Vinshine wins again!! LHY Audio Bluesound Node Power Supply Upgrade rocks!

[@nonametofame]

This is one of the valuable, fun finds that makes this hobby so enjoyable. Good on you, Nemo, for continuing to look out for those on a budget.

[@NemoPropaganda]

Always!! I love my big dollar gear but I also love the reasonable stuff too!

[@waltergist8923]

I agree . I did this mode almost two years ago and while I don't remember all the details I observed at that time everything you've noted rings true. I'd also put in a plug for Vinshine Audio and the fine support they provide.

[@bengleason508]

Congratulations on 20K!

[@NemoPropaganda]

thank you sir!!

[@maciejmironowicz2501]

Congrats Brother!❤ Do you still love atc scm11? ❤❤❤

[@NemoPropaganda]

@@maciejmironowicz2501 yes, big time!

[@grahi01]

After watching your video, I decided to purchase the kit and do the upgrade. Everything you said was spot on. This is the best value upgrade I’ve ever done. It injected life and air to the soundstage. BTW, I’m using the Bluesound Node like a streamer, mainly.. Just amazing.. Thank you!!!

[@NemoPropaganda]

nice! glad you dig it my man!!

[@fletchermunson6225]

Thanks Nemo. Before Alvin offered his product, I ordered a similar LPS conversion from PD Creative in Poland. Mine installed similarly and I had similar results. Loved the conversion. I bought my LPS from Ebay and added it to my modified Node. A very worthwhile conversion for better streaming.

[@NemoPropaganda]

Yes sir!! You were one of the people that got me to pull the trigger and actually try this. I remember you telling me about it. My only regret is not doing this sooner!! Now sadly I do need a new node, my iternal clock is failing and I'm starting to get some skips like an old cd player. Edit* to be clear my node was skipping already before the upgrade, part of me was hoping the PSU might fix it but that was a long shot.

[@CarlVanDoren61]

W4S uses Femto clock 😊​@@NemoPropaganda

[@irisfinchmusic]

Nemo, I'm glad you're so happy with the new power supply! Congrats! I've made 2 streamer upgrades in the past year. I've been SO SURPRISED at what an improvement each made. Most recently, I was lucky to find a nice, used Innuos Zenith. I didn't expect to keep it -- I just wanted to try it out for curiosity's sake. Well... WOW!! I'm definitely keeping it. The music just "pops" out of thin air -- and sounds so musical. It's worth every penny! Not a subtle improvement by any means, but a really large one!

[@NemoPropaganda]

I have heard that also, I've had my eye on innous but I'm scared to get away from the BluOS software since I only use my cell phone to controlt he streamer.

[@irisfinchmusic]

... Innuos has a pretty good mobile app -- Innuos Sense. (iOS, android) It's integrated with Tidal, Qobuz, Deezer, Tidal Connect & also does podcasts or radio. I've got it setup with Tidal -- it's working quite well. Unfortunately, it doesn't do Airplay or Bluetooth, so I'm gonna have to keep my old streamer in the system for that. I have an old Squeezebox in the bedroom. It connects to Squeezebox and Sonos endpoints!

[@E.T.Persson]

Great stuff. Great tip. I went from Node 2 to Volumio Rivo and it was an obvious improvement in every way. Then added SBooster LPSU and another step again. The Rivo has som hickups in my setup. Need reboot once a day. But the Rivo also has many many features. 15 band eq. Got it for 800€ .

[@NemoPropaganda]

nice!! that little glitch sounds frustrating though, hopefully that gets fixed.

[@mocomike01]

You should do a similar video with the DMP-A6 linear power supply, and compare that with this Node LPS upgrade.

[@jorgebravo7980]

Agree! I’m on the edge on buying that upgrade

[@yellow_noise3]

@@jorgebravo7980just buy. Never come back to previous crappy psu

[@NemoPropaganda]

I don't usually review tweaks & mods, this was something I bought for myself personally as part of my core system.

