From my watching of the Denafrips DAC world, the Venus doesn't pop up on the used market very often and the used prices reflect that. The Ares and Pontus show up more often with the Pontus II models (and even some of the 12th) beginning to come down in used prices.
Upgrade from BluNode 2i with a new DAC or Integrated Streamer DAC?
I have owned the Blue Node 2i for a few years. I would like to upgrade for ~ $1000 - $2000. Would you recommend something like the NAD C 658 or a similar priced used piece or just spend the money on a better DAC and stick with the Blue Node as the streamer? Likewise for the money used vs new. I have a vintage system with Magnapan 3.1s which are powered by Emotiva XPA Gen 3s and Mark Levinson 26 preamp. Had to replace the Mark Levinson dual Monos amp a few years ago and refurbished the Maggies. I’m confused by the jitter issues of connecting two devices which would be either coax or Toslink as a potential negative to just putting the money into the DAC.