What's your 2021 "Gear" resolution?

After a quiet year and a half on upgrades, I might quite a few in 2020. The only thing I see on the horizon for 2021 is a retip of my Soundsmith, and probably a little more DIY experimentation. I built a power cord last week and I’m already thinking about what I’m going to change for the next one. I also have plans to build a set of bookshelf speakers for a friend of mine.
 
2021 Upgrade resolutions:

1) Really want to get rid of the Cambridge CXA80 for a Moon 240i. Love the looks and gets 5 stars in What HiFi. Oh and a 10 year warranty makes it desirable too. It will also tie in with the end game of all equipment costing approx 25% each meaning I will definitely have to upgrade the Insight at some point down the line for a 20/20.
2) I really want a Project V2 RCM. Wanted to get into cleaning my records since the turn of the year. I'm a bit of a purve and most definitely cleaning, mofi sleeves and protecting my records for my kids is a huge part of the attraction.
3) Play with a new cartridge for the P3. Had a good few bits of advice form some of the N&G legends. The exact is good but I have an urge to broaden my knowledge with other company's carts. How do they sound, will they make my system better. Ultimately leading me to knowing what I want in my endgame system.
4) Even though it's her Xmas present this year, I already want my baby girls Crossly fucking gone! So hopefully 2021 is the year I get her a proper TT and get her into this beautifully addictive world and make her the 2nd coolest person in the Jenkins house!
 
I had so many grand plans, but due to forced change in jobs, the current resolution is to not bet anything major until I'm up and running with a new gig. But I'll lay out the list for fun. Fingers crossed that things will get back on track quickly.

So what I should be focusing on is room treatments of some kind. I have a big ol' dip around 50hz based on listening and some general tests, likely due to cancellation in my smaller room, so exploring bass traps should be top of the list. It's just overwhelming and not as fun as gear though if I'm honest, so it might wait. Lol. I also just don't really stress about it too much because things generally sound great.

I've also been eyeing upgrading my digital end. I was pretty dead set on a separate streamer and DAC, but then new things got announced that totally threw a wrench in the plans. The majority of my digital is streaming is through Tidal, and the announcement of Tidal Connect kind of made that a must have feature for me. It's just exponentially easier to use from what I've seen just using it for Chomecast. Pair that with the newly announced Modwright tube upgrade for the CXN, well that honestly has my attention a little more than separates. It brings all the key design features I was looking at into one box. Tidal Connect, dual linear power supply for the DAC and analog stages, class A tube analog output circuit. Fully balanced design is a nice bonus too. And at the end of the day the all in expense is slightly less then what I was thinking I would end up spending on separates - it's just too interesting not to try.

So as of now, the long term plans that could happen in 2021 if things go well...
  • CXN Modwright mod
  • LPS for my 20/20
  • Experimenting with some form of bass trap that is functional but doesn't ruin the aesthetic of the room and destroy the bank
Beyond that, I'm always eyeing new cables. Cartridge will likely need to be replaced and possibly upgraded by the end of the year as well.
 
HayesWeighsIn said:
Tidal Connect seems like the ticket if it works the same as Spotify’s.
Click to expand...
All signs point to it working almost exactly like Spotify Connect. I simply cannot wait for this to start hitting devices, and I hope this becomes the standard for all streaming services moving forward.

HayesWeighsIn said:
but $550 for a streamer seems kind of insane to me? Am I crazy?
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It is and it isn't. The Pi options mentioned beat it in price, but there just aren't many options at a much lower cost ready to go off the shelf.
I think a significant part of the expense is the partner programs and API access with Spotify/Tidal/etc as well as the actual dev cost of reliable software and apps. I'm not denying that it's a lot of money. But if you want to advance beyond Bluetooth, it's also somewhat the nature of the beast.
 
displayname said:
All signs point to it working almost exactly like Spotify Connect. I simply cannot wait for this to start hitting devices, and I hope this becomes the standard for all streaming services moving forward.


