IMHO...With your system and you wanting to stay under $2000.00 for a streamer nothing you can buy will give you a jaw dropping impact.
Jaw Dropping Improvement?
60-something, intermittent earner here (Read “mostly starving-artist with the rare, unexpected windfall here and there.”) who has just acquired a Bluesound Node 2i. I’d be very interested to hear what external DAC, in your experience-and-opinion gave such a dramatic improvement in SQ over that of a stock Bluesound streaming device as to be jaw dropping...an absolute game changer. Does such an animal exist for less than $2000 U.S. or are improvements at this price point more in the nature of subtleties? Somewhere in between? To be sure these things are subjective but your take on this would give me a running start on researching things here with a fairly tight budget being considered — If subtle-to-low/moderate level “tweaks” to SQ are all I can expect from, say, a Qutest or Gungnir Multibit, I’ll probably stay with just the streamer and be happy.
Thanks in advance.
Thanks in advance.
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- 44 posts total
You can improve the Bluesound by swapping out the stock PSU with: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Bluesound-NODE-2-2i-upgrade-low-noise-PSU-interface/324146967047?hash=item4... Then power it with a good 5V linear power supply. Also upgrading your Ethernet chain makes a huge improvement such as a Gigafoil V4 (powered with a 5V LPS) and Network Acoustics ENO with a high quality Ethernet cable. If you decide to go with an external DAC and use coax the iFi SPDIF Purifier 2 (powered with a 5V LPS) also makes a nice improvement. Everything matters when it comes to your digital front end. -Alex |
Using the Bluesound Node 2i with native DAC - not great. Added Cambridge Audio DAC Magic - much better soundstage and like the overall presentation better. Had been using a CCA and DAC and honestly am not seeing a whole world of improvement with the bluesound. I like the convenience and the Aptx and the CCA will be obsolete in the near future but... I hear things with CCA on recordings that seem recessed on Node 2i. Am hoping that unit breaks in a bit and that I don't have to sink more funds into the rabbit hole but suspect that won't be the case. |
Hello, Another idea or upgrade is the streamer it’s self. Upgrading the whole streamer/DAC itself. The Teac TN-505 all in one smokes the BlueSound. Not because Blue sound is bad. I added a BlueSound Node 2i and I really appreciate it for what it is. A $550 piece that is worth $1000. The Teac will set you back $1999 but the streamer and the DAC are on another level. Teac uses Lumin tech which is on the next level above Teac. If you are interested in Lumin streamers the shop I use will hardwire an SBooster to give you ultimate streamer/DAC. You can sell the BlueSound since it is the most popular HiRez streamer out there. Yes, a little over budget once you sell the BlueSound. Lets not try to turn you Honda Civic into an Acura NSX. Save up, sell the Honda, buy the NSX. No need to worry about a good cable from the DAC to streamer because it’s all built in the Teac TN-505. It’s also a better headphone amp. If you have a local store demo it. You will be jaw dropping wowed. If you are in the Chicagoland area I use Holm Audio. I wish all of us would recommend our local brick and mortar stores. We need to keep these places alive. Otherwise you can order all your stuff on Amzn in the future. Just a concerned patron. https://holmaudio.com/ |
@lg1 - I simply added GREAT cables to my Bluesound Node 2i - granted, the cables cost more than the Node 2i, but I didn’t introduce yet another device with all of its associated noisy cables into the mix The Bluesound has a great DAC and an excellent analogue stage - trouble is - it is so good that if there is any noise in the cables it will process that noise as it does the music. Get rid of that noise and it treats you to
These are the cables... My Audio Alchemy (image99.net) If you are not into DIY then there are some members here on Audiogon that will build them for you. Take a look at this thread to read their impressions of these cables https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/duelund-conversion-to-diy-helix-geometry-cabling Each time we add a component into the chain we are simply adding to a complex noise problem - I like to keep things simple - limit the components and and get rid of the noise :-) Regards - Steve |
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