Upgrade Bluesound DAC or go to Aurrender?


I want to go up a good step in SQ, I listen mostly to my Bluesound Vault2 and LP’s, streaming only for background music. Do I get a outboard DAC for the Bluesound ($3-5k) or switch to an Aurrender like the A10? Vote here. 
deadhead1000

Showing 2 responses by jymc

Ask anyone if they like their $2000 or $5000 or $10,000 item of any high-tech category, and 90% of time they'll say how great it is, UNLESS OF COURSE, they've already decided to dump it.  The above discussion is nearly pointless.  I've conducted blind listening tests between Blue Sound and streamers costing 8x the amount of the Blue Sound.  If you use the same external DAC in the test, no one can consistently pick better than 50/50 a $5000 streamer over a $600 Blue Sound. Audiophiles like to believe they have golden ears.  However, the differences between an inexpensive and more expensive streamer, when using a high quality DAC, are always going to be negligible.  OR put another way, digital differences will never be as discernible in scope as the sonic differences between analog gear.

The one caveat may be the noise floor associated with a power supply comparison between streamers.  However, hook up an S-Booster power supply to the Blue Sound Node 2i ($350 bucks??), and I'd challenge anyone to a sizable bet that you could not do better than 50/50 in selecting a $5000 steamer over a Node 2i.  The problem with the above argument is you are not comparing just streaming functionality, as you're being influenced by the superiority of the DACs built into some higher priced streamers.