Where’s My Weakest Link?

I don’t get it, someone kindly asks for advice and is besieged with scolding lectures.

Some people just can't help themselves. 

In one post they'll berate others for hiding behind their screens and not acting in a way that they would in person.  In the next post they'll hide behind their screen and berate someone who is asking for help by telling them how dumb their question is while proclaiming how smart they are and how great their system is. 

Put simply, it's a lack of self esteem and insecurity.  People who suffer in this way look for things outside themselves to prop up their fragile egos.  Unfortunately it doesn't work, but that doesn't stop them from shouting "Look at me!  I'm the smartest/greatest and have the bestest toys!".  It's sad and pathetic.

Thank you all for your insight, opinions and physcoanalytical analysis of one another.

Given the age I would look first at the pre and amp, maybe consider an integrated with a good dac as that's the weakest link in the Node2i. It has a good interface and a lot of streaming options. 

Nice dig, Otterbein (-:.
I’m new to the thread and after being turned off by some of the rants here from the Usual Suspects, haven’t read all the posts, but my answer to your OP would be the DAC.  The Node 2i canbe made to sound a lot better as you experiment with different DACs.  I didn’t see a budget so Would withhold a more specific recommendation pending that.

The one bit of advice that I question is replacing power cords.  If the amp, pre-amp or whatever is quality equipment, WHY would the manufacturer then hobble its performance by putting an inadequate power cord on it?  It makes little sense to me that they would charge thousands of dollars for the electronics and then omit something like $100 for a good power cord.  I assume that they care about their reputation and want positive reviews vis-a-vis other manufacturers’ equipment, so it seems to me like a foolish economy to cut a corner when the extra expense to do it right isn’t all that much more.  What am I not understanding?