[Bogart]

For starters let me get this out of the way up front. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND COMPUTERS OR THE LANGUAGE.

My current set up consists of A custom built Aric Audio 6SN7 line stage, Peachtree 300 amp, Marantz CD6007, Denafrips Pontus II and a Node 2i. All cables DIY Helix design per My Audio Alchemy. Speakers are Monitor audio silver 500's.

In my head I should be able to improve upon the Node. I have been reading threads here and some other forums. I think I want something like a Lumin U1 Mini. Maybe one of the Innuos units with the ripping capability. Just not so sure about the Ripping CD's as that is going to involve hard drives and stuff. Which I would probably have to hire someone I can't afford to make it work.

Then there are the folks who chime in on most threads at some point. These guys seem to challenge themselves to see how many pieces of stuff they can hook up to stream. How can a chain of 4,5,6 components with all their connections and power supplies not have negative effects not to mention where do they put all this stuff?

I have a cable that comes into my house that plugs into the thing my desktop computer plugs into. I plug an Ethernet CAT8 cable into that (the box not my computer) then into my Node.

What is the benefit of all individuals pieces? It sure doesn't seem like it saves any money at all. By the time you buy a few pieces of pie some hats, switches, clocks, sonores, rendues and whatever else I am forgetting. Then power supplies and cables to hook it all up.

Then there is the Roon camp. My best bud has Roon. Took Him a few grand including gear and a computer guy from the place he bought it ( he was nice enough help on his own time) and a week to make it work. So that kind of soured me on the Roon idea.

Don't get me wrong I am a hands on person, pretty mechanical. But when my computer has problems if unplugging it for a day doesn't fix it I go buy a new one and start from scratch (usually have to send the wife to a friends place for a weekend it gets ugly real ugly). Complete idiot!

In the end I would like the best streamer option I can get under say $2500. I need it to be as "plug and play" as possible or come with amazing instructions/guidance or even better someone that could actually teach me. Someone that can explain on my level.

I am going to stop here as it seems I am rambling! I am probably leaving stuff out I am sure so please ask and I will fill in.

I have a great sense of humor so feel free to have some fun with me, I will return it! I just want to make a good decision. Show me what I am missing or not!

 

Cheers.

[borism]

Hi Bogart,

Maybe it would be helpful to understand better (it's possibly just me) why you want to change the Node 2i to something different. Is there something about the sound or the functionality that you are missing? Most of us are on this upgrade path in auto-mode. I have found it helpful to try clearly defining what I am looking for or alternatively accept that it's only play that I'm willing to pay for.

[rotarius]

Upgrading the Node will have the least impact in your setup from a sound standpoint. Are you unhappy with the Node interface or what?

[Bogart]

Hello Borism,
I prefer the sound of my Pontus DAC. The Node and Pontus don't play well together. That means the Node is headed to the trash bin.

[JackD]

I'm personally not a fan of the Node 2 as when they both came out six years ago the Auralic Aries Mini for the same price was a far better piece of hardware.  As it is the $2 DAC board in the Node is for emergency use only.  But that aside if you are feeding the Pontus via one of the ditital outputs of the Node what is not working and what are you looking to upgrade.  Also how much effort are you willing to put in to learn a new software package from another company? They are all different. The U1 Mini is a solid piece of gear but it's software is different and will not work with Amazon if that matters to you.

[Early B.]

Based on how you described your computer skills, an upgraded streamer isn't what you want. Stick with CDs as long as you can. 

[jbl]

I would highly recommend the Lumin U1, especially if you have Tidal.  Streamer has been reliable.  When it does freeze occasionally, restarting the app or power cycling the streamer has fixed the problem every time.  Software is regularly updated.  Tidal app for Android and PC works great with Lumin and sound quality is excellent. 

I tried the hopped up PC music server route for a while but sound quality is noticeably better with the Lumin.  With Tidal's app as an interface finding and selecting music is a breeze. 

My limited experience with Roon at one of my local hifi shops, I found the app difficult to navigate and slow to respond compared to Tidal. 

If you are open to trying a streamer/DAC the Lumin T2 is great sounding combo and would enable you to play back MQA quality recordings from Tidal as well.  My buddy who has a T2 is the one who got me interested in trying and out a Lumin U1.




Lumin U1
Berkeley Audio Designs Alpha Dac Ref 3
Benchmark LA4
Sanders Magtech monos
Magnepan 3.7i


jbl

[dpatters]

Based on how you described your computer skills, an upgraded streamer isn't what you want. Stick with CDs as long as you can. 

I dumped a fairly highly regarded music server. Roon, Tidal, and 1500 CDs ripped to the internal hard drive. I also have 35 years in IT (now retired). Every little internet outage created issues. Rebooting the server, unplugging cables etc. I could get it going every time, but it was a PITA. I upgrade my CD transport, reinstalled my analog rig and upgraded the cartridge. I’m getting better SQ than when I was streaming and it is totally stress free. YMMV.

Don P

[Bogart]

Don't use Amazon. Tidal connect. Nothing new to learn. I am sure my Daughter would come over and help me out with anything I couldn't figure out. Having Tidal connect will allow me time to learn new software without interrupting music. The digital is what I am using. Denafrips recommends using the optical when using the node. They have an input/output voltage indifference that in some cases cause glitches. I happen to be one of those cases.

Bogart.

[JackD]

I think you will be fine with the U1 Mini with the best sounding output probably the AES/EBU.  Lumin software is not difficult just different than BluOS.  There are many users over at the AudioShark forum and the software engineer checks in to answer questions several times a day as he does on Audiophile Style. There is an online user guide that explains the whole process.

[ric]

I have a Zen mini and it has worked reasonably well. Ripping to the hard drive is easy, just pop a cd in and it copies it to the hard drive, but, it's time consuming to do. There was some changeover that Innous did that caused problems, but the tech guy was able to fix the problem, so they have good customer service. I tried Roon, but my laptop is too old, and my Lenovo tablet did not recognize Roon so I stopped trying and use different apps for streaming access  (orange squeeze, and Innuos' own app).
The mini also has it's own dac, so all your bases are covered (I ended up buying a Border Patrol dac)
Good luck!

[Martin09]

Hi, I'm new on this board, but I'll chime in since I've spent many years making my peace with streaming. My "duh! moment" came when I realized that getting music into my ears was taking too much forethought, and the best listening option was always on the other side of the house. Also,"where's my grrrr! remote?" So here are some thoughts that support my own best music and streaming experience. Stationary gear in its dedicated music location has its wonderful place; but for me, that's not what streaming is all about.

1. A competent mobile device--for me, this is the phone that I always have with me (traveling, patio, office, etc.)
Doesn't have to be the highest end since I have portable(ish) DACs, and anyway, even pricey phones don't yet pay much attention to sound.
2. One or more each IEM and wired headphones. These can be pricey. Or not. But medium-great performance is possible in the $3-900 range.
3. "Good-enough" powered speakers. BlueSound gear works well for me in master bathroom, garage, etc.
4. I like my cheapie Bluetooth speaker that fits in my toolbag or pack.
4. A decent streaming service that lets me organize music MY way, not how the source decides for me. Yah, let's scroll down 75 first-name (John) artists or first-word (The) album titles.
Instead, each album that I Favorite gets identified as its own (Tidal) Playlist. Playlist lets me edit the name of the selection. I begin a new selection with my own genre code: Cfr=country, folk, rock; G=Guitar interest; J=jazz; Oc=orchestra, concert, classical; V=vocal interest; W=world. Next comes artist's last name. Next is album title. YMMV depending on how your brain sorts info, but this works for me.