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Bluesound NODE Power Supply Upgrade

Does pose the question tho if using an external dac, time you buy a node, then the uprated power supply boards , plus a linear 5v supply, have you not strayed into a higher budget? Makes me think is there an off the shelf better option or DIY the only way
 
say it as it is said:
Does pose the question tho if using an external dac, time you buy a node, then the uprated power supply boards , plus a linear 5v supply, have you not strayed into a higher budget? Makes me think is there an off the shelf better option or DIY the only way
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One of the things I like about the node 2 is the BluOs and the whole family understands it so I was happy to stick with it and upgrade. I have the Fidelity Audio interface and an Sbooster power supply and use an RME dac so have spent more than the node cost upgrading but each step was a big improvement and it remains easy to use. Money very well spent in my opinion.
 
Jezzer said:
Just to clarify on my post above. Yes, the power supply upgrade is definitely worthwhile if you’re using an external DAC. Lowering of noise floor, less harshness, more natural…

I was just answering the question as to whether the mod was necessary if connecting to an external DAC. Well, it’s not necessary but it’s definitely an upgrade!
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Ahh I see, no worries. :)
 
steveinspain said:
One of the things I like about the node 2 is the BluOs and the whole family understands it so I was happy to stick with it and upgrade I have the Fidelity Audio interface and an Sbooster power supply and use an RME dac so have spent more than the node cost upgrading but each step was a big improvement and it remains easy to use. Money very well spent in my opinion.
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I agree with this, I cant see there being anything that is this user friendly and upgradable for the money. The other thing is we have their streaming speakers around the house which gives a great multi room experience which 90% of other brands don't offer.
 
AshM750 said:
I agree with this, I cant see there being anything that is this user friendly and upgradable for the money. The other thing is we have their streaming speakers around the house which gives a great multi room experience which 90% of other brands don't offer.
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Yup, so do we. It was one of the things I liked about the Sonos gear we had before.
I also could not have afforded to buy a more expensive streamer, so being able to upgrade in stages is another positive for me.
 
Fretbuzz said:
Cool - how much did it all work out at?

FWIW, I found a top end harshness at first, but it disappeared when used with the external DAC (2Qute). Interesting that the power upgrade worked that way too.
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It was about $170 USD. I stream through it, and I play FLAC files through it as well. The FLACs sound a little better than the stream, with a little more top end and upper midrange clarity. I think the whole thing would benefit from an external DAC. But it is OK for now.

Teddy Pardo also makes a power supply for the Node. It is considerably more, but still reasonable. I would like to try that, but I think I would go for a DAC first.
 
I’m definitely interested in the idea of the psu upgrade improving SQ when using an external DAC. So would be interesting to hear others experiences too.
 
JezmondTutu said:
I’m definitely interested in the idea of the psu upgrade improving SQ when using an external DAC. So would be interesting to hear others experiences too.
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Where do you live? I’d be happy to bring mine over for a comparison one day, I live in Yeovil, Somerset if not too far away.
 
chris geary said:
It was about $170 USD. I stream through it, and I play FLAC files through it as well. The FLACs sound a little better than the stream, with a little more top end and upper midrange clarity. I think the whole thing would benefit from an external DAC. But it is OK for now.

Teddy Pardo also makes a power supply for the Node. It is considerably more, but still reasonable. I would like to try that, but I think I would go for a DAC first.
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Same here - FLACs sound really good.
 
I can’t believe it, I was there on a course about a month ago lol. It takes me about 2.5 hours to get there, I won’t be able to get there soon but never know I could organise something later in the month.

Ile send a PM.
 
steveinspain said:
One of the things I like about the node 2 is the BluOs and the whole family understands it so I was happy to stick with it and upgrade. I have the Fidelity Audio interface and an Sbooster power supply and use an RME dac so have spent more than the node cost upgrading but each step was a big improvement and it remains easy to use. Money very well spent in my opinion.
Click to expand...

Every time I consider streaming I worry the app will not be great, or will one day be unsupported. Hence I drift toward premium offers (e.g Naim) that I hope will be around as long as I am!

The node is very appealing (and more my price range!). Is the BluOS their own? Or shared with other manufacturers?
 
Neil P said:
Every time I consider streaming I worry the app will not be great, or will one day be unsupported. Hence I drift toward premium offers (e.g Naim) that I hope will be around as long as I am!

The node is very appealing (and more my price range!). Is the BluOS their own? Or shared with other manufacturers?
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Have you tried Roon?
 
flutteringwow said:
Have you tried Roon?
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No and to be honest don't plan to pay a subscription for streaming, just a way to access my ripped files (I have my modest CD collection ripped onto a HD drive, but still play the physical CDs in my main system). Also to use Room I'm guessing I'd need a some extra kit feeding into my hifi (I only have a cd player as a source).
 
Neil P said:
The node is very appealing (and more my price range!). Is the BluOS their own? Or shared with other manufacturers?
Click to expand...

it’s not a shared app, it is the Bluesound App (BluOS), it is as good as the Naim app (I’ve used both), you can download the app and have a look at it, you obviously won’t have a device to connect to but still you can see what you think of it. I use my node for tidal streaming and have it linked to my NAS with no issues.
 
Neil P said:
No and to be honest don't plan to pay a subscription for streaming, just a way to access my ripped files (I have my modest CD collection ripped onto a HD drive, but still play the physical CDs in my main system). Also to use Room I'm guessing I'd need a some extra kit feeding into my hifi (I only have a cd player as a source).
Click to expand...

The Node is Roon Ready, so no extra kit needed, but can understand the new pricing structure of Roon not being attractive.

BluOS is proprietary but it is shared with NAD.
 
Neil P said:
Every time I consider streaming I worry the app will not be great, or will one day be unsupported. Hence I drift toward premium offers (e.g Naim) that I hope will be around as long as I am!

The node is very appealing (and more my price range!). Is the BluOS their own? Or shared with other manufacturers?
Click to expand...
Neil,
AshM750 and Flutteringwow have already said that BluOs is shared with Nad and I'd guess that they have a big enough share of the market not to change the app too much as it has to be one of the big selling points.
Given that the Node 2i was recently updated I'd imagine that there may be a few earlier models available which you'd be unlucky to loose on if you gave one a try..
 
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