Alternatives to 6000n / node 2i

albertociarr

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Feb 9, 2021
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Hi everyone. I would like to add a proper streamer to my system, since after moving I don't have that many Cds and use more and more streaming (Spotify and tidal). I must say I am quite a beginner, so pardon my inexperience.

My amp is a cambridge audio cxa80, which supposedly has a good dac, so my plan would be to feed the digital output of the streamer to it. My budget is ideally around 500-600 euro... Which rules out the cxn v2 sadly. What could be a good alternative? I have read a lot about audiolab 6000n and bluesound node 2i, but I wonder if there are alternatives I am not aware of, especially since I do not necessarily need to use the dac.
Thanks for the help!
 

Gray

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I think you've picked the 2 popular choices around that price.
CA sell refurbished CXNs online, trouble is, they want £749. Refurbished is, no doubt, virtually 'as new' but then so is that price.

There are cheaper streamers, but they may not be as good as those you've mentioned.
(Doubt the sound would be too much different through your DAC, but control apps and what services they can / can't stream, might be important considerations for you).
 

albertociarr

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Hi! Thanks for the reply. Where I live, the bluesound is a bit more expensive than the audiolab (100 difference). I read that it has a better interface, but is it worth it? I have hear conflicting statements about which one works better.
 

Alkot

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hi) I have the same choice. I'm going to buy a streamer for arcam SA20 amp. I haven't decided yet about connection streamer-amp. I would go with node 2i because it's reliably controlled from different phones. Honestly I haven't tried other streamers))) I would consider other options.
Almost all participants are with Cambridge Audio... interesting...why?
 
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albertociarr

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Feb 9, 2021
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hi) I have the same choice. I'm going to buy a streamer for arcam SA20 amp. I haven't decided yet about connection streamer-amp. I would go with node 2i because it's reliably controlled from different phones. Honestly I haven't tried other streamers))) I would consider other options.
Almost all participants are with Cambridge Audio... interesting...why?

Hi! I have also read that app-wise bluesound is better. In my case I went with Cambridge Audio for the amp because I got a good deal on a second hand device...and it seems that there are more of them on the used devices market.
 
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eight1zero

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hi guys
i can give u some first hand experience as i have tried both 6000n and node 2i. i ended up getting the 6000n only and only because of the dac in it. it sounded a lot better.. after a while i got an external dac and sold the 6000n because of the user experience of the dts play fi app .. if u are planing to u use it with an external dac and have the funds please get the bluesound node 2i. it has all the feature one can imagine in a modern streamer like airplay 2, roon ready and now tidal connect. i am in a same boat as u guys. i am also looking at the ayrlic s50 pro so i can save some money.. u guys can check out the thread i have started.
hope this helps
cheers
 

superhans

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Does the OP care about Hi-Res audio ?
One thing to be careful of is many cheap streamers - Arylic, Yamaha etc have fixed digital outputs. limited to 16/44.1
The Bluesound does not have this limitation has a better app and all playback is gapless - 3 for 3
The others can't match this. Worth noting!
 

Alkot

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Feb 3, 2021
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Does the OP care about Hi-Res audio ?
One thing to be careful of is many cheap streamers - Arylic, Yamaha etc have fixed digital outputs. limited to 16/44.1
The Bluesound does not have this limitation has a better app and all playback is gapless - 3 for 3
The others can't match this. Worth noting!
It’s definitely good to know. Thank you
 

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