Streamer Upgrade Bluesound Node To Aurender N10

“I previously moved from the internal DAC 2 of my McIntosh MA12000 to a Holo May DC KTE and this was even a greater improvement than the streamer change.

+1, @vonhelmholtz

@mgattmch

In your current setup, your weakest link is Digital to Analog Converter (DAC) in C52. You won’t realize the full potential of Aurender N10 or N200 unless you switch to a better DAC. I would first invest in a better DAC before upgrading the streamer. Secondly, use a high quality COAX cable from Node to a DAC (SPDIF).

I would only consider upgrading the power supply in Node as suggested by @pedroeb if you plan on keeping the Node otherwise you’re better off moving to better streamer like Aurender N200 or N10 once you have upgraded the DAC.

I would only consider upgrading the power supply in Node as suggested by @pedroeb if you plan on keeping the Node otherwise you’re better off moving to better streamer like Aurender N200 or N10 once you have upgraded the DAC.

I upgraded the power on my Node for $214 -- that includes the board from PD Creative plus an excellent deal on an Acopian LPS from eBay.

I see the Aurender N200 new out there for around $6000 and I'm seeing the N10 out there, used, around $4000 and up.

If your Node was $600 to start, you're only at about, say, $850 with the power supply upgrade. That's still a far, far way from $4000 and $6000.

“If your Node was $600 to start, you’re only at about, say, $850 with the power supply upgrade. That’s still a far, far way from $4000 and $6000.”

@hilde45

I am not sure what you’re trying to convey? Are you saying Node with PSU upgrade is just as good as N10 or N200? Or is it worth spending $4K on N10?

Getting AC out of the Node is a no brainer and could well satisfy your needs. There's unlikely to be many who can compare the two. In any case, considering the cost it'd be better to try it out for yourself.

@lalitk suggested DAC first. I would suggest that you form a core group of members that you can trust. Go back and review lalitk’s post in other threads and you will find responses based upon a long history of listening to top gear. There are others with a depth of experience like ghdprentice, blisshifi, atmasphere and others. Many give advice based on their perception of having a great sounding system, but like myself , have limited experience.  The problem is that top sound cost a lot of money and the only way to counter this is to buy used. With limited funds, I had to decide where to put the money. For four, or five thousand dollars you can purchase a nice streamer, or DAC, but don’t ignore power, or quality interconnects.