Iirc the stacatto op amps go slightly more in that direction over the vivids. Though it’s been too long since I last heard it.
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Awesome. There are still a few to be found in Europe at the moment although they are getting very scarce.
I’ve been looking at those too but I can’t be sure if they will tip it too far. I think I’ll try a vivid and see how it sits.
Thanks you three, invaluable knowledge!
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@krack is a man of taste incase anyone is wondering
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I’ll have to shelve that idea for now. Burson opamps are very scarce right now, singles are selling for as much as pairs when you can find them at all. An exercise in being content with what I have!
Forgive me for butting into something I have little knowledge about, but would these ones not work? And you could sell one if you only need one?
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Not butting in at all and those are exactly the kind of pairs I’ve been finding. You are right I could sell one but I don’t enjoy second hand selling as it gives me a fair amount of stress so I had not really thought of that. Thank you!
I’ll think about it. I am happy with the sound fed from the Jnog, it is marginally less refined than from the BF2 but I only notice if I focus on it. It’s that thing isn’t it? The itch to always try to get the most out of gear, to find another rabbit hole to focus and never say “there, everything is perfect.”
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Haha, I feel you about the second hand selling xD If it’s not popular, then it’s very hard to sell and sitting on something for months just isn’t pleasant.
There is, of course, also the single one which I assume is the one you meant when you said they sell as much as double. How much would you ideally want to pay? If you don’t have an account on the site I could negotiate with the seller. I do most of my sales on there so I have good ratings which helps.
It most certainly is. 
I’ve upgraded a little faster than I would normally because I kept chasing that “better and awe-inducing” experience.
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Working out how much to ask for and negotiating are some of my least favourite parts of it 
I have seen that site, it seems to be Germany only so I have never used it at all. I really appreciate your offer to help out.
That’s the kind of price new single V6s were going for before the current shortage. I’m not sure how I feel about that. Again… how much do I want an incremental improvement for that price sooner rather than later…
I’m going to have a look at the Staccato opamps again. It might also be interesting to go for something other than the obvious and I’m getting interested in some of the boutique European gear. I was looking at Atoll gear the other day. Never heard of it but as far as I can tell very sort after in their native France.
Thanks @gris , I’ll have a think and get in touch if I decide to go with that opamp, really appreciate your help!
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Of course, anytime. I hope you find something fantastic that suits your taste. 
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Does it make more sense to buy a DDC (Denafrips Gaia or Hermes, Singxer SU-6) to connect between my Bluesound Node and Rockna Wavedream or to replace the Node with some streamer in the 1-1.5K range (Lumin 1 Mini or something similar)?
What’s the budget all in? What are your priorities, do you like the Bluesound interface?
You can do one or both. I would say with a high level of confident that even just putting a DDC in between the Bluesound and the RWD DAC will show improvement. Some Many DDCs including the Singxer require a USB auido in. Others like the Gaia can use Coax, AES or Toslink audio in.
The Node has usb out functionality (with one of the latest firmware updates) so it’ll work with most DDCs.
I do know of two people selling a Hermes and Gaia so those are also more flexible options (but twice the cost of the Singxer and Gustard).
I guess I’m used to the Node UI by now. Roon works well with it, but I’m having less reasons to use Roon these days. I wish the Qobuz interface was a bit better but it’s manageable. Could always be nice to upgrade the experience.
Definitely highest priority is sound quality and get the most out of the chain I have. I’m also planning my next moves with integrated/power amps and speakers so this system will move to the living room probably.
Total budget I guess is somewhere around $2K. Can stretch by a little if makes sense.
I don’t know to compare how much a difference would be a $2K streamer or streamer+ddc be versus adding a $400 Iris or SU-2 to the Node hence the question here…
This is solely my opinion and from my experience, but I would go with the $2k streamer. Both would eventually help of course and it’s a solid decision to be off of a PC/phone.
I believe that all of your electronics should align around the same tier of performance. You certainly don’t want to split/compromise with a lower tier streamer and a lower tier DDC just to have both. Again, with digital, you are fighting noise and any compromises will add noise back into your signal.
With how well your DAC and transducers are, you certainly should have a streamer that will keep up with that performance.
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Thanks for the suggestion, any recommendations in the 2K range then? used or new…
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I think Auralic Aries G1 seems to sit right at 1.8-2.1k used.
I have been thinking about all the boxes I have on my table for music listening and was wandering if there is anything on the market that would be performing really well and would be easily movable. I don’t mean DAP portability level but rather something like all in one box that can be just unplugged in one room and plugged in the other.
I would love to be able to get out of my computer for listening on the couch or something.
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Feels like you are thinking Transportables. Portable DAC/Amps! Stuff like the WA8, WA11, Centrance, Ifi Diablo and things if the kind right?
Yes something of that kind. It could be bigger unit than those and for sure it can be something you need to plug in the electricity.
Most important factor is that it performs very well and is easy to move without a need to go through cable hell.
I am not expecting there is something necessarily comparable to my desk set up performance wise but can sacrifice a bit of performance over convenience.
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The ifi signature line is close to that imo
Relatively high performance and the DAC has everything in it but depending on the headphones you might need the dedicated amp as well
It’s obviously not comparable to a full high end chain but if I needed one box on my desk for around 2-3K that’s probably what I would have
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In that case I would have two chains which I am not sure I want to go there. I could keep my vio.and pick up a dac for it but it just is not what I would prefer.
Thanks for the tip btw.
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