Replacement/upgrade for Bluesound and Chord Mojo 2 streamer/external DAC combo

I will be looking for 2nd hand. It’s not worth spending for new equipment in digital source which will have technology change every year.  I think the ongoing market price for second hand Bluesound and Mojo 2 is around US$600 together, so ideally would like to spend that much or up to US$1,000.  I listen mostly to jazz instruments and vocals, so would like to be able to listen to details of instruments and warm vocal sound without being tired for long listening hours, perhaps warm and neutral but enough clarity and detail, if that makes sense.  I do listen to pop music but usually just looking for decent bass, which i think the size of my speaker will limit it.  The tempo/beat of pop music usually is quite fast so not listening for detail, just enough to hear the dynamics.  Thanks

I use the PD Creative board and Sbooster LPS on a Node 2i and I have the Fidelity Audio board and LPS on a Node 130. In both cases the external power makes a significant difference in sound. And this is when using a separate DAC. Definitely a cost effective upgrade. The Node 130 is very sensitive to the quality of the power supply. Not all LPS's are the same and the LPS is a key to extracting the best out of the Node. Of course there are higher end streamers for more $$, and I have demoed popular streamer that retails for up to $3800.00 and for me, they was not better than the upgraded 130, some just different. Of course system synergy is a key factor to how components affect the sound, each setup will be different. Streamers in the higher range will exceed my results.

I had an eye on a 2nd hand bluesound node with pd creative upgrade kit installed, but no lps provided. This what deters me from switching as lps does not come cheap, unless it can use any 5v power supply without making significant difference, ie iFi iPower, then the cost will make sense to me.

Any 5V dc power supply should work as long as it has more than 2 amps I believe. The IFI will work fine. And it will sound better than a stock Node. Just not as good as it can with a higher end LPS.

To stay near your budget I’d recommend this Musician Pegasus R2R DAC (I own it) and LHY linear power supply for the Node.  The Pegasus will give you natural tone and great detail and bass along with excellent imaging and a spacious 3D soundstage, and you can choose between non-oversampling or oversampling modes if you feel you want a bit more or less detail/incisiveness, which is nice.  If possible you should run a balanced cable from it to your amp as it is a fully balanced DAC and sounds best that way, and later when funds allow if you want even more you can buy a Musician Pisces or Denafrips Iris DDC (I have the Iris) and get very significant performance improvements for relatively not much $$$ especially if you buy used.  Using the upgraded power supply on the Node will up the performance to a point more on par with $2k streamers and should at least hold you over (or at least not hold you too far back) until you’re ready to do a significant upgrade there.  That’s what I’d do at your budget given what you’re looking for and just one idea FWIW.  Hope this helps somewhat, and best of luck. 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/226670482937

https://www.vinshine.audio/product-page/lps25va