[@Audfile]

@@mocomike01 linear supplies are a really old technology. Switching all the way as long as it's a high quality piece.

[@nacarp2000]

​@@AudfileIt's the results that matter.

[@DG-rc6rr]

Excellent video. Thank you Nemo.

[@JR-ho5qm]

Great video! There isn’t much out there for videos on this upgrade. I have been curious for a while. 👍🏻

[@NemoPropaganda]

I felt the same, that's why I just ordered one to try for myself. I'm still very surprised by how big this upgrade is versus its cost.

[@k2uheart]

Tidal Connect - Node (N130) - (Internal DAC) - NAD 316BEE - JBL4312 (70s Original) a much bigger upgrade than I expected. A lot wider and deeper sound stage. Much clearer and higher separation. I am new on this hobby and so far I didn’t get the phase “Unveil the curtain”. Now I know. Thank you for your review. It helped me a lot. PS. Mine is PD Creative one. But pretty sure that result is very similar.

[@NemoPropaganda]

awesome!! You had the same experience as me, it seems like all the kits produce similar results :)

[@bebbop]

This upgrade has a very large impact on improving the sound in the analog section, i.e. the internal DAC. I'm curious how the Node's built-in DAC compares to the Ares Dac.

[@NemoPropaganda]

I'm not sure, I havn't used the internal dac on the node in a long time but I've talked to many people who have done this upgrade and only use an internal dac and their result has been the same as mine.

[@bebbop]

I went a step further and, having a Node 2i with modification and linear power supply, out of curiosity, I bought Node N130 with modification and linear power supply. The newer version goes a step further compared to the older version. Even more spacious sound (better depth), better layering, better controlled bass, more detailed treble and more subdued in brighter recordings, the midrange is warmer, more tangible (less sibilance). In my opinion, it is worth switching to the 2021 version (N130).

[@NemoPropaganda]

I'll probably end up doing that since my nodes internal clock has been failing for some time now, it skips like an old CD player lol. Do you use usb with the N130? That's something the 2i model doesn't have so I could never test usb against coax.

[@bebbop]

@@NemoPropaganda I use the built-in DAC all the time. I don't have a better external DAC. It plays with the Willsenton R8 tube amplifier and Falcon LS3/5a Gold Badge loudspeakers. Generally, I bought the N130 precisely because of the USB audio, so that in the future it could play with the Gustard R26, Ares 15th, or maybe a used Pontus II. However, I did not expect that it would play so well after the modification with linear power supply. And the new version will be even better than 2i. At the moment, I don't feel the need to change the streamer to a more expensive one. In the future, I will probably buy a used Eversolo A6 Master Edition or Lumin D2 and buy a linear power supply.

[@User_not_found_403]

love your content - thanks for staying authentic

[@NemoPropaganda]

glad you're enjoying it good sir!

[@seanb3303]

The dominant distortion byproduct of a switching power supply or switching amp is IMD..not good. Linear power supply dominant distortion is 2nd order..same as tube amps. What does this mean? Nemo is not imagining the sound differences. Also probably explains why he doesn’t love switching amps (class d)

[@NemoPropaganda]

thats good to know, perhaps some of us are more sensitive to that IMD, I know some people that love their class d units but when I come over and hear them I hear that same thing I can't describe, there's almost a coating of grit on the music, it just never sounds right to me, always sounds somewhat artificial regardless of the tone.

[@Audfile]

The quality of your power supplies are everything.

[@NemoPropaganda]

I honestly had no idea they were so important, but I'm a believer now!!

[@Audfile]

@NemoPropaganda oh yeah, any time there's an upgrade available I'm all over it. I learned this a long time ago with a bunch of equipment but started with amps. For a while I had my then amplifiers on a linear supply, them switching, then batteries, then something wicked solid state. Every time there was a huge difference. Amplifier guys will tell you the most important part of the amp is the power supply. And that goes for everything else that needs one. Lots of equipment will offer these upgrades for that reason. It's also why some low end gear can look super appealing inside with the music parts, but then you will see the power supply made of saltine crackers.

