I’d price out buying a used Node and a LPS, but compare that (and risks involved in tearing into it unless you have a little electronics experience) with just buying the Node 132 for $549 and being done with it. It has a better power supply per Bluesound to the point that you don’t need to futz about trying to add a LPS.
And as others mentioned, if you are going to use an external DAC, look to the new $299 Node Nano. According to some reviewers, it has better inherent sound quality than the Node 130 and Node X did (using the onboard DAC).
I’m not a flat earther, but the more research I have done over the last 5 years into all this mess, is that yeah, people on Youtube always say "buy price commensurate gear" so you aren’t leaving performance on the table. Well, maybe. But when it comes to streamers, if they are doing their job, you likely won’t hear a snail’s toes difference in SQ between them when feeding an external DAC and if you have the external DAC doing the buffering and reclocking of the data stream. One bone of contention some encounter among streamers (and DACs) is that some of them might be applying some "magical fairy dust" in DSP to the data stream. And yeah, your ears *might* prefer that fairy dust sound.
At the end of the day, get the best streamer you can that has an easy to use and reliable software user interface, feed it into your external DAC and enjoy the music.
All those on YouTube continually say that a $4K streamer sounds better than a $300 one when feeding an external DAC, but none of them, not even Hans Beekhuyzen, with his oscilloscope prop in the background, can show any data as to why that is. Guess stuff that cost more just always sounds better. I’ll sell you a Raspberry Pi for $8000 if you are so inclined. Wink, wink.
Bluesound Node versions SQ
For those of you with both the 130 and the 132 versions, have you tested the sound quality of just the streamer/transport section and how they sound compared to each other? I'm still streamer researching and wondering if there is a difference when these two units are connected to an outboard DAC. I was thinking if not, then I might consider the older 130 version as it's discounted and then the savings could be applied to an LPS upgrade kit.
I've also been reading that some owners have had issues using the Node's USB output with the Qutest..Thoughts on either subject is appreciated.
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@moonwatcher They might not show data, but they use their ears as have so many others here have done and have found very significant improvements with more expensive streamers. Of course not all expensive streamers may sound better as with everything in audio, but those who have stepped up to pricier models from Aurender, Innuos, Grimm, etc. have experienced significant improvements over Nodes and other budget streamers or even when moving up the line within those brands. What streamer are you using and what more expensive streamers have you compared it to? If you haven’t heard any of the pricier streamers then you are speaking out of ignorance in assuming that more expensive streamers aren’t better or worth paying more for. |
@soix I’m an engineer. Show me the money (measurements). If I send a data stream of 01001101 and another streamer does the same to the exact same external DAC, and that external DAC is doing buffering and reclocking of the data stream such that jitter is not an issue, there should be no difference whatsoever. If someone says it sounds better, can they pass a double-blind test where all factors are controlled to within 0.001dB? I never see them do this or attempt it. Might make a great reality game show don’t you think? |
Just my opinion but I think that when you consider purchasing expensive streamers you reach the point of diminishing returns quickly nowadays when compared to budget streamers. Without a doubt a more expensive streamer is going to sound excellent and better than a budget streamer such as a Bluesound. But unlike a lot of other audio gear where budget gear is just ok compared to its high price alternative, here you are talking the difference between great sound (Bluesound for instance) and excellent sound (high priced streamers). I am definitely in the camp that the DAC is the most important part of a streaming set up. |
@moonwatcher There’s more to it than that when it comes to audio that has been discussed ad nauseam here so I’m not gonna rehash it here. If you wanna keep believing better streamers don’t sound better that’s your prerogative, but it flies in the face of 95% of people’s experience here so just maybe there’s something to it — or they’re all just wrong and fooling themselves and you’re right. Whatever you do, don’t even try a better streamer or heaven forbid use your ears. 🙄 |
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