. You get the lot for around £3K. |
I am using Auralic Femto from 2 years. Great streamer with external linear PSU. They just redesigned the Lightening DS app past week and it is super fast now. But before you invest in streamer... buy good USB cable like Tellurium Diamond. I found it has one of the greatest impacts to streamer or PC application. I switched from 100$ Wireworld (Red) and it was WOW, the exclamation was never so obvious in case of streamer upgrade. Then invest in DAC. Having both look for better streamer. But focus on usage comfort rather than quality improvement. This technology is still under development. |
I use Node 2i and chord Qutest and am very happy. used Node 2i on its own for 3 months while I looked for a DAC I liked. prior, I had Apple TV running to a cheap peachtree DACiT. i am not sure, nor has anyone made an objective case, how spending more on a streamer (alone) increases sound quality. i also use Qobuz and it integrates with Bluesound seemlessly. the Bluesound interface and integration capabilities work for me. As always, YMMV |
I have two Node 2i acting as streamers only, with all unnecessary functions disabled, including volume. The service is Qobuz Studio (hi-res) One Node is feeding an all Lab12 system including the Lab12 Dac1 Special Edition. The other Node is supplying a iFi Retro 50 system using the Retro’s own dac. In both cases the dacs are connected using Bluejeans spdif cables. Works perfectly and the Bluesound software works seamlessly. Lab12 are about to release a Reference Edition of the Dac1, which decodes up to 24/192. The Special Edition version tops at 24/96, but that didn’t stop me. Some very favourable reviews online and I am very happy with mine. |
+3 Innuos Zen Mk3. Darko has an informative video review that I found to be pretty interesting and fairly impressive. As good as the Node is, this seems like a significant step up in every way if you’re looking for an upgrade. That said and as good as the Zen is, this streaming stuff is still in its infancy so I’d be a little concerned about committing significant $ at this point. You might actually get a bigger improvement by putting upwards of $3k towards an excellent DAC, and you can enjoy that until the streamer market matures a bit. I don’t think you’ll go wrong with the Zen, but it’s just which path makes more sense given the current state of things. Best of luck in whatever you decide. |
I would stay with the Node 2i and use Tidal to stream MQA. I added a Pro-Ject DAC to my Node 2i connecting by way of Audioquest Carbon coax and found the Node 2i played by itself sounded better. For some reason, I like MQA. What kind of speakers and amplifier do you have? Maybe you might spend your money upgrading those instead. |
