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Jaw Dropping Improvement?

60-something, intermittent earner here (Read “mostly starving-artist with the rare, unexpected windfall here and there.”) who has just acquired a Bluesound Node 2i.  I’d be very interested to hear what external DAC, in your experience-and-opinion gave such a dramatic improvement in SQ over that of a stock Bluesound streaming device as to be jaw dropping...an absolute game changer.  Does such an animal exist for less than $2000 U.S. or are improvements at this price point more in the nature of subtleties?  Somewhere in between?  To be sure these things are subjective but your take on this would give me a running start on researching things here with a fairly tight budget being considered — If subtle-to-low/moderate level “tweaks” to SQ are all I can expect from, say, a Qutest or Gungnir Multibit, I’ll probably stay with just the streamer and be happy.

Thanks in advance.
lg1

Showing 1 response by mlsstl

mlsstl
1,450 posts
 
The problem is what constitutes "jaw dropping"?  Having read audio magazines and forums for decades, what it takes to make someone's jaw drop can vary considerably from person to person.  

Since you seem to be budget conscious, here are two considerations. The Topping E-30 is quite the buy for $130. You can try one from Amazon and return it for a full refund if your jaw doesn't drop. Next up the line is a Schiit Bifrost for $700 -- it is a full multibit (R2R) DAC. Schiit gives a 2 week trial but does charge 5% if you return it.  I have both DACs and the Topping is a great buy at its price but the Bifrost is definitely better in my book. And, there are plenty of other options out there for as much money as you want to throw at the issue.
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