I find the difference with my Vault 2 by its own or running into the DAC of my Cambridge 851c to be very noticeable and that being the Cambridge is more refined at both the top and bottom being more extended. The Cambridge is more open and relaxed where the Bluesound is a little closed in and softer. The Bluesound is fine and probably in most system it does not require a separate DAC. I do use aftermarket cables, both signal and power on both devices so that does push the performance on both. I would think Yggdrasil is in another league over the Node 2i.
Schitt Yggdrasil Vs. Bluenode 2i (Shock!)
I am having a bit of a dilemma. I recently added a Node 2i to my setup to be used primarily as a streamer. My digital rig consists of
- Amp: Rogue Stereo 100 (GE and Amperex Nos tubes)
- Preamp: Primaluna Evo 100 (GE and RCA cleartops Nos tubes)
- DAC: Latest model of Schiit Yggdrasil
- Speakers: Monitor Audio Platinum 100 II
- Analog & digital Interconnects: Audioquest Silver Extreme
- Speaker cables: Audioquest Rocket 44
- Power cables are all stock, and no attention has been paid to power supply
I had been pretty satisfied with my setup after breaking in the Yggy; I subsequently added the Node 2i and was using it as a dedicated streamer and never bothered using it as a DAC. A buddy of mine who is contemplating the node 2i came over and I offered to use the Node DAC on my system so he could get a sense of the performance. I was initially pleasantly surprised by how good it sounded, but the shock came when I started doing A/B comparisons with the Yggy and I honestly could not hear the difference between the 2 DACs. I subsequently spent the last few days comparing them and I still can't discern a difference. So my question is
- Is the Node 2i just that good?
- Or is my system not transparent enough to highlight the difference?
- Or are my ears are just not sensitive enough to pick up the difference?
- Do I need to invest in more expensive power cables and supply?
I'm interested to hear from others who have had experiences with these DACs or similar, because I'm seriously contemplating putting my Yggy up for sale.
- Amp: Rogue Stereo 100 (GE and Amperex Nos tubes)
- Preamp: Primaluna Evo 100 (GE and RCA cleartops Nos tubes)
- DAC: Latest model of Schiit Yggdrasil
- Speakers: Monitor Audio Platinum 100 II
- Analog & digital Interconnects: Audioquest Silver Extreme
- Speaker cables: Audioquest Rocket 44
- Power cables are all stock, and no attention has been paid to power supply
I had been pretty satisfied with my setup after breaking in the Yggy; I subsequently added the Node 2i and was using it as a dedicated streamer and never bothered using it as a DAC. A buddy of mine who is contemplating the node 2i came over and I offered to use the Node DAC on my system so he could get a sense of the performance. I was initially pleasantly surprised by how good it sounded, but the shock came when I started doing A/B comparisons with the Yggy and I honestly could not hear the difference between the 2 DACs. I subsequently spent the last few days comparing them and I still can't discern a difference. So my question is
- Is the Node 2i just that good?
- Or is my system not transparent enough to highlight the difference?
- Or are my ears are just not sensitive enough to pick up the difference?
- Do I need to invest in more expensive power cables and supply?
I'm interested to hear from others who have had experiences with these DACs or similar, because I'm seriously contemplating putting my Yggy up for sale.