It is and it isn't. The Pi options mentioned beat it in price, but there just aren't many options at a much lower cost ready to go off the shelf.
I think a significant part of the expense is the partner programs and API access with Spotify/Tidal/etc as well as the actual dev cost of reliable software and apps. I'm not denying that it's a lot of money. But if you want to advance beyond Bluetooth, it's also somewhat the nature of the beast.
Click to expand...
Tbh I think the pi options could work depending on how much you wasn't the accessible UI of the bluesound, you can do pretty good with squeezebox and you can use an external DAC like a Modi, a topping, or a dragonfly for maybe 100-200 bucks and have just as good sound but just with a less simplistic interface and based on integration from squeezebox then tidal connect (aka no mqa)..
@HayesWeighsIn do you need tidal and mqa or can you work with qobuz or Amazon hd
 
duke86fan said:
Tbh I think the pi options could work depending on how much you wasn't the accessible UI of the bluesound, you can do pretty good with squeezebox and you can use an external DAC like a Modi, a topping, or a dragonfly for maybe 100-200 bucks and have just as good sound but just with a less simplistic interface and based on integration from squeezebox then tidal connect (aka no mqa)..
@HayesWeighsIn do you need tidal and mqa or can you work with qobuz or Amazon hd
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Yeah, it looks like a totally functional solution. It's just not quite as plug and play. MQA is a good point because a lot of people care about that. Personally I never miss it, and it is in no way a decision factor for me at this point. Simply a nice bonus if I like everything else about the unit.
 
displayname said:
MQA is a good point because a lot of people care about that. Personally I never miss it, and it is in no way a decision factor for me at this point. Simply a nice bonus if I like everything else about the unit.
Click to expand...
i mostly say that because the big thing that is making him interested is tidal connect.. which the only gimmick from using something like UPnP or airplay is that its seemlessly integrated into the phone app and give MQA. if he doesn't need it and just wants high res, im pretty sure qobuz would be cheaper for him and he would be able to have integration pretty easily with a lot of streamers including a pi setup
 
duke86fan said:
i mostly say that because the big thing that is making him interested is tidal connect.. which the only gimmick from using something like UPnP or airplay is that its seemlessly integrated into the phone app and give MQA. if he doesn't need it and just wants high res, im pretty sure qobuz would be cheaper for him and he would be able to have integration pretty easily with a lot of streamers including a pi setup
Click to expand...

It’s not that simple. It’s not about the file carrier, it’s about the interfaces talking to one another. As far as I’m aware the only way to do Qobuz to a pi too is through Roon or through the paid extras on Volumio, just the same as Tidal, and that the only way through its own app is airplay which capped at 16/44.1 equally defeats the purpose. That’s what makes Tidal connect such an appealing prospect. It will take a while for it to filter through to the freeware OS for pi streamers.
 
Joe Mac said:
As far as I’m aware the only way to do Qobuz to a pi too is through Roon or through the paid extras on Volumio, just the same as Tidal, and that the only way through its own app is airplay which capped at 16/44.1 equally defeats the purpose
Click to expand...
i am pretty sure squeezebox has a plugin but i dunno if it does hi res
 
duke86fan said:
i am pretty sure squeezebox has a plugin but i dunno if it does hi res
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Ah yeah if they have a plugin it’d work alright, squeezebox isn’t a wormhole I’m going down tbh. The only thing with those plugins is that UI on a lot of these freeware products isn’t always the best. Being able to do it from the app is a huge selling point for tidal connect.
 
displayname said:
It is and it isn't. The Pi options mentioned beat it in price, but there just aren't many options at a much lower cost ready to go off the shelf.
I think a significant part of the expense is the partner programs and API access with Spotify/Tidal/etc as well as the actual dev cost of reliable software and apps. I'm not denying that it's a lot of money. But if you want to advance beyond Bluetooth, it's also somewhat the nature of the beast.
Click to expand...
That’s what I’m learning, and it also seems you’re paying a premium for the in-app connectivity, which I certainly understand. That’s definitely the experience I want, @duke86fan. If I’m listening digitally, I don’t want to fuss. I want to be playing from within the app in seconds. Otherwise I’d rather put a record on! I think if Bluesound can get gapless playback to work both in Spotify and Tidal’s apps with connect, that’s likely what I’ll end up doing. Otherwise, I’ll likely stick with Sonos.
 