[@jakus514]

Great video dude! Pretty cool the node can hang once you perform that upgrade, because it really isnt amazing by itself. The ecosystem and app are perfect, but sound wise, its pretty grey scale! I think our systems are in a similar range, also have buchardts, and once i upgraded to a used high end streamer, and upgraded the power supply on it too, there was no going back. Full color, depth, decay, holographics, tonality, everything really. Its nuts comparatively. Just did an a/b for fun, and couldnt believe the difference. I think the saying about source being the single most important factor next to room treatments is definitely still true when i comes to streaming, and id throw clean power in there as well 🤘

[@NemoPropaganda]

what streamer did you end up going with?

[@jakus514]

@NemoPropaganda Auralic Aries G2.1, and upgraded the psu to Hoer-wege. Look into that combo, most can't tell the difference between it and a high end cd player 🤘 But Aurender would be another good used market option. You and your system deserve better than node for all the fkn awesome work you do for the community, bro!

[@NemoPropaganda]

@@jakus514 wooo that's a pricey one for sure!! That's about inline with what people have told me, $3k+ is where you really see a nice jump in performance. The problem I have with most higher end streamers is the price and the size, my system has been good enough for a long time now. I havn't had the upgrade bug in a long time and actually worry going any further may be a bad thing as some of my music is not the best recording quality.

[@jakus514]

@NemoPropaganda Yep it is, but 3500 used plus psu, and it's as good as you'd ever need for streaming. Like scratching source off the list of potential upgrade brain bugs is a nice feeling lol. And I dunno if I'm right about this or not, but my theory is that it's the speakers and amplification that will lead to that outcome of hearing how crappy your recordings are more so than source. Upgrading source will just give your back end the cleanest possible signal, and it'll all come down to how capable it is of reproducing that information while still retaining it's character or house sound within its limits. Then again, I haven't yet reached the buchardts maximum, as they've revealed every single mod or improvement that I've fed them. It's a conundrum for sure, balecause I also wanna still enjoy my junk recordings too 😅

[@NemoPropaganda]

@@jakus514 Buchardts are very friendly to recording quality, but I also have other speakers that are more revealing so I want to keep my system such that both warm and analytical speakers work :)

[@CarlVanDoren61]

May point out 2i & N130 board difference 2i has one set of wires, N130 two sets 😊

[@Sir_Corgerus]

Idk why but seeing so many caps (or whatever component that is) filling a PCB makes me happy.

[@NemoPropaganda]

same lol

[@MallikReddyk]

Try other LPSUs if you have any that can put out 5v 3A... I realized that the PSUs with lower ripple noise have a darker background and ones with lower output impedance have a more precise image and holography, Have fun..

[@johntucker5994]

Which LPSUs outputting 5V 3A have you found have more precise image and holography? Or generally which LPSUs by company have you found have these characteristics? Thanks.

[@CarlVanDoren61]

U ran UR Node through a power conditioner? Use a Pine Tree 🌲 Iso-Braid SR Denali 6000s v2 20amp Aardvark Classic Ethernet Isolator via (Liquid HiFi) 😊 W4S 10th edition DAC2V2SE Discrete class A output stages DH Labs Toslink Glass Master

[@NemoPropaganda]

Thank you! I have not experimented with power confidtioning yet. That is a big rabbit hole to go down so I'm saving that experience for the future :). I do believe in the technology but I'm also a minimalist so I want to keep my system as simple as possible.

[@CarlVanDoren61]

Upgrade LHY PS DC5v 😊 Definitely takes command Ifi ipower elite 5v awesome! ​@NemoPropaganda

[@nacarp2000]

Did you use USB or Coaxial out from your Node 2i? Great video, I've been interested in this for my Node 2 via Coax to Pontus II.

