Keep in mind I have not heard high dollar streamers (UPDATE 2021: I have now heard $$$ streamers yet I have settled with a Node 2i into an external DAC. It’s just about right to these ears (though not perfect) and one of those cases where I always felt that spending more would not yield huge gains. It’s not the most detailed but it’s pleasing. My modded Sonos Connect just streaming Spotify premium gives me a huge, full, 3 dimensional sound when I go into a good external DAC. I had one in my PS Audio Direct Stream DAC in the form of the Bridge II, and I loved it! I was 100% thrilled with that at the time but truth be told, when I plugged my modded Sonos connect into the same DAC the sound was different, maybe even a bit more pleasing than the streamer in the $6500 PS Audio piece. Have I tried high res streamers in the past? Yes. Besides, I use a separate dac so any streamer SHOULD sound the same, right? Well, that’s what I thought but that is not quite the case, even here. So I have been able to save some money with my system when it comes to streaming by being happy with my old CD quality SONOS. What I mean by that is, if I am happy with what I have then listening to something that costs 2-5X as much may get me to want to spend more if it is indeed 5% better. The reason why is not because I feel it is better than other options that are more costly, it’s just that it sounds RIGHT to me and in audio, what you do not know can never cost you. Even when I had a MEGA SYSTEM here that cost more than a new Cadillac I was using the modded Sonos connect as my streamer going into an external high quality DAC. In fact, for the last six years the streamer I have used in my high end home system has been a Sonos connect, and then a modified Connect from Magna HiFi. But some of us, like me, enjoy the experience a real audio system brings just as some of us enjoy using a real traditional high quality camera.īut in the case of high quality music streamers you do not have to spend thousands of dollars to get beautiful music. With the prevalence of bluetooth speakers in audio and our smartphones in imaging, most of the world go that route. While it is very true that the more you spend does not always mean “better”, sometimes it does.and again, sometimes it does not! I know not everyone is into high end audio, it’s a niche much like high end cameras are today. I have been building my audio system for 35 years (ongoing all of my life) and have been blessed and lucky enough to try many things from low end to high end to uber high end in the audio world. It’s the future and the future is RIGHT NOW. Worthy of use in a HIGH END Audio System? are welcome.The Bluesound Node 2i Music Streamer. On strictly performance basis, I can't recommend the Andover Songbird.Īs always, questions, comments, recommendations, etc. There is nothing top hang my had on performance wise. Even if its internal DAC didn't perform well, we could use an external DAC with it but that path is neutered somehow as well. Either way, this could have been a killer device. Or maybe it is a good IC but poorly implemented. But where is the performance? Maybe they are using some smart speaker IC used for mass market devices with who cares about performance specification. And at a great price with good packaging. You get an input selector, DAC, digital in and out and streaming. The functionality behind the Songbird id quite nice. I used the same cable as Toslink out so can't be the cabling. I also tried to test Toslink in but it simply would not work.
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