Streamer Upgrade Bluesound Node To Aurender N10

@mgattmch Agree with the others that the N10 is a big step up from the Node. I’ve owned Bluesound, even upgraded to NAD’s M50.2 dedicated streamer which was on BluOS. The N10 will blow them all away.

In full disclosure I am an Aurender dealer. I highly suggest you also look into the Aurender N200. The N10 is a legacy unit, and the N200 despite its lower price has been stated by many to outperform the N10. There is another thread on this forum that discusses this, but feel free to PM me and I’ll be happy to chat with you on the differences.

@lalitk Aurender will work with wifi using any wifi dongle with a Realtek chip inside. That said, I agree that this is not the optimal approach for the investment as the signal integrity can get compromised over the air leading to poor clocking and additional jitter introduced into the chain. 

@rbyington711 I am an Aurender dealer so take this into consideration. I haven’t demoed Aurender and Hifi Rose side by side, though I have used the Hifi Rose RS250 and the two Aurender units you mention at different intervals.

Despite the impressive sized display on the Hifi Rose, the built quality and sonics I think are not at the high standards of Aurender. The RS250 has a lighter weight chassis, and none of the componentry inside is really shielded from each other. The linear power supplies are also not as robust as what you would find in yhe N10 or N200. 

From my time with the RS250, I also had the NAD N50.2 master class streamer which retailed $5K at the time. This was last year before I became an Aurender dealer this spring. There was little difference between the sonics, and once I got Aurender into the system, the N200 and A15 (using digital output) sounded identical to each other and both were significantly better than the RS250. The N10 is close to the performance of the RS250. Aurender delivered more clarity, better tonal density and texture, and overall was less shrill and less fatiguing.

The one benefit I recall of the RS250 is that it can run Roon, and it also had the ability to manage more types of media including photo and video libraries. But performance-wise, if one is only focused on two-channel stereo, I would choose Aurender in a heartbeat. 

@arnold_h Given that you cannot distinguish performance differences between the Node and CD playback, I am curious as to what you’re using throughout your system. I see that you haven’t posted a virtual system in your profile. Could you list it out for us here?

Even if you have a semi–decent CD player, you should be able to tell the difference in fidelity between the two. if not, it is likely not prudent for you to pursue a more sophisticated streamer at this time and instead look at either how your system is configured and positioned or into the components in the system that may be causing a bottleneck in performance. Once you have that sorted, and your system is more highly resolving and distinguishable between sources, then it makes more sense to invest in a higher quality, streamer. 

@arnold_h I agree. With your current level of investment overall in your system, you will see greater gains by upgrading other components in your chain before the streamer.

There surely are better DACs that have come to market since the Oppo 205. The LRS are decent speakers, but it you feel you have a big enough room to optimally step up in the Magnepan portfolio, it will give you a more immersive and resolving experience. 

I might also suggest you consider quality power conditioning and cabling. This may help unlock the resolution and fidelity you are seeking.