I started this thread five months ago and after using the NT-505 feel compelled to submit an update.
1. I am still thrilled with this product. In my prior review did not emphasis what a great PREAMP this DAC is because I was using it with a preamp and was just using it as a DAC. I am now using it in place of a tube preamp that costs new more than twice the NT-505. The description of this product should include the word "Preamp" somewhere because it is a Preamp/DAC.
2. I moved the NT-505 to an area of my home without an Ethernet connection. Not a problem for me because I am using my Bluesound Node 2 as the wifi streamer and connected the NT-505 to the digital output from the Node 2 which bypasses the Node 2's DAC function and uses the NT-505's DAC and MQA decoding functions. So no degradation of sound with the Node 2 as the streamer only plus I get to use the BluOS app controller which personally I like much better than the Lumin Controller App. These comments would apply to the newer Node 2i as well and likely any other standalone streamer if a buyer wanted to use the NT-505 somewhere without a hard Ethernet connection. Now I consider the lack of built in wifi a plus rather than a negative.
1. I am still thrilled with this product. In my prior review did not emphasis what a great PREAMP this DAC is because I was using it with a preamp and was just using it as a DAC. I am now using it in place of a tube preamp that costs new more than twice the NT-505. The description of this product should include the word "Preamp" somewhere because it is a Preamp/DAC.
2. I moved the NT-505 to an area of my home without an Ethernet connection. Not a problem for me because I am using my Bluesound Node 2 as the wifi streamer and connected the NT-505 to the digital output from the Node 2 which bypasses the Node 2's DAC function and uses the NT-505's DAC and MQA decoding functions. So no degradation of sound with the Node 2 as the streamer only plus I get to use the BluOS app controller which personally I like much better than the Lumin Controller App. These comments would apply to the newer Node 2i as well and likely any other standalone streamer if a buyer wanted to use the NT-505 somewhere without a hard Ethernet connection. Now I consider the lack of built in wifi a plus rather than a negative.