Streaming Qubuz - take it to the next level.

big_greg, that sounds doable.  Thanks.

I would say a Dac upgrade would likely be more noticeable and beneficial than a streamer upgrade.

Adding a better DAC to the Node 2 I had (not the Node 2i) did improve sound quality.  The ones I tried were the Auralic Vega (which was $3500 when new), the DAC in my Sony TA-ZH1ES headphone amp (which is very good), and the Mytek Liberty DAC.  They all sounded better, but not great.

When I replaced the Node 2/Vega combo ($4K of gear when new at list price) with the TEAC NT-505 ($2K) streamer/DAC there was a very noticeable improvement in sound quality, much greater than the improvement that came from adding a better DAC to the Node 2.    

So I'm guessing... but based on this experience I think both the streamer and DAC matter and that with the amount you'd have to spend to get the Node 2 to sound better, you're better off stepping up to something like the TEAC, Lumin D2, or the Lumin UI Mini if you already have a good DAC. 

If you already have a good DAC, it should make the Node 2 sound better, but probably not as good as a better streamer paired with a decent DAC (or a streamer that has one included) will.

One of my systems has a Node2 running through a Benchmark DAC3 - huge upgrade to the Node2 DAC.

@tomcy6 The Lumin app works with my TEAC NT-505.  I tried it and it gave me nothing but frustration, the biggest one being that it seemed to take forever (OK, a few minutes) for it to "see" my device.  I installed BubbleUPnP on my Android tablet and phone, and it works fantastic.  I laid out five big ones (dollars that is) and bought the app.

I would say a Dac upgrade would likely be more noticeable and beneficial than a streamer upgrade. You have a nice budget Dac what's your budget for an upgrade?

Either move to an Aurender N100 or upgrade your DAC to something like an Ayre Codex or Schiit Yggy, though I think the DAC upgrade will be the most significant change.

Bob

Has Lumin developed a good app for Android tablets?  I had a Lumin a while back and just couldn't get the app to work well.

There was a similar thread not too long ago, I think Oz started it.  The Lumin is a nice upgrade from the Bluesound.  I recently replaced mine with a TEAC NT-505 which was also a nice upgrade from my Node 2.  I was using my Auralic Vega DAC, which was a $3500 DAC when new with the Bluesound and the TEAC bested the Node 2/Vega combo.

What is your budget? In addition to Lumin recommendation, I would also look into Aurender N100 or Innuos Zen MK3. With any of these components, expect a substantial leap in SQ over Node 2.

As ozzy62 suggested, you must use wired network for optimal sound performance.

If you haven't already, hard wire the Node to your network.

As a next step I would look at a better streamer. I replaced a Node 2i with a Lumin U1 mini and it was a pretty nice upgrade. As an FYI, all Lumin products require being hard wired.

Oz