Next Best Upgrade for Tidal MQA?

This is interesting. I almost always see people saying Qobuz sounds better compared to Tidal, but the trade off is in the catalog and the functionality. 

@jjss49 yep, will test it out myself, just interesting to see the comments from the “professional” reviewers.

@invalid I am 100% with you - just need to decide what route to take.

I still might mess with a device that cleans up the network though - they are relatively inexpensive.  That Uptone device has a generous return policy - seems like a no brainer to give it a shot.

Someone messaged me about bluesound node 2i upgrades.... In UK fidelity audio do this...
https://www.fidelityaudio.co.uk/bluesound-node-2--2i-336-c.asp

I went for mid upgrade but have been mightily impressed

Such agendas! You have a listener using an AVR as a preamp asking for the obvious upgrade path and people are suggesting network tweaks, cable upgrades, their favorite DACs.

Come on people! The obvious upgrade is a preamp, as the sane posters have suggested.

Reasoning: the preamp in the AVR is tuned specifically to the amps in it. It may sound OK as a preamp, but it’s intended to be mated with the amps in the AVR. Manufacturers do not invest as much in making the preamp section of an integrated amp work with many different amps, because they are together. The bypass is great as a convenience, but it’s not intended go give the requisite synergy with just any amp. Get a real preamp and see how that sounds!

@jji666  Haha, thanks!  It seemed obvious to me that the preamp was the way to go, but wanted the benefit of the forum's collective knowledge and experience.

I think I'm down to 3 options:
(1) Brooklyn Bridge 
(2) Parasound JC2
(3) Prima Luna EVO 400

RE: the Brooklyn Bridge - this would replace my Liberty/Node 2i.  It would be the next step up as far as ESS DAC.  I am also unsure that the Node 2i can pass a 192khz MQA file through to the DAC right now - does anyone know?  I've read in places that it is limited to 96khz, so perhaps I would also benefit from the higher quality MQA unfold with the Brooklyn Bridge vs. other Preamp options?

I guess I should also add to the list the Manhattan II with Network Card, although that would be a bit of a stretch.

QoBuz.
1000 Gb internet service.
Wired digital interconnects only.

Will try it.
Have it.
Yes.

@bruxesq

From digital coax or optical 
When streaming MQA content there are 3 unfolds which must occur to receive fully rendered 192khz/24-bit MQA. The first of these unfolds is handled by the BluOS app and will output up to 96khz/24-bit audio. The next 2 unfolds are handled by the internal DAC of the Node to provide 192khz/24-bit audio.
If you have an MQA certified DAC connected to your Node 2i, you can enable this MQA External DAC option to have MQA content pass through the Node 2i untouched and allow your external DAC to handle all 3 of these unfolds. 

As for upgrade.. Good preamp makes difference but not sure inbuilt dac gives best result or future potential. I would say a seperate might be more sensible choice

Here are preamp, streamer and dac to check out or read up on. Someone mentioned the Schmitt Freya which runs 6sn7 tubes is a great suggestion. Also mentioned was PS Audio. I owned a PS audio PCA-2 preamp with outboard power supply and thought it sounded better than many tube amps I've owned including BAT, Bruce Moore, Audio Research plus others. I think the ps audio stuff sounds like tubes it is a little colored in a good way. For a dac check out chord qutest, RME adi2, Orchid, Denafrips, Musical paradise. Streamer an old Auralic Aries mini or Aries or lumin mini would all be nice. If you going to spend your hard earned money take your time.

It seems to me the weak link in your system is the BluSound Node.  I would look into a new server/streamer.  Innuous Zen or Zenith will be a significant upgrade over the Node.  After that you can consider a DAC upgrade but the DAC you have now is very good so I would start with the server and go from there.  Other components also seem decent.  Good luck!

@richdirector  I have it connected via optical right now and the passthrough is enabled so that the internal DAC in the Node 2i is bypassed.  My MyTek Liberty DAC is MQA-certified.  Regardless, I have read elsewhere that the Note 2i will still only pass through at 96khz.

@paulcreed   Thanks for the suggestions.

@snackeyp  Thanks for the suggestions, although I struggle to believe that the streamer is the single, next-best, upgrade versus the Pre-amp.  As of now, all the Node 2i does is act as a digital source, it is not doing the digital-to-analog conversion.  

@bruxesq Don't rule out the streamer.  The quality of the source with digital is huge.  The DAC is also hugely important.  Cheers

@snackeyp thanks for the input!

I don't know if this has been mentioned but John Darko posted this over at his site:https://darko.audio/2020/10/tidal-connect-who-what-why/

It goes into relating how Tidal is now going to operate like Spotify Connect and all the manufacturers that will or do carry it.

