Hello All,
I have an unmodified Bluesound Node 2i which I intend improving. My plan over the next year or so is to have a little experiment with power supplies and DACs for it. I'm currently using my Accuphase CD Player (2004 vintage) which allows me to use its processor stage as an external DAC. To my ears it sounds better than the Node 2i's internal DAC.
I'm considering a Beresford Caiman SEG (http://www.homehifi.co.uk/S/tc-7535.htm2). I'm unlikely to be able to audition it, so looking for help/hints from users.
Firstly 'firmware'. Is this something the punter needs to bother about or do you just get the most up to date firmware with it? Is there any disadvantage in having the latest firmware (SEG 30) or is it a no brainer?
Secondly, I understand the Dorado Mk 2 power supply is recommended for it. How much is this (couldn't find price online). Is use of the Dorado 2 a no-brainer? (Reasonable extra costs are not a deal breaker as the DAC itself is 'only' £180).
Thirdly I have heard mention of power supplies... for a power supply. That sounds like overkill to me, what benefit might a power supply for the Dorado (power supply) bring? For me the flip side would be too much clutter on the bottom shelf of my rack (my current DACs are out of the way in the Node 2i and Accuphase boxes), so if SQ improvements were marginal I'd likely overlook the 2nd power supply.
Really I'm looking for a plug and play solution that works out of the box and doesn't need too much attention (probably I'd want to leave it all on all of the time too). On the plus side I understand the Beresford Caiman SEG may offer rather more of an 'analogue' type warmth than a harsh digital sound (which is more likely to tick my box), it isn't too expensive, it has a used market if I need to move it on and it appears to offer a reasonable start to my DAC comparison journey (I'm not an avid box swapper so hopefully it might be good enough to stay a while). Is this the product I should be considering - and if so how do I find the answers to the above questions? Grateful for your thoughts/comments!