[HiFiHawaii808]

Auralic Aries G1 streamer has a parametric EQ - I Belive it can be adjusted via a web browser link and or Mobile phone / tablet
Roon has a parametric EQ, which I have tried, the user interface is clunky, you cant hear changes instantly. But like @HiFiHawaii808 I dont really want to add a computer to my rig, right now I have a laptop open and a super thick / ugly USB cable trailing across the living room floor - I am looking for a mobile controlled phone solution)
Weiss DAC 501 with network streaming has parametric EQ but is very $$$. Weiss is a band known for use in mastering and very high end recording studios. I expect that to have very tweak-able parametric / room correction as part of its (very interestingly featured) DSP section.

Node 2 has a very workable bass and treble equaliser - it can get you a smile curve / v shape that many people like and will keep most people happy. Its a great product at an amazing price.

Those solutions are too pricey for me. I am just going to load Equalizer APO and pair it with a Chord Hugo 2 and USB to my laptop. I want to see if I can make my Sennheiser HD800S sound good with the Chord Hugo 2. If I can't, I'll just purchase a pair of Focal Clear headphones.

My normal headphone system doesn't need equalization. I like the current sound. A Loki would be all I need if anything at this time. Someone needs to create a parametric 10 band hardware equalizer for under $500.

 

[Pro-Jules]

They are too expensive. I am going to bite the bullet and play with Equalizer APO. The only problem is that I went to streamers specifically to get away from my laptop. Now, I am getting it back into the signal path. Anyone have a good way to interface to a laptop with high quality? Better USB? Optical?

A thick USB cable to DAC works for me (Mac)

I got one of these 5 Meters long (no clicks or crackles)

https://www.futureshop.co.uk/furutech-formula-2-type-a-to-type-b-usb-cable

This is a fantastic software EQ I really really recommend it (its a big hit in the recording studio world)

https://www.fabfilter.com/help/pro-q/support/manualinstallation

Here is a curve I have running on my living room now. (I have others for headphones)

 

[roadrat]

Am I bypassing the Node's DAC if I connect it to a receiver via optical cable?

Someone told me that I need to use RCAs to use the Node's DAC.

Is this true?

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

Am I bypassing the Node's DAC if I connect it to a receiver via optical cable?

Someone told me that I need to use RCAs to use the Node's DAC.

Is this true?

I go optical from my node 2i to my DAC (digital interface). The output of the DAC is RCA (analog interface). Optical is a digital interface, so you can't connect it to the receiver unless it is a digital receiver.

If you are using the Node 2i DAC, then the output is analog so you would use RCA from the Node 2i to your receiver.

 

[roadrat]

Sometimes I am amazed at how dumb I am.

How do you learn this stuff without being explicitly told? Is there a primer on audio? I have The Complete Guide to High-End Audio, but I use it more as a reference as opposed to a cover-to-cover read

 

[webegrubbin]

Has anyone tried upgrading to a linear power supply? Node 2/2i LPS upgrades are available from Teddy Pardo and Fidelity Audio.

 

[gimmeheadroom]

Sometimes I am amazed at how dumb I am.

How do you learn this stuff without being explicitly told? Is there a primer on audio? I have The Complete Guide to High-End Audio, but I use it more as a reference as opposed to a cover-to-cover read

If you're interested you'll pick everything up over time.

Has anyone tried upgrading to a linear power supply? Node 2/2i LPS upgrades are available from Teddy Pardo and Fidelity Audio.

I have not. In general I'm fine with gear that uses a wall cord. For anything that has an external el-cheapo wall-wart it would probably be an upgrade but you have to watch out for snake oil salesmen in this niche. A lot of the linear PSUs I've seen advertised are hugely expensive ripoffs. Get a used bench