Node N100 audio out question

Answered

Gopal Prabhu

• September 03, 2020 20:43

Hi all 

 

Just wondering if audio will still output out of the rca ports if I hook up an external dac via optical out ? Just want to compare the sound with the internal dac of the N100 vs my external dac. 

 

Thank you 

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• Official comment

  

  Sam R.

  • September 04, 2020 15:55
  • Edited

  Hello Gopal, 

  Yes, all of the outputs on the back of the Node are live, so if you have the Optical connected to an External DAC, the RCA will still be outputting audio (and can be run to another system, even ;) )

  Regards,
  Sam R.

  Edit: spelling
• 

  Gopal Prabhu

  • September 04, 2020 02:17

  Thank you Sam for your response. Do you think it is worth connecting a dac to it or is it pretty much as good as it gets. I understand the subjectivity involved, and also think that it sounds pretty darn good. However, I am looking for the 'best' possible sound. Whatever that may mean. Hope that makes sense. 

   

  Thank you kindly 

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  Sam R.

  • September 04, 2020 16:01

  You are correct in saying it is very subjective. 

  If you have an External DAC currently, it would be best to compare them (connect the Node to it via Optical and Analog, and switch between these sources on your External DAC/External equipment) to find which you prefer (as we say, "let your ears decide"). 

  That being said, it sounds like you enjoy the Node's DAC output as it is. It may be a good idea to stick with it for a while so you save up and sink some money into upgrades for the other components in your audio system.

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  Gopal Prabhu

  • September 04, 2020 16:22

  Thanks Sam for your reply. One last question , this time about the software. I just added a new album to my share and  could not find it on the bluos app. Do I have to reindex my entire collection every time an addition is made to it ? I ask because my library is rather large with around 40K plus songs. It takes around 6 hours for the software to go through them all. Is there any other way to do it ? 

   

  Thank you much 

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  Sam R.

  • September 04, 2020 16:29

  Yes, you would need to reindex every time you add a library. 

  That being said, if it takes around 6 hours, you may be doing the Rebuild Index (Help > Diagnostics > Rebuild Index). This deletes the old index and builds a new one from scratch. 

  For a quick update when adding a new album, it would be faster to use the Settings > Music Library > Reindex Music Collection. The just goes over the old index and updates if it finds any changes. 

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  Gopal Prabhu

  • September 04, 2020 19:18

  Thanks for the reply.  

   

  Best 

  Gopal

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  Gopal Prabhu

  • September 07, 2020 21:37

  Hi Sam, just a quick note to tell you that I did compare the onboard dac with an external one. I used my Monoprice Monolith THX AAA headphone amp/dac via optical out. 

  Very happy to report that the onboard dac is very very good. It went toe to toe with my monolith dac which has Dual AKM 4493 DACs. I could barely hear any difference. If there is any, it is very very slight. 

  I have decided to use onboard audio going forward. 

  Thank you for making this most excellent product. You can be very proud of your work on it. 

  Best wishes 

  Gopal 

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  Sam R.

  • September 08, 2020 16:40

  Brilliant, thank you for letting us know. Happy listening!

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