There’s an L.K.S. MH-DA004 on usaudiomart for $800 from New York. It’s pretty much half of retail. That being said, I think the interconnects and cabling are definitely a weak link in your system. You would probably get a bigger boost on performance by spending that $1k on new cabling instead of a better DAC.
Will adding an external DAC to my setup improve SQ significantly?
Hello everyone,
My current setup is as follows:
The context:
Nowadays, my music comes 70% from SPOTIFY/QOBUZ/TIDAL streaming to the Bluesound Node 2i, with the rest coming from local files stored in my laptop, as well as older vinyls and CDs.
I listen mostly to all styles of Jazz, Classical, World Music, some Classic Rock, and even some easy listening tunes when the mood strikes me, all of this at reasonable volumes, but sometimes cranking it up some...
My listening room is our untreated living/dining room ( 550 square feet).
Now for my question:
While I very much enjoy the sound I'm getting for this modest but pretty good sounding system, I have read here and there that adding an external DAC can potentially improve on the overall SQ, as opposed to sticking to the Bluesound's internal DAC...
Before I go and spend hard earned money on what may not be a significant/worthwhile improvement, I wanted to ask those of you with much more experience than I your opinions. Of course, Bluesound owners are especially invited to chime in.
I really love the Buchardt speakers and would love to get the very best out of them.
Thanks very much for your input, experiences and of course, eventual advice as to what external DAC would fit the bill.
My budget is limited to around $1000, as it wouldn't make sense to spend more on a DAC in a system this modest, or am I wrong?
I have beend advised to checkout the upcoming SMSL M500. Any of you guy know much about these chinese machines (Topping/ SMSL/ Denafrips...). They appear to be very competitive price and specs wise, but I'm too much of a newbie to tell the difference, especially as it applies to my specific gear and circumstances.
Regards to all!
jlr261
My current setup is as follows:
- Buchardt S300 MK2 stand mount speakers
- Peachtree Audio Nova 125 integrated amp
- Bluesound Node 2i streamer
- OPPO BDP93 Universal player
- ProJect Debut Carbon Esprit DC w/Ortofon 2M Blue cartridge
- Bluejeans cables and interconnects throughout
The context:
Nowadays, my music comes 70% from SPOTIFY/QOBUZ/TIDAL streaming to the Bluesound Node 2i, with the rest coming from local files stored in my laptop, as well as older vinyls and CDs.
I listen mostly to all styles of Jazz, Classical, World Music, some Classic Rock, and even some easy listening tunes when the mood strikes me, all of this at reasonable volumes, but sometimes cranking it up some...
My listening room is our untreated living/dining room ( 550 square feet).
Now for my question:
While I very much enjoy the sound I'm getting for this modest but pretty good sounding system, I have read here and there that adding an external DAC can potentially improve on the overall SQ, as opposed to sticking to the Bluesound's internal DAC...
Before I go and spend hard earned money on what may not be a significant/worthwhile improvement, I wanted to ask those of you with much more experience than I your opinions. Of course, Bluesound owners are especially invited to chime in.
I really love the Buchardt speakers and would love to get the very best out of them.
Thanks very much for your input, experiences and of course, eventual advice as to what external DAC would fit the bill.
My budget is limited to around $1000, as it wouldn't make sense to spend more on a DAC in a system this modest, or am I wrong?
I have beend advised to checkout the upcoming SMSL M500. Any of you guy know much about these chinese machines (Topping/ SMSL/ Denafrips...). They appear to be very competitive price and specs wise, but I'm too much of a newbie to tell the difference, especially as it applies to my specific gear and circumstances.
Regards to all!
jlr261
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- 16 posts total
Thank you all for your inputs and opinions, I suspected that a significant SQ improvement would involve much more expenses.Certainly, I'll give auxinput1's advice to look into better cabling some thought. Do you have any specific suggestions in view of my setup? To be quite honest, I am quite impressed with the SQ I get now, but thought it would be a good idea to continue exploring possibilities...Again, thanks very much and happy listening!jlr261 |
The event will be held at Acoustic Designs 16074 N. 78th Street, Suite B104, Scottsdale, AZ 85260.
The DACs will be played in an acoustically treated room on a reference system consisting of Focal Maestro Utopia Evos driven by SAE and Acoustic Research gear. More information here: www.AZAVCLUB.COM |
I have a Bluesound Node 2i in my main rig and have used it with both a Bryston BDA-1 and more recently with a Chord Qutest. So for me personally the answer would be a most definite yes. Depth of sound stage, ability to see into the music, and hear things you otherwise would not are all present with a good outboard DAC. But a warning, higher quality DACs such as the Bryston and the Chord tend to be more incisive and revealing, and with some recordings, especially poorer recordings, may be less forgiving than the Bluesound's own inboard DAC. It all depends upon what you are looking for. You could probably find something along the lines of the Bryston BDA-1 for around $700 used (it's a 10 year old design but was a $2000 piece in its time). The Chord Qutest is a current model, and with a little looking could probably land a new one for around $1600. I can recommend both of them highly at those respective price points. |
- 16 posts total