Got a Node 2i, what's next?


So, I admit that I'm not much of a digital guy.  I ordered an Node 2i for the main HT system mostly for Amazon HD.  Much better than roku --> Denon AVR-X3600.  I liked it so much I ordered another for my previously all analog 2 channel system.

It's not bad, and convenient. Not even close to vinyl on the same release and level matched recordings, but then again, I didn't expect it to be.  I keep reading about how you can easily improve the sound by adding in an external DAC.  Here's where I get confused.

I don't want to spend a lot on a DAC, because at best it's a secondary source.  I'd feel comfortable in the $500 - $1000 range, but I'm really confused over the options and how they relate to sound quality.

First, r/2r vs I guess delta sigma?  What are the sonic advantages of either, there are widely differing opinions there.  I understand how each works from reading around, but how does it relate to sound quality?

Second, multibit vs whatever else.  Same basic questions, what are the basic sound characteristics of each?

Third, oversampling or no.

And lastly, what bitrate/bit depth is considered adequate?  24/192 seems to be standard but some dacs only have 24/128 over optical.  Will this make any difference real world with HD streaming?  I also have an old NAD cd player with coax digital out I might want to hook up for kicks.

I've researched three so far, the Denefrips Ares II, , the Schiit offerings below $1K, and the Cambridge Audio DacMagic 200M.  I would like to have balanced outputs to keep the digital circuitry as far away from the analog stuff as possible.

Thanks in advance for your answers.



vinylzone
@mahler123
Listening is subjective, but I couldn’t disagree more with the OP statement that the Node sounds like it’s out of the 1990s, not if it’s paired with a decent DAC.
That is the point of my thread.  I'm looking for a dac in the $500-$1k price range to pair with the node 2i.  Not sure how you missed that.

The included DAC with the Node is very limiting—it would be like listening to a turntable with a $20 cartridge. Since the OP seems not to care, basing all his judgements of digital on low end stuff, I wonder what he is trying to achieve with this thread.
See above.

Sorry to be curmudgeonly, but I get tired of people posting here “I don’t like digital, I am not willing to make any investment to be persuaded otherwise, but recommend me something cheap that will blow me away”.
What thread were you reading? 

I'm not looking for state of the art, at least right now.  I'm looking for the best sound I can find in a dac within my current budget.    I'm not looking to be "blown away".  I don't dislike digital in principal.  You already agreed that the Node internal dac isn't adequate.

So, I really don't understand the basis for your rant.


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My suggestion would be the Denefrips Ares ll. Buy a Shunyata Venom digital cable for your Node 2i, you’ll thank me!
OP, I owned a TNT long ago and then tried the Classic 3 they are very nice tables just not for me. I really like my Exemplar Audio tube Oppo 105 it's a very analog sounding CD player. I was content with cd and vinyl. I tried streaming just for background music and to find new music to buy cd's and albums. I think if you bought a MHDT or same type dac sold your node and found a Auralic streamer with femto clock or equal quality streamer for around $600 bucks you may rethink your turntable situation. Maybe all in little over $1000 with sale of node. If you can find used you can sell them fast without losing a dime. I spent 15% on streaming compared to vinyl and listen to 80% streaming compared to my records, I did not expect this to happen.
@vinylzone     I cannot suggest a DAC, but simply to explore and you will find how nice hi-res streaming can be.  I bought an integrated last year that had a very nice built-in DAC as a bonus.  I also picked up the Node2i and sometimes the digital version is really close to vinyl.  I am still quite a newbie to streaming.  I did a quick comparison of Qobuz, Tidal & Amazon HD and didn't hear much difference so stuck with Amazon as it offered other family bonuses with the service.  Good luck finding a good DAC as you can absolutely far surpass the onboard DAC in the Node2i