I have the older Node 2i and an external DAC did make a difference which I preferred. I did choose a DAC with MQA as the node2i will not do a complete unfold prior to sending the information out to the DAC.
Happy combination.
Bluesound Node 2021 DAC - I sold my Denafrips Ares II
I assembled my system last summer, after 20 odd years in the hifi wilderness. I’ve never been a vinyl guy, so wanted all the convenience of streaming, plus a CDP for my old collection.
I went for the latest iteration of the Bluesound Node - N130, a Naim Nait 5si and a pair of Quad S2 speakers, and Audiolab 6000CDT.
From reading various forums, watching YT videos, you know the script; I convinced my self that I needed an external DAC, as the majority view seemed to be that the BS Node DAC wasn’t very good. As I hadn’t owned hifi since the late 90s (Naim Olive) bi-amped system and Audo Alchemy DDE, I had no reference for how DACs sounded these days.
Anyway, in my new found conviction that I must purchase an ext. DAC, I purchased a Denafrips Ares II. Got it, plugged it in, and didn’t look back. I was content, it sounded good.
Then, about 2 months ago, I was fiddling around inside the Bluos app, with the subwoofer crossover, with a mind to buying a sub to supplement the LFs on my little Quads, and I had the belated brainwave to a/b the Node DAC and the Denafrips. I whipped out some spare ICs and off I went.
OK, I felt like such a fool, really stupid - I a/b’d for literally hours, trying to convince myself that the Ares II was night and day difference - it must be right? The Node DAC is sub-par, not good enough, mediocre, if things I read were correct.
But, in my system, to my ears, this wasn’t the case; I had difficulty discerning any significant improvements, certainly not £800 (£600 pre-owned) worth of difference.
I’m not knocking the Ares II, but in my system, the cost and the difference it made - and the difference between it and the much maligned Node DAC could not be justified sitting in my system at that cost.
Feeling like a complete tool, for rushing headlong in to the DAC game, I re-sold the Denafrips, bought a REL T5x and here I am.
I’m not going to look a further fool and say the Node DAC is the best, but i feel it is criticised unduly, at least the newest version at any rate.
Thanks for reading, I’m not sure this is a cautionary tale, but I just thought the experience worth sharing
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I’ve had a refurbished Node 2i for 2 years. I added a Topping D90 and liked it. I also use COAX. A couple other improvements I made: Make sure volume is set to fixed or max on both Node and DAC and use your preamp for volume control.. I added the PD Creative power supply to my node 2i. I felt this was a really worthwhile $132. His better one only came in 230V. Mine came with a Meanwell switching power supply which is supposed to be pretty good. The improvements in fine detail, bass and soundstaging are worthwhile. I have not looked into a linear power supply. Teddy Pardo version is higher but comes with an LPS. Add an aftermarket cord to your Node. With streaming it seems the more EFI and RMI you get rid of the better it sounds. Lots of debate about optical vs coax vs USB. Lots of debate about R2R vs DS.. Switches, ENO, EtherREGEN are all supposed to clean up things but I haven’t tried them, yet. Also, spend 25 on some springs for sub and see what you think.
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Audiophiles will always tell you what's most expensive, new, and interesting is "better". Few of them are honest enough to admit they too can be deceived. A very significant portion of the population also think Kim Kardashian is hot because they only look at her published face and deny that very large caboose in the back. |
what is important is you are happy, and you wondered which is better, and you made the effort to find out, you have your own conclusion, so for you you have scratched the itch, satiated your curiosity others may try with their systems, maybe their conclusion will be different, but that doesn’t matter to you and your enjoyment just enjoy the music, and best not to obsess over the gear if that part is not enjoyable to you"
jjss49, This post sums it up extremely well, at least for me. At times it seems like it is needed in almost every thread here. |
I went through the same experience. I added a Project DAC to my Node 2i and it actually sounded thin. The DAC inside the Node 2i actually sounded better. However, I was upgrading my speaker cables and power cords and the sales person from The Cable Company thought we should add a power cable to the node 2i and connect it using digital cable to my ARCAM AVR 550. He told me a $550 BlueSound can't have the quality of DAC as compared to using the DAC in my ARCAM. I told him I was not anxious to give up MQA Tidal offers and he said going digital will sound better. He also told me MQA is way over rated and was perhaps just a marketing tool to attract audiophiles to Tidal. I am still not sure I hear much of a difference. However, I have been using a digital connection for months now and have not done another AB comparison. I would also imagine the Project DAC at its price point may not have been the right choice. Seems like most DAC's start at $1,500. I wonder if I were to use a better external DAC if I would be able to hear an improvement in sound quality. Adding a pair of Synergistic Research Level One Atmosphere speaker cable was probably the biggest upgrade. I now can hear greater detail in the higher frequencies. Perhaps adding a Luxman 509 amp might also be the next step to upgrading quality for 2 channel listening. I have a source where I can purchase the Luxman for $7,000 compared to full retail of $10,000. |
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