Jazzman7 thank you. Interesting you mention the Bricasti M5 as that was one my reading pointed my to somewhat. Curious if the M5 is enough or does linear power supply for the Nucleus justify it's expense for the "step up"? Thanks again.
2022 - Ideal Network Transport
I enjoy Roon exclusively and run the Roon Nucleus through a BlueSound Node 2i, (wonderful value) to my HoloSound May DAC, D'Agostino Progression Integrated amp to my Wilson Audio Sasha DAW's.. After reading quite a bit about higher grade dedicated network transports I'm confused if there's truly a difference out there or is this in the ears of the beholder. If there is such an animal out there what is it (brand & model). Note, I'm not looking for razor sharp audiophile accuracy, instead I prefer to feel a smooth, warm lush soundstage. I primarily listen to Jazz these days but also enjoy 70's-90's Rock. Minimal classical.
- ...
- 6 posts total
@gibsonluva I'm using a Roon Nucleus and then added a Teddy Pardo ps and heard a nice improvement, not earthshaking but worth the $500. A friend went from a Node to M5 and the improvement was WOW. Just my own experience. |
Hard to answer that question. A brand new Sbooster 19v LPS or it's like goes for around $400. A brand new Curious USB Cable or similar goes for around $350. I already had the Curious USB Cable on hand; had been using it with my Melco N1A. The M5 had long been on my wish list; I traded in some "shelfware" I had on hand and was able to procure a preowned one at a great price. If both options were on the table at the same time ... I'd go straight for the M5 (and even more so if I didn't already have a quality USB cable on hand). And I'm not saying that the M5 is the only option out there ... just the one that I had personally targeted. |
I have what I think is a pretty decent system (curious? see my profile). I decided to explore the streaming world in 2021 and bought a new node, which I am highly impressed by. It is far from perfect, but for a budget piece of equipment it makes the right concessions and never sounds worse than very good. Once the USB output became live I was able to take advantage of that and that too was nice. In 2022 I decided that streaming for me was not a passing fad so I moved my Node to a bedroom system (where it performs magnificently!) and picked up an Auralic Aries G1. The difference between the G1 and the Node is .musically important, with the G1 being the better unit. Soundstage takes a major leap forward and the G1 is able to pull off a very neat trick- it has the ability to sound both detailed and warm at the same time. In the past I have found that is a trick usually reserved for the very best gear. On a 100 point scale, the Node, using a good external DAC, can hit 85. The G1 hits 93. (my benchmark for the best streamer I've heard is a Naim 555 with an external power supply). |
- 6 posts total