I would go for the Cambridge over the Bluesound myself well regarded for its price. I had the Node 2i for a while and was underwhelmed by their app it does a lot but none of it very well and I found their service a bit meh, but to each their own. Plenty of other options for less than a new Naim, Lumin U1 mini, Matrix Element I, Ifi Zen Stream.
2 Likes
I have the CXN V2 and with a Qutest it performs brilliantly. Not sure how much better it is than a Node but it supports all major streaming platforms plus ROON.
ChrisSU, thanks for your replies.
What I was trying to figure out was this:
If I were to purchse, for example, a Node and then later add an nDac to it, presumably this would now sound better.
So far, so good!
But, if I were later still to obtain an NDS2 or NDX2, would the nDAC still serve as an upgrade to them?
Or, would the DAC quality in these streamers have surpasseed that offered by the nDAC, by this point, making the nDAC now redundant?
Hello,
actually working with the Bluesound Node on a SN3. As already mentionned by others, good streamer with nice corresponding app and added a Teddy Pardo power supply to lift up SQ. Pleased with this digital part of my sound system while looking around and saving funds for a more performant replacement.
Hi, there is no NDS2!? The NDAC was certainly an upgrade on the internal DAC on the original NDX. The improved NDX2 closes the gap somewhat but for me the NDAC is still an upgrade, and at used prices, a pretty cheap one.
The other possible route is to put a PSU on the NDX2 such as an XPS.
You really need to listen to these combinations yourself as personal preference comes into play and we will not always reach the same conclusions.
Some great advice above, I started a thread covering my own thought processes around streaming options with Naim kit. If it is if any use
I’m still using a NP5 and Hugo mk1 - it sounds fabulous. I suspect a ND5 XS2 is in my future, for simplicity. The SQ isn’t a match for my Hugo when I listened to one, but definitely got closer with an upgraded, Naim, interconnect.
Good luck 
Sorry, I meant ND5-XS2 and NDX2 not NDS2 and NDX2
It was getting too late at night for me!
Another vote for the Blusound here, like you I was curious and dipping my toes, auditioned a Node 2i and it stayed. For the money I doubt theres anything else out there to beat it until you start spending Naim or similar entry level price points.
Great SQ, suppports just about any streaming platform your likely to want, very reliable and stable over wifi.
To be honest, with a good high quality stream there are times when it can give my fairly advanced on the upgrade path LP12 a run for its money.
And I understand the Node has now been further improved over the 2i.
Depending how serious you want to be with streaming and the law of diminishing returns you might find the Node to be perfectly adequate for quite a while, had it about 4 or 5 years now (I think)
3 Likes
Just to clarify I mean the Node 2i, a decent used model could be a good bargain or the newer “improved” version.
Not the earlier Node model though that pre dates the 2i, just to confuse matters I see Bluesound are now naming its latest iteration The Node 
Yes, I agree! A curious decision on the model designations!
I have been recently trying to confirm my understanding of the ascending order of things!
As far as I can tell, so far, the latest (2021?) model is referred to as “Node N130”
Am I correct? Is this the very latest model?
A second hand Auralic Aries mini is another option worth considering. I have only used it for streaming from Apple Music with the intention of hearing new music which I might then buy in physical form. With this limited intention I am not bothered that it doesn’t match my other sources, although it’s very listenable. This raises the question of what you mean by dipping your toe in - what do you want to find out?
You could also consider the WiiM Mini streamer. I have bought one recently and have been very pleased with it. I am using the optical output into a Chord DAC and find the sound quality excellent. Good for up to 24/192. Extremely good app, as well.
Peter
I “dipped my toes” earlier this year and bought the latest version of the Node to go in the bedroom system of Nait 5i / CD5i / Tannoy 603’s.
I think it’s great but I’m no expert regarding streaming and didn’t do a comparison so can’t comment on whether it’s better than x or y.
