DDC Sound Improvements???

@lanx0003 The BS w/LPS has been here for the last 4 years.  Since there is no resale value in it, my thought process was it's cheaper to buy the $900 (open box) DDC than to send $4,000 on the Matrix.  Total cost is $1,850 spread out over four years or $4,000 right now.

Right now I'd rather put that towards the new speakers than another incremental improvement with the digital setup.

I have the digital sorted out that has impressed my local hifi store rep when he heard my system.  Once you remove the bias of "oh you have a Node" and let your ears hear what's being projected, I'm happy "for now".  LOL!!!

The improvements you got very much echo what I experienced adding a DDC.  Enjoy!

OCXO vs. Accusilicon crystals (38ps) on the U18, along with the dual power supplies. It will be nice if U26 also publishes its jitter performance (I guess it will be on par with any other OCXO; usually under 10ps).  I wonder if using the further-refined (yet still dirt cheap) Node Nano with a 5V/3A LPS like the iFi iPower X could bring the combo to about 80-85% (just a hopeful guesstimate) of the NT-1.  At $379, the Node Nano is the best streamer under $900 that I have tried.  Detail and musical with weighty low ends.  According to trustworthy reviewers, the Nano sounds significantly better than the old Node. You may also be able to reuse the LPS.  It’s important to use a 3A-rated LPS even though the Nano only requires a minimum of 2A on paper. Try ordering a returnable unit from Amazon first—and thank me later.

@lanx0003 

i still have a modded node n130 (s booster) as well as a node nano here, both driven by 5v lps’s -- they sound the same to me from their spdif as well as their usb outs (into various dacs - lampizator msb weiss chord)

not unexpectedly, they are both outperformed by my auralic aries g1.1 as well as my grimm (using its spdif out) but the performance margin is fairly small/subtle

i have not tried the matrix unit, which seems to be the current flavor of the month touted by churn and burn reviewers

the gustard units are very well built, sound quite good (i really enjoyed my time with the r26 and M18)

@jjss49  

My impression of the BS line of streamers has always been ICON > Nano > Node X (or ES A6) > the older Node 130 or 132, based on the descriptive statements provided by Tarun about the sound of BS. There are also a handful of feedback reports and reviews stating that the older Nodes are beaten by the Wiim Ultra. That was why I never bothered to consider BS until the Nano and ICON arrived. Now your mention that the old Node (with an LPS mod) and the Nano (with LPS) sound alike kind of surprises me.

Anyway, my proposed upgrade path is purely based on the aforementioned notion. If I were the OP, I would not be content with achieving only about 60% of the target sound performance. If not the Nano, there must be some other higher-end yet still affordable streamer alternative that could get you there with the help of a capable DDC—perhaps the ICON or Rivo+. 

Maybe I’ll try the U26 myself and see how much it can elevate my system. This curiosity really drives me nuts sometimes.