[@NemoPropaganda]

Node 2i does not have usb out.

[@NemoPropaganda]

I used coax out to ares2, the PSU seems to lower noise floor so the benifit remains even if you are using an external dac.

[@zombielandiii2711]

Hello Nemo, hope youre doing great. Maybe i dont get this right , and frankly i don't know if its related😅 But my question is, if you know this is worth the extra money over a Wiim Ultra? Im a little disappointed with my new Musician Pegasus 2 but I think it's because it has no synergy with my Choco Sound Emei because both are warm. So im looking to a streamer/dac which have a more neutral sound characteristics.

[@NemoPropaganda]

hmmm, I'm not sure honestly. Some people seem to love the wiim stuff, I have not heard it but I have a feeling its a little over hyped. Yeah the choco already has good holographics & tone which is what the R2R dac adds also. Back when Thomas & Stereo reviewed the Ares2 he said if you already have a lot of holographics and three dimensionality you may feel the Ares2 is a small upgrade but if your system is lacking that then you will feel it is a big upgrade. I'm not really a dac expert as most of my experience is with R2R but you may want to look into some chip based DAC or go for speakers that are more analytical. What speakers are you using now?

[@zombielandiii2711]

@@NemoPropaganda Q acoustics Concept 300. Those have treble clarity and bass note by note definition in spades. I like to ask you a question. It seems whatever I watch or read, everyone recommends a DAC as if it is something mandatory. Is that really true? I mean, if my amp sounds good, it is always the case that an external DAC improves the sound? Or is necessary to have "HI End" sound? Hope this makes sense 😊

[@NemoPropaganda]

@@zombielandiii2711 Of course your source is important and part of your digital source is the dac so it does matter but no a dac is not mandatory in my opinion, I used the internal DAC of the node 2i for many years with my Kinki pre/power amps before adding the Ares2. Everything in the chain can have some impact but personally I do not feel the DAC should get so much attention. To me a DAC has always been a nuance change/improvement. I think primarly the amp is the most important, then speakers that pair well with that amp, and the source needs to be good like you don't want to use 256 kb MP3 of course but if you're streaming lossless from something like a Node or Cambridge MXN10 the internal DAC are very "good enough" to enjoy great sound and you can add an external dac in 1-2 years if you start itching for an upgrade :)

[@zombielandiii2711]

@@NemoPropaganda Great! I always enjoy talking to you, so thanks. It's interesting how different persons feel different gear makes more difference or is more important. I don't exactly remember if Thomas and Stereo said the most important part of the chain is Preamp. I also think the amp, but in the past I firmly believed the speakers was the first place. I'm going to take a detour and buy a couple of clones just because I'm very curious but I'm going to assume the risks of reliability and the like. Just a couple to scratch that itch.

[@NemoPropaganda]

@@zombielandiii2711 when I say amp is the most important I'm including the preamp so either pre-power or an AIO integrated, either way, that's the most important. I'm not sure you'll find anything better than the CHoco at a lower price but if you do let me know. That thing is really good!!

[@klc2578]

I heard added the ifi ipower elite PSU sounds better than LHY LPS.

[@NemoPropaganda]

maybe, the iFi power supply is $120 more money though and does not appear to have a detachable cable :(, I wonder if they felt the cable being hard wired internally was of some benifit?

[@klc2578]

@@NemoPropaganda I MOD my iPower Elite with pure silver cable and it does improve the sq, but the main point is the Elite still sound far more better than LPS even with original cable. And it sounds way better than it's cost.

[@Pete.across.the.street]

I did another version of this. It was a good upgrade. These days I think it would be better to just put that money towards a better streamer. A few years ago when a better streamer was a ton more money, it made more sense. But for many the node upgrade will be great. I upgraded my dmp-a8 with a linear power supply and better clocks and it's amazing. Love mods🎉

[@NemoPropaganda]

I hear ya and I'd usually agree but I'm not sure there is a better option for the same money. Most streamers under $1k have similar fidelity. I don't think you can do better in terms of fidelity than the node + LHY kit which totals under $800.

