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Schitt Yggdrasil Vs. Bluenode 2i (Shock!)

I am having a bit of a dilemma. I recently added a Node 2i to my setup to be used primarily as a streamer. My digital rig consists of
- Amp: Rogue Stereo 100 (GE and Amperex Nos tubes)
- Preamp: Primaluna Evo 100 (GE and RCA cleartops Nos tubes)
- DAC: Latest model of Schiit Yggdrasil
- Speakers: Monitor Audio Platinum 100 II
- Analog & digital Interconnects: Audioquest Silver Extreme
- Speaker cables: Audioquest Rocket 44
- Power cables are all stock, and no attention has been paid to power supply

I had been pretty satisfied with my setup after breaking in the Yggy; I subsequently added the Node 2i and was using it as a dedicated streamer and never bothered using it as a DAC. A buddy of mine who is contemplating the node 2i came over and I offered to use the Node DAC on my system so he could get a sense of the performance. I was initially pleasantly surprised by how good it sounded, but the shock came when I started doing A/B comparisons with the Yggy and I honestly could not hear the difference between the 2 DACs. I subsequently spent the last few days comparing them and I still can't discern a difference. So my question is
- Is the Node 2i just that good?
- Or is my system not transparent enough to highlight the difference?
- Or are my ears are just not sensitive enough to pick up the difference?
- Do I need to invest in more expensive power cables and supply?

I'm interested to hear from others who have had experiences with these DACs or similar, because I'm seriously contemplating putting my Yggy up for sale.
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gdnrbob
4,409 posts
 
I definitely heard a difference between the onboard Node Dac and an Ayre Codex.
The Schiit Yggy is pretty close to the Codex sound wise.
Considering your system, I would think the cabling might need some upgrading. You'd be surprised how much you can get out of cables-over the stock cables.
Bob
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arize84 OP
56 posts
 
Thanks for your feedback. A lot of cable suggestions here. I want to start with upgrading the coaxial cable and then moving on to the interconnects if necessary. The important thing I'm taking away is my setup definitely needs some tweaking. I will report back when I have updated the coax cable. In the meantime, I will be happy to get any additional digital cable suggestions.
toneranger58
124 posts
 
Coax I use is 75 ohm blue jean cable from Node 2i to Yggdrasil works great. Biggest improvement however was with Triode Wire Labs Digital American Power Cable for the Yggdrasil. TWL allows a trial period if you decide to return the PC. Good luck.
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arize84 OP
56 posts
 

I have an update. I tackled the issue from multiple fronts and have realized some significant gains. My weakest link was my preamp; while the Primaluna Evo 100 is good sounding preamp, it isn't revealing enough to immediately reveal the subtle differences between decent quality DACs.

My first change was to tool around with a better coaxial cable which revealed a very subtle difference between the Yggy and the Node. I then switched out the Node to my Cambridge CXN streamer. The CXN must have a better DAC than the Node because I again couldn't tell the difference from the Yggy. Things really started cooking when I upgraded the Evo 100 to an Evo 300. The new preamp is an absolute game changer for my system. It is very revealing; I picked up on instruments I hadn't heard before; dynamics, sound stage, and instrument separation were much improved. Not only could I easily tell the difference between DACs, I could even pick up subtle differences between different rectifier tubes. I also played around with better quality silver interconnects and could pick up the difference in speed and dynamics.

But I was in for a real shock; when I dropped off my old preamp as a trade in, my dealer lent me an Audioquest Thunder power cable. The effect that had on my amp was jaw dropping; it brought liveliness to my music that wasn’t there before, and practically upgraded my amp. I knew power supply was important but I didn’t realize a good power cable could add so much. The power cable did more for my system than upgrading the interconnects did.    

What I have learnt in this journey is that everything matters and as much as I hate to admit it, gains require $$ (seems like there is just no way around this). My ears are open and so apparently is my wallet.

What really set me off on my hifi journey was when a local dealer played a Gregory Porter song that I was very familiar with; the song engaged me so emotionally at that moment that I almost started crying. I have been chasing that feeling ever since, and this week I got much closer to capturing it. I’m not there yet, but I feel good about the path I’m on and the Yggy stays.

mahler123
3,029 posts
 
I picked up a Node2 that was a demo unit from a shop that was closing a year ago.  I already used a Vault2 in my main system and a Node2 in my living room system, to which I recently added an Anthem AVR.  The demo unit that I acquired was for a basement system that has been cobbled together from various parts and the AVR down there is a Pioneer Elite that is about 15 years old.
  In the living room I run the Node2 digitally into the Anthem,as the newer DAC in the Anthem sounds better than the Node2 DAC.  In the basement I started the Node2 into Pioneer through the Node2 analog outputs, figuring that the DAC in the Bluesound had to have a better DAC than the ancient Pioneer AVR, but that wasn’t the case.  It sounded glaring, really hard to enjoy, but much less so than when I changed to the digital outputs.  Just thought I would pass that along
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