HayesWeighsIn said:
I think if Bluesound can get gapless playback to work both in Spotify and Tidal’s apps with connect,
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support1.bluesound.com

Does Bluesound offer Gapless Playback?

BLS-KB14-201 Here at Bluesound, we are an alliance of audiophiles with the mission to create innovative wireless digital audio products and technologies, that allow for the most true-to-life music...
support1.bluesound.com support1.bluesound.com

yeah they support gapless
 
duke86fan said:
support1.bluesound.com

Does Bluesound offer Gapless Playback?

BLS-KB14-201 Here at Bluesound, we are an alliance of audiophiles with the mission to create innovative wireless digital audio products and technologies, that allow for the most true-to-life music...
support1.bluesound.com support1.bluesound.com

yeah they support gapless
Click to expand...
In the Bluesound app, yes, but it’s been reported that Spotify Connect doesn’t play gapless on the Node 2i.
 
HayesWeighsIn said:
That’s what I’m learning, and it also seems you’re paying a premium for the in-app connectivity, which I certainly understand. That’s definitely the experience I want, @duke86fan. If I’m listening digitally, I don’t want to fuss. I want to be playing from within the app in seconds. Otherwise I’d rather put a record on! I think if Bluesound can get gapless playback to work both in Spotify and Tidal’s apps with connect, that’s likely what I’ll end up doing. Otherwise, I’ll likely stick with Sonos.
Click to expand...
I just tested Spotify Connect thru my Node 2i (selecting the Node just like I might select a BT speaker, etc) and it played gaplessly for me. I grabbed something by Max Richter (Sleep), which continued the music without a beat into the next track just to be sure. I also played Spotify via the Bluesound app thru the Node - no gap.

I can't recommend the Node 2i enough. I think it sounds great and it hold it's own alongside my other gear. The app is very easy to navigate and hasn't once gotten glitchy. I use Qobuz and Spotify with it and both integrate incredibly well into the Bluesound UI.

There was a $100 off special running about a month ago - maybe that will occur again soon? If you are ok with used, I see them pop up for around $400ish or so, but they get sold pretty quickly.
 
Splunders said:
I just tested Spotify Connect thru my Node 2i (selecting the Node just like I might select a BT speaker, etc) and it played gaplessly for me. I grabbed something by Max Richter (Sleep), which continued the music without a beat into the next track just to be sure. I also played Spotify via the Bluesound app thru the Node - no gap.

I can't recommend the Node 2i enough. I think it sounds great and it hold it's own alongside my other gear. The app is very easy to navigate and hasn't once gotten glitchy. I use Qobuz and Spotify with it and both integrate incredibly well into the Bluesound UI.

There was a $100 off special running about a month ago - maybe that will occur again soon? If you are ok with used, I see them pop up for around $400ish or so, but they get sold pretty quickly.
Click to expand...
That’s great news, @Splunders! Really appreciate you checking that for me. Absolutely no problem with used, especially with digital hardware. $400 is a bit easier to swallow. And Qobuz through the app is something I hadn’t even thought of. @duke86fan you’d mentioned it’s a more affordable service, thanks for the heads up. I hear nothing but great reviews about it. Definitely seems like with the Node 2i there are plenty of options and room to see what works best from a service and software standpoint.
 
HayesWeighsIn said:
And Qobuz through the app is something I hadn’t even thought of. @duke86fan you’d mentioned it’s a more affordable service, thanks for the heads up.
Click to expand...
from what i know bluesounds supports tidal, qobuz, and amazon music HD, at least thats what my music direct catalog outright said


price wise from most expensive to least are
Tidal
Qobuz/Amazon Music HD (non prime member)
Amazon Music HD (if you have prime already)

qobuz is big because it has a lot of music, especially a higher amount of some music like classical, all of it in lossless for 15 dollars (2 months off if you do yearly) and if there is a hi res version its available to every person (from what i know the bluesound can do up to 32/192 which for qobuz you do not need anything higher than 192)
 
2021 is the year of room treatment and hopefully a step up in the Golden Ear line to their second-best. I’m pretty happy with my other equipment at the moment though and really just want to dump a ton of cash into speakers. Only problem is, they’re hard to sell, especially when you’re dumb and got rid of the boxes....
 
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