Bluesound Node 2 vs. Auralic Aries Mini

I just went through this decision and finally decided on the Node 2. It's basically splitting hairs though from what I read. I leaned towards the Node 2 as it has Roon support if I go that route, MQA support and it seems a larger customer base in case I need to compare notes/troubleshoot. It also looks like it would work better as a stand alone preamp if I ever move it to another room. I got mine from Crutchfield for about $430 shipped (after eBates and 3 months of Tidal HiFi free). I might add a Pangea 14SE MKII power cord to it as well. Anyone have any experience here if it's worth it over the stock cord?

I have enjoyed my Node 2 for nine months now. It has an excellent OS and fantastic support. By all accounts the Aries Mini is outstanding as well.

I have mine connected by Ethernet and have never had a drop-out but I can't give an assessment of its wireless capabilities.

I will say that what I have enjoyed the most about going to a steamer is how much it improved the sound quality. Using my iMac connected by USB to my dac produced adequate sound but was plagued by a bit of a hard, flat presentation. Going to s streamer has resulted in better sound.

Cheers,

Scott

Thanks to all for the great feedback. Seems my initial thought was correct in that either may be a good choice, might just come down to which I can get the best deal on! :) Sounds like both have decent control apps.

On the subject of "just using a computer", that's not an untenable idea, just not my cup of tea. In my line of thinking, a streamer like the Node 2 or Aries Mini actually becomes an extension of my computer that's already set up and running. All I need that streamer for is to get the data I want from the computing environment and out to my DAC. Plus, if I were to go computer only, I'd get constrained by disk space (I have about 3 Terabytes in a RAID 5 set on my current PC/Server) because most of the pc's that I would deem quiet enough to be close to my system have solid state drives that aren't quite adequate in size. On top of that, I'd get sucked into the entire USB cabling debacle, which probably contains more snake oil than anything in the history of audio.... oh, and all of those silly, megabuck USB cables have potentially been rendered obsolete now that Apple has released all of their latest PC's with USB-C ports. Rest assured, the rest of the industry will follow.

@dogmcd Very good point on on computers/drives in the listening room, with the Mini I have my NAS in my office and my system in the living room streaming wirelessly with no issues at all. I would personally not want computers or drives in my listening environment either.

I owned both and compared them directly over an extended period.  They sound surprisingly different.  The Bluesound is considerably warmer, and the Aries Mini is faster and more incisive.  That basic difference was present whether using the internal DACs or not, but of course using the digital out closes the gap slightly and highlights whatever you have downstream.  

In my system the Aries Mini's sound was the better fit, but I also strongly prefer Lightning DS in its current form over Bluesound's software.  That was the clincher for me.

If you don't need the built-in DAC, consider the SoTM SMS-200 or Sonore Microrendu.