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Please be gentle with me! 🙏

I am a vinyl diehard and know very little of the streaming world.

My son has just bought his 1st amp and speakers a Leak 230 integrated and some JBL 4312G speakers and is currently streaming his music using an Android phone via the USB C on his phone into the USB B input on the amp, using the built in DAC on the amp. So the question is would something like a Bluesound Node N130 as a straight streamer be an audible improvement to his phone?

128x128alan60
audphile1's avatar
audphile1
4,322 posts
 

It will not only sound better, but also be a lot more convenient. 

ghdprentice
6,435 posts
 

Yes. It also sets him up into the contemporary world of streaming. Qobuz is the best sounding service with the most high resolution recordings.

In addition this could be the example you need to start mapping out your future audio. While investment must be at least equal into the streaming world (streamer + DAC) to equal the sound quality of vinyl (tt + phonostage). You are freed from severe constraints of vinyl: a tiny library of disks, surface noise, and getting up all the time. It is good to get into this world as soon as possible. Looking back on the fifty years I spent listening to the same few disks (4,000) seems quaint in retrospect.

mahler123
3,062 posts
 

So I will disagree here.  It depends.  The DAC in the Node may or may not be better than the DAC included in the amp.  And the phone may or may not be better as a digital transport into the DAC.  I was using an LG phone in exactly the same way your son is.  I replaced it with a Node because I didn’t want my phone tethered to my system.  There was no obvious sonic improvement 

soix
8,756 posts
 

Oops.  I misread and thought he was using the DAC in the phone.  Not sure if DAC in the Node would be an improvement or not.  My bad.

littleman
26 posts
 

What works for me....Fiio M11 DAP, line out Y cable into back of Bel Canto AMP, wired to speakers.....sounds perfect. More details here...

....recently acquired a very nice condition used Bel Canto 300 i class D for the recently added ML Ethos. Have tried and compared 3 three chains...
1. Sony STR da5700ES Pre / Amp only as before...
2. Sony Pre into Bel Canto AMP (Theater Bypass)...
3. Bel Canto Pre / Amp on it;s own.

Not knowing anything different...1 was very enjoyable.

2 improved the top and mids....much cleaner / clearer, better soundstage, depth, lower mids into bass more "fuzzy / whooly" by comparison to 1.

3 initially sounded very bright on top....fatiguing...almost unlistenable on some tracks.

Left Bel Canto on with CD repeat for 100+ hours...

3 now is far better up and down the frequency range including the bass with bass cabinets set at "0". Rocket 33 speaker cables gave a nice boost to mids and tampered down the top just enough.
 
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