In fact I was so impressed that I bought a second one for the main rig, fully expecting it to be shown up by the NAC 252 / NAP 300DR. Not so, while it isn’t as good as the Xerxes 20plus or the CDS3 it is perfectly listenable and it’s great to have radio again after last year’s storms brought down the Galaxie 23 and the NAT05’s place on the rack was taken by a SCDR for the Superline.
Hope you enjoy the one you plump for.
Just looked again on Bluesounds website and its simply called NODE at £549, its gone up a bit, my Node 2i was about £400 iirc but as I mentioned it has undergone further improvements with the renamed NODE.
If you buy direct from Bluesound they offer a useful 30 day trial, although you might find it a bit cheaper elsewhere if you do a search. Personally I would buy from Bluesound and get the 30 days or find a dealer that will do likewise, mine did.
I’m guessing that a good used Node 2i could be had for about £200 - 250. I just had a look on ebay and ridiculously there are sellers still asking full price of £499 for “new” but obviously now out of date 2i’s which makes the new NODE at full price £549 a no brainer really.
I think the model history is Node, Node 2, Node 2i and now to confuse matters NODE. Each an improvement over its predecesdor, but why couldnt they have just called it Node 3. I guess you could email Bluesound for clarity if you need but really all that matters is that you get a 2i or latest NODE not the earlier versions.
Likewise, initially to trial new music and still mostly for that reason, but I have found that I increasingly enjoy listening to streams via my Node 2i as a source in its own right (usually Qobuz, Tidal or downloads via a connected USB 2tb expansion drive), in some instances I’m just preferring the LP or CD sources simply because I like to own a physical copy of my music not because it sounds better neccesarily.
Similar to @Dreadatthecontrols - I bought an s/h node 2i for £250 really to allow me to listen music that I may then buy on vinyl. It sounds really good- although on an a-b like for like comparison is nowhere near as good as my middling LP12- to my ears of course.
It’s great value and many find that the addition of a chord qutest elevates it to a really competent performer. Possibly my next purchase subject to approval of my business case 
Hi. I bought an ND5XS2 the day it came out and it was and still does sound fabulous. I use it wirelessly and have no problems streaming from Qobuz at 192/24. The current iteration of the app and firmware support Qobuz natively, and the app developers have done a great job - it is snappy and makes browsing the service a breeze. I can’t comment about its outdated tech - as I said it sounds great.
The blue sound node is one of the best value buys n Hifi at the moment. I got mine after auditioning a nd5xs2 and and others as the differences were negligible versus the massive price variance. I know this is a Naim forum but their streamers entry level are very expensive for what you get. As a transport and roon endpoint the node is excellent and the onboard dac/analogue output stage is more than adequate. Add in a stand-alone quality dac and you have a Digital front end that can hold its own in any system…
2 Likes
What, the ND5XS2?
Doubt it.
I think your reply comes across a bit wrong, perhaps because you may have missed the unquoted final sentence:
More people seem able to hear differences and improvements from the DAC than from the streamer. I interpreted the “more than adequate” comment to mean that putting a Node stand alone in front of a Naim amp would work okay, but that the DAC is the weak link in this box and that is easily remedied.
Many folks here upgrade to an external DAC on the ND5XS2 and use it as a pure streamer, although by all accounts it’s DAC is also more than adequate (and likely better than the one in the Node).
I wonder what the comparison between these two boxes might be when feeding a the same higher quality external DAC… and where the value for money equation would solve? Sadly, I’ve not done this comparison… but even an iPhone or a Pi into an RME does a credible job going into a Nova, which for me at least raises the question of just how much I’d spend on a pure streamer. Their respective features and compatibility with preferred online services might actually count for more than what may very well be small (negligible?) sonic differences.
I took the post from @KiwiMarra as raising this aspect of making a purchase decision rather than dismissing or badmouthing the ND5SX. Fair enough if you feel that the streamer output from the Naim box is a huge leap ahead of the BlueSound, of course - but then it would be cool to know which DAC you like for them and how different they sound.