Does the streamer effect sound quality


I have a Bluesound streamer device and I have been wondering if I change to a Cambridge cxn v2 streamer will the sound quality improve. I am only using these devices as a streamer to play tidal. They will be streaming to my Cary cdp dac via rca input. 
 

 

 

dvdgreco

I agree with most people here but want to add a very overlooked point. In my experience with streaming - is that the quality of the recording makes a very, very significant difference. Take streaming out of the equation and place a quality turntable in. Some record albums were recorded very well and produced very well. As such they sound spectacular. Think Chicago, Steely Dan, Diana Krall, and many others when the producers and the players wanted a good sounding album. Now taking a poorly recorded album and play it on your quality turntable. It sounds thin, no tonal range, the dynamic range is narrow, etc. Now back to digital streaming. If the streamer is good, the power supply is stable and the unit is quiet…paired with a very good external DAC you will hear tremendous sound from a quality recording. If you spend significantly more money on the streamer and the DAC….. the sound gets better. As with all audio equipment for the most part. But crappy recordings are also a critical part of good sound. It doesn’t get discussed much, but I would guess those individuals in the recording industry…. can attest to this. At audio shows, the dealers and vendors find the best recordings to showcase their audio equipment, especially speakers.

@mahler123 yep the manic moose is hideous. I heard the CXN v2 and the lstest node although not side by side. I think the latest node and the Cambridge are pretty close and it’s possible the cxn v2 is a just bit better, not sure. My point was to make a noticeable upgrade you have to jump higher than from the node to cxn. 

I agree with @audphile1 Keep the node until you can save up for something better. 

I owned a Cambridge CXNV2 before my Arender N200. The Aurender is far better. The CXN was good and had a good sound as a stand alone unit, I didn’t like that it didn’t cache the playlist and would sometime pause or delay the music. It would mostly be a lateral move from the Node for you. UPscale Audio has an Aurender N150 open box on sale right now. Good luck!

@2psyop …you nailed it!  I do not consider myself an audiophile as I simply don’t hear many of the things others here do. But I do hear profound differences between good and bad recordings, regardless of media type. For example, I enjoy music streamed on Spotify and can detect little if any difference via Qobuz. A poor recording sounds equally poor on each.
 

So, with that said:  I recently added a Teddy Pardo linear power supply to my Node and have it connected to a Denefrips Pontus 2-12th DAC that brings great musical enjoyment.  Not sure what the OP is seeking exactly but “different” sound isn’t always “better” sound. Be honest with yourself as investment-bias is a strong aphrodisiac. 

I also have a Bluesound Node for streaming digital out to a PS Audio Directstream DAC.  I  was going to upgrade the streamer (was looking at Innuos and Aurender) but neither has support for the two services that I use,  Amazon music and Idagio.  So instead,  I upgraded the power supply to a TeddyPardo LPS.  The difference was significant! Some feel that it's ridiculous to spend as much on the upgrade as the unit itself costs,  but I'm very happy with the results.  My point is,  if the streamer doesn't support the services you use,  then it won't work for you! BTW,  the sq from the moded Bluesound is slightly better compared to the same recording on a cd played on my  NuPrime CDT-10 using the I2s output; in other words,  pretty darn good!