Replacement/upgrade for Bluesound and Chord Mojo 2 streamer/external DAC combo

@sadbird, i ordered the lps50, 5v option. I ordered through an app called taobao and had chat with the store beforehand, quite helpful and understand right away the needed hardwares for bluesound, with the right 2p to 5.5/2.1mm cable etc.  installed per instruction and followed lhy audio guide in youtube.  Simple enough.  Store name is LHY audio also or Lau Hu Yu Yin Pin, seems genuine reseller or even the official store itself.  Price is quite good, anyone interested in detail can pm.me.

@sadbird If PD Creative supports either 2.1 or 2.5mm DC plugs then perhaps the supplied cable from ZEROZONE will work. It has been a number of years since working with the PD Creative board and perhaps my recollection was off or they are now using a different DC port.

@nothelle

Unless you need a headphone amp, I'd go with the Quetest, you save a lot of money, and you can use better cables for connection to the streamer instead of being limited by the Hugo's miniature input jacks.  Once the Qutest arrived I splurged on a used Snake River Boomslang BNC cable and it makes a big difference.  Of course, with the Hugo you can get the 2Go, which is probably the ideal solution for streaming with that DAC, but $$$.  The battery supply on the Hugo is also a plus for reducing noise, but you also need to eventually replace that battery, which is expensive.  For me the Qutest offered the best connections and the least future maintainance, and it's said that it's comparable to the Hugo in terms of sound.

HI! I had a very similar experience. I had a second gen NODE with PD Creative PS upgrade, SBooster LPS to Mojo DAC with custom interconnects. I didn't hear a dramatic difference in transparency or detail with the PS/LPS upgrades. Just a lower noise floor.

I replaced the Mojo with a Gustard R26 and transitioning to xlr was a major improvement in SQ. However, I wasn't totally satisfied..........go figure??

I tried Roon Rock sourcing Qobuz from my desktop bypassing the Node all together, a option on the Gustard, hardwired with blue jeans cat 6 brought another jump in clarity, and massive spacious soundstage. Sold the node/lps combo.

I've now added a dedicated Roon Nuc connected to a HOLO Red to stream via blue jeands I2s cable into the R26 dac and it's a game changer. Best SQ from my system. Couldn't be happier!!!!

I lowballed sold the first system and purchased the new Gustard and Red at net cost of $1400. Maybe you can find them used to fit your budget?

This is my experience

One at a time.  Node N130 might be the weakest link.

Class A - Stereophile

Cambridge Audio MXN10: $399 $$$
The affordable, Roon Ready MXN10 features Ethernet and Wi-Fi inputs, coaxial and optical digital outputs, and unbalanced RCA analog outputs. A USB-A port allows files stored on a memory stick to be played. It can be controlled by Roon or fed audio data with the Cambridge StreamMagic app, which works on Apple and Google smartphones and tablets and natively incorporates Spotify Connect, Qobuz, Tidal, and Deezer. TF was surprised how well the MXN10’s converter and analog output stage stood up in comparison to the much more expensive dCS Bartók. While a careful listener "probably will favor the Bartók’s improved detail and tighter low end," he wrote, "let me stress how unfair a comparison this is and let me say again, the MXN10’s built-in DAC sounds damn good." TF concluded that "the MXN10 is a thoughtfully considered, high-performance bridge to the future-present, at a price that’s friendly to most budgets." On the test bench, the MXN10 offered superb channel separation and very low noise and distortion, coupled with excellent jitter rejection. "That the MXN10 performs as well as it does suggests that Cambridge Audio has some serious engineering talent in-house," concluded JA. (Vol.47 No.5 WWW)

Reviews: Here, here and here. These reviews are trustworthy.  I own one myself. Don’t forget a good power cable for it like Pangea AC14SE C7.