[@Nikita-P]

That’s awesome! Help me understand- I almost got it on my list then realized I’d be going digital out of line - what am I missing :( I hear there are are crazy euro companies doing $1000 chip upgrades to Apple TV to make them audiophile…I’m like wait doesn’t it output HDMI only!?

[@NemoPropaganda]

I don’t understand the question. Can you plz rephrase it?

[@Nikita-P]

@@NemoPropaganda if I’m going out Coax digital - does it still make a different coming if I am skipping the DAC in the bluesound

[@NemoPropaganda]

@@Nikita-P yes, that's how I used it :) the PSU kit lowers the noise floor, it does not matter if you are using the internal dac or external dac, the benifit remains!

[@stevefink6913]

Any chance you could review the Philharmonic BMR Monitors at $1,800/pr or their Ceramic Mini Monitors at $850/Pair vs the SVS Nanos ?!!

[@NemoPropaganda]

I tried emailing them awhile ago and never got any reply :(

[@howardmims8376]

Thank you for the tip

[@NickGiordano-zu4em]

I don’t know about all that , I didn’t hear anything and I did it couple years ago , it didn’t take anything away . I never hear anything differs any but after all my tweaks and upgrades cumulatively it sounds better not by a little

[@NemoPropaganda]

I don't know anything about your system so I can't really comment but the hobby is a personal journey for everyone.

[@LeoRousseau]

I did this upgrade a while back and have not been disappointed... It's all I can afford right now... Not sure what my next streamer will be...

[@bebbop]

Then I guess all that's left is Rose or Lumin :x

[@NemoPropaganda]

For what it's worth after this upgrade and having expiereinced $2000 streamers I don't feel I need any streamer upgrade. From what I've been told by people with more experience is streamer upgrades happen in big price jumps. Like if your stremer is $1k or less you need to jump to around $3000+ to experience an upgrade.

[@LeoRousseau]

From past research, it seems as though the Hifi Rose is a substantial jump in sound quality, but the price jump is like you said.

[@CraftyZA]

10 - 20 minutes? That is working really slow. It took me 10 minutes to remove the old psu, replace those 2 stupid caps sitting against a heatsink. they are rated for 100 degrees Celsius. Every single board will eventually fail. I replaced them with caps rated for 150 celcius made by Vishay. Still keen on linear supply. But I would love to just get the conversion board without the powersupply it self.

[@NemoPropaganda]

what do you mean? You can totally buy the conversion board wtihout the PSU.

[@TD05SSLegacy]

Cool! Wonder if this will work with Bluesound POWERNODE EDGE?

[@NemoPropaganda]

the literature does not make any mention of the EDGE model, I suggest contacting Vinshine Audio.

[@onionknight9431]

You should try LHY OCK2 clock

[@NemoPropaganda]

does it bypass the internal clock or re-clock the existing signal? I must admit my knowledge on clocks is novice at best.

[@emotive7]

Do you feel like you get a decent amount of detail from your Ares 2?

[@erics.4113]

With the new firmware it's highly detailed.

[@NemoPropaganda]

I'm on original firmware.

[@NemoPropaganda]

Yes absolutely, though the rest of my system is fairly analytical so detail was never in short supply to begin with.

[@erics.4113]

@@NemoPropaganda it was always a detailed DAC, the new firmware is worth a shot Nemo. You can always revert it. But I remember you stating your reasons for NOT updating and I respect that.

[@NemoPropaganda]

@@erics.4113 you think so? I don't view the ares2 as a detail focused dac, its detail is good for sure but not like an analytical delta sigma dac or anything like that. It's good detail but in an natural way. Yeah the upgrade is not for me, my system is extremely revealing already, any more and I worry it may start to rip apart recordings too much.

