Streaming Curious

@fburkeen I wouldn’t hold my breath. You’d need something better than the Bluesound. You will however get a feel for streaming capabilities with the enormous music library at your fingertips. That will be an interesting experience. 

I could add that I'm partial to Blues and Vocals, but listen to almost everything genre wise.  For me the air, soundstage, and musicality of my system are the key aspects.  From what I read the node may not give me much on the first two, but is musical.  

With Air Tight ATM-300 amp and DeVore O/96 speakers downstream…Node wouldn’t satisfy your appetite especially if you rely on its internal DAC.  Node is a good starting option to get your feet wet in streaming. Buy a used Node for now and later step up to one of the offerings from Aurender, Innuous or Lumin. 

Correct. You can start with the node. You can later add a DAC and improve the sound quality or get a better single box solution or even separates. Streaming can sound really good but comes at at a cost just like vinyl. Think of bluesound node as an equivalent of a Rega P1 with the included cartridge. It’s a stepping stone. 

I don’t know how you are with dipping toes in. But that is a ticket to spend a lot more money by incrementally climbing to get to where your satisfied with digital. well, at least that is the way it would work for me.

Let’s start with the current state of technology:  Streaming can sound as good or better than your vinyl rig. If it sounds as good, then it is likely to completely change your life… for the better.

So if you have a cheap Walmart turntable and phonostage, then the BlueSound will sound better. Streamers / DACs generally conform to the same constrains that all the other components of a system do. In general, you must carefully research and choose wisely compatible equipment of the highest quality for the investment, and you get what you pay for.

My really good vinyl leg (see my virtual systems) sounds nearly identical to my digital end… and the investment level (TT / Phonostage and misc vs DAC and Streamer) is the same… and each roughly the same as preamp and amp.

So, it is really a great idea to add a digital end… but expect to be disappointed if you try it on the cheap.