New streamer? N150 vs U2

“Can a new streamer add that much more?”

The simple answer is Yes, given your consideration for N150 or U2. Now adding a new streamer won’t guarantee an improvement over Node 2. Your network and downstream components (DAC, Pre, Amp, Speakers and cabling) are just as important to squeeze the best performance from your new streamer. Having owned Node (actually Vault) and Aurender N100, N10, N20; I can say without any doubts that they are built to different performance standards. At the end of the day, an audition in your system will help you decide if N150 or U2 worth the extra dough. 

“The the Aurender N150 will not work with ROON.”
And what a BLESSING that is….ROON is a hot mess in my experience! 

@txp1

I am sure you are astute enough to decipher who actually here have tried and compare Node with other high quality streamers. Those who have not are clearly in the camp, “why would I want to upgrade”. And those who have, heard definite improvement over Node. BS OS app is very versatile in terms of streaming options with a good (not the best) interface, very similar to SONOS app. All others, Innuous - Sense, Aurender - Conductor and ROON is limited to 2-3 streaming client cause their focus is best possible integration and user experience. I have been using Conductor app over 10 years now and it is one of the best app, in terms of user experience, sound quality and stability. And lastly, once you hear Qobuz high resolution files, you may find MQA unlistenable afterwards. 

As I said in my first post, easy way to settle this quandary is to pick a player from Lumin, Aurender or Innuos lineup and listen in your system.

@txp1 

Great outcome! If you haven’t tried yet, power cord preferably with OCC Copper on N150 should provide a nice lift in performance.