[@adsph]

Thanks for sharing

[@ilianstoimenov6619]

Sounds like another good upgrade to a mass product. But still, it's 50% of the retail price of the Node which is not a negligible.

[@NemoPropaganda]

your perspective is not incorrect per se but I see it a different way. I view it more as the price of the product versus the gains and I feel the gains are very high for the money spent. I also consider that the node/LHY kit/ares2 total $1500 and outperform the Silent Angel stack that cost $2400. I do not believe there is a streamer you can buy for the price of the Node + LHY kit that will outperform that combination. Of course I have not heard every streamer under $1k. Ultimatly the node on its own is a very good product and nobody NEEDS this upgrade but for those that want better performance it is available :)

[@billythestalker]

My next purchase

[@NemoPropaganda]

strongly recommend!! I still can't believe the difference such an inexpensive and little part has made!!

[@michaelwright1602]

Power supplies do matter. ;-)

[@NemoPropaganda]

yes sir!! I didn't realize how important they are until now.

[@MyongGong]

$300? For a power supply?

[@NemoPropaganda]

$130 for the custom board that goes inside the Node and $170 for the PSU, if you have your own PSU you can purchase the board only so no it's not $300 only for the PSU.

[@Jayboulders]

Your DAC is doing the conversion and the power supply has nothing to do with the output of plain old bits. The power supply only cleans up the dac output, not the 1s and 0s being decoded by the ares. You also didn’t mention how you connect to your Ares to the bluesound - USB, coax, optical? Did anything change? Those are all details that really matter if you’re talking nuances like power supply. I typically trust all your reviews (I literally just bought the SB 2000 beast on your review today) If it sounds good to you, great, but this is confirmation bias to the nth degree. Also, if you’re running your Aries through any other input, except USB, you are losing a ton of quality and not even utilizing the internal FPGA reclocking.

[@NemoPropaganda]

I think its important to point out this is not a review for the dac, your expectation of me to discuss the dac in further detail is unreasonable. I'd also like to mention that I do not have any control over the opinion you have of me, if it's positive that's great but if its negative or you have some criticism about me or the way I do things I ask that you keep it to yourself. I certainly care about personal criticism if its coming from a loved one in my personal life but I am not interested in the criticism that comes from strangers on the internet. I make myself available to a very wide range of people and in the interst of my time I must set expectations and standards. I feel this is a very reasonable one. If you cannot comply with this I understand, there are other content creators you may enjoy interacting with more but I do not think anyone would enjoy such criticism, escpecially as a first interaction. Again to be perfectly clear if you enjoy my content great, if you don't that's okay too but do not express your dissatisfaction to me, I am not interested in a strangers assessment of me or my content.

[@backrack01]

Off topic.. but.. Denaphrips is imploding.

[@NemoPropaganda]

how do we know that? Did they do something bad? I know vinshine & denafrips parted ways but I haven't heard any rumors of foul play or anything like that.

[@backrack01]

@NemoPropaganda just the vibe I get. The audiophiles and fans of denaphrips are fed up with them. They are acting like a Kickstarter company.

[@Pete.across.the.street]

Norton says their site is malicious now. The Chinese government probably forced them out of Singapore, that would be my bet anyway

[@backrack01]

@Pete.across.the.street they're a mess. They put out a video meant to show their new direction going forward, and it was this A.I. generated guy talking out of sync with the audio. It was odd.

[@NemoPropaganda]

@@backrack01 ah I see, I have my personal opinions on the divide, i don't think it was a good move but I'm sure they had their reasons. Denafrips has always been an interesting company.

[@yellow_noise3]

Same kit 75$ on aliexpress. Vinshine takes 3x more. C’mon

[@NemoPropaganda]

That’s board only, you have to also buy the 25va psu which is another $88 plus shipping from alibaba so no not 3x brother. And you can never be 100% sure its authentic. Maybe it is, maybe not.

[@Pete.across.the.street]

That counterfeit aliexpress stuff will burn your house down too. So add a few hundred thousand+ to that price