The Bryston can be had for close to the same price as the Bluesound Node 2i (within a couple hundred $). Not using the internal DAC. Do you think the Bryston would be better than the Bluesound?
See if you can find a deal on a Aries Femto w/LPS. I had a BDP -1 and reminded me of a 1985 CD player. Hard and cold sounding. Can’t think you would be happy with it.
If you’re doing Roon just get a Metrum. As new as fresh snow. Get as much as you wanna spend from $400 up. They come with internal power. With Roon, do not orry about control apps. The Baby sounds almost as good as a tricked out Allo for more money.
@benzman Thanks. However, you seem to be pretty alone in your opinion that the BDP-1 sounds hard and cold. Most people have 98% positive things to say about it, even compared to other well-known expensive streamers. I've always stayed away from Auralic in favor of Lumin but perhaps the Femto is worth taking a look at for the money.
I looked at some of the “older” “higher end” units myself. For casual listening, I’m not sure you can do a lot better when considering ease of use, functionality, and overall sound quality than the Node 2i. The Bryson might be a little better sound quality (might) but you loose a ton of functionality IMO.
I started with a Sonos Connect digital out to DAC. Then upgraded Connect to W4S mods for a SQ bump. Then picked up a BDP Pi for an additional SQ bump. Then I added The Roons. I think the BDP MPD sounds a touch better than The Roons. If you end up with a Bryston product I would be cool to hear what you think twix Roons and the MPD in Manic Moose, super easy to flip back and forth. If it were me I would seriously consider picking up the BDP 2 from @jaytor
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