Then I Got a Pulse, Now I'm a Believer

@thriftyaudio 

I know Innuos is coming out with the Stream 1 and 3. They're modular, you can configure it the way you want, and reconfigure with different modules as your needs change. I considered waiting and checking it out but I got a good deal on the Pulse. I've mostly been buying new but as I move into a higher level, used starts looking better. 

It’s totally worth it for the SQ but I’m quickly discovering all the convenient BluOs features I’m losing. I had several presets that were mapped onto a spare IR remote I had. I could launch playlists or radio with a click. I could also play/pause and skip forward and back. Now I have to open my phone. 

BluOs also has better playlist and favorites editing. Two albums showed up on my Innuos fave list I definitely didn’t put there and I can’t seem to delete them. And one playlist on Quboz isn’t visible on Sense. No big deal but I hope Innuos improves it soon. 

But I sure do miss the hardware remote. That would be my #1 ask. 

@wsrrsw 

I worked with Mike on a commercial he was producing and played on. Sometime in the late 1980s. Talented guy. 

Well, I finally got to hear the BitFrost with the USB input. And I didn't like it! I listened for a day and something just sounded off. Tried a lot of different music and they all seemed not quite right. 

So I switched back to my coax cable and input and the magic was back! The only thing that comes to mind is that the USB cable is a DH Labs Mirage, a decent but not expensive cable. My coax cable is a Transparent Audio Premier 75ohm cable that retails for over $1k. It could be the difference between USB and coax in general, but I don't have a way to test that. 

The USB version was kind of cold and clinical while the coax is more musically coherent. The sound just flows while the USB sounds like it's being forced out. Not what I expected but it's what I got. 

@ronboco 

I never used the DAC in the Node 2i except when my BitFrost needed service. I just happened to receive the LPS for the Node the day after I sent it off. So I listened to the Node DAC for one day without LPS and the next day I installed it and noticed it sounded much better. But I was glad to get the BitFrost back. 

@soix 

You're absolutely right. I spent a good part of today listening and comparing. What I noticed is that the USB has a much bigger and deeper soundstage that initially sounded strange. Today I toed in my speakers about a half inch more and that refocused the soundstage back into the room a bit. Yesterday it sounded like the left and right were disconnected. Now it feels integrated again with USB. 

I do tend to be impatient even though I know better. I'll stick with USB for now but I can see a better cable in my future. 

@ghdprentice 

Only the USB cable is new. And it has improved a lot after only 72 hours. 

I want to thank you for the insights you offer. Your focus on musicality over pure sonics has greatly influenced my listening. As I've moved up in resolution, hearing new things, it's too easy to get lost in "sound quality" and forget why I was listening in the first place. But your reminders about that have helped me focus back on the music even as the sound changes.