2. digital
  3. 133269-9156

Bluesound vs SOtM

I am a vinyl guy but after living with the Chromecast audio for a few years I finally bought a DAC. The DAC is an Ayre Codex currently fed by a MacBook Air 2011, directly connected via USB. It sounds a bit harsh and flat, although with plenty of detail and great body in the lower frequencies.

I have therefore decided to feed the fact with a streamer instead. My question is this: Has anyone substantial experience comparing Bluesound Node 2 with a SOtM SMS 200 (with the SPS 500 power supply) in a revealing system?

Again, my system is very revealing so even subtle differences between the two will be clear.

I currently use only TIDAL and YouTube but I am interested in differences in hardware of the streaming that affect all uses.

Thanks in advance for sharing your experience,
Fred
fabsound

Showing 3 responses by fabsound

fabsound OP
31 posts
 
Sorry about the typos. It's the auto correction on my phone. One correction: "I have decided to feed the DAC..."
fabsound OP
31 posts
 
Thanks for your response! I am using the Codex in USB mode. That means a fixed output volume.

What are attenuators? Please explain

PS. I just read somewhere in another audiogon thread that it helps unplug the power supply for the MacBook while playing. This seems to be true.
fabsound OP
31 posts
 
Besides, I tried to feed the DAC with a MacBook Air 2011 and a MacBook Pro 2016. The difference is huge, enough to convince me that the USB source is a key variable
More to discover