All the best,
Nonoise

Cary Audio DMS-600 DAC/Streamer. Great sound and great reviews. I hope you can find one

Innuos zen mini mk3 w LPS as Roon Endpoint
Network Acoustics ENO filter
EtherRegen
IsoRegen with USB adaptor
Small Green Computer Sonic Transporter i5 for Roon core
Roon
Throw in some good USB and Ethernet cables and LPS for Isoregen & Sonic Transporter

@anzaanimalclinic

Appreciate the suggestions. However, the Innuos Zen Mini is really overkill for my situation. I have no need for a CD ripper or onboard storage. I also have no need for Roon as long as the network streamer can stream Tidal directly. Seems like I would be paying for a lot of features I won’t use and have no present interest in getting into.

Again, I pretty much exclusively stream Tidal (and Tidal MQA when available). I have no digital or physical media collection whatsoever, other than some legacy SACD/DVD-A (that I may sometime deal with later through my Oppo 203).

If the network streamer is the single next best upgrade, I need to find one that is more focused on what I do.

@bruxesq here's a perhaps slightly out of the box possibility. Check out the Lyngdorf TDAI-1120. That will give you an integrated amp with home theater bypass, streaming, and room correction all in one device for about $2k. You could biamp your speakers by running the preout to your Parasound and sell the Node and DAC.

@jnehma1 

Thanks for the suggestion.  Given that the TDAI-1120 would replace my DAC, Streamer, and 2 channel Amp (and I could sell all 3 to mitigate costs) - I started researching the TDAI-3400 (the bigger bigger brother in the series).  Found interesting comments by the OP in this thread:

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/lyngdorf-tdai-3400?page=3

OP said he moved on to a MyTek Manhattan II DAC after living with the Lyngdorf for a year. His quote was that the upgrade in sound to the MyTek was “profound” and that a stand alone streamer sounded better.  That gives me a lot of pause.

@bruxesq That Mytek DAC is $6k on its own so not even close to a valid comparison against an integrated amp / DAC / streamer / room correction device for $6,500, much less the $2k TDAI-1120. And the room correction, depending on your space, could make a much bigger difference than the DAC. To top it off, that guy you’re talking about ONLY used the Lyngdorf as a DAC. That’s like buying a BMW to use as a heater for your garage. Of course the Manhattan sounded better. What streamer, preamp, and amp was that guy using? I bet they cost more than the $500 price difference between the Manhattan DAC and the Lyngdorf that does it all but was (crazily) used only as a DAC.
I haven’t tried the Manhattan to compare but I’ve got the 3400 and I find it to be absolutely amazing. It’s probably the only technologically advanced device I own that just works all the time and does everything I need. It also sounds incredible and puts out 200w into 8 ohms or 400 into 4 ohms. If you went with the 3400 you could also sell your Parasound... 

@jnehma1 thanks for the follow up. It may not be apples to apples, but seems close enough for general discussion purposes. And, to be clear, I was focusing on the 3400 vs Manhattan II, not the 1120 (which I agree would not be fair).

The Manhattan II can include a network card to make it a preamp/DAC/streamer. I’ve been offered a great deal on one that I think I’m going to take. Replaces my DAC, preamp, and streamer in one box. Later, if I want to warm it up further, I can go separate tube amp. Seems to make the most sense to me. If I do pull the trigger I will report back.

@jjss49 @cycles2 and others:

I pulled the trigger on a Mytek Manhattan II with network card.  The folks at Mytek were nice enough to give me a fair trade in on my Liberty + apply another promo to help bring the price down.  I'm probably still within a reasonable burn in period, so there may be more improvements to the sound, but I'm very pleased with the results, AND... I've got to say, Qobuz hi-res is pretty amazing.  I thought I was hearing about all of the detail there was to hear, but some of the hi-res tracks have brought new sounds to songs that I am extremely familiar with and that I did not know existed before.  Doobie Brothers' "Black Water" and Metallica's "Turn the Page" are just a couple of examples.

The Mytek has a great uncolored and natural sound with great separation amongst instruments and singers in harmony.  At times I get that "the singer is in the room" quality, and frequently feel like I'm there at the recording booth.

All in all, I'm very pleased and will (mostly) be standing pat for a while to just sit back an enjoy the music.  I plan to upgrade my speaker cables and some interconnects to Tellurium Q Black II's - will see what that goes, and may also grab a miniDSP so that I can calibrate for the room when using the Mytek as preamp/source.  I'll report back again...

Thanks to everyone for the help and feedback.  Sometime down the road I still may opt to insert a separate preamp... the adventure continues!

@bruxesq

glad you found a unit you like and it could be done without the hassle of selling off a used unit

mytek's strength is definitely their excellent resolution/transparency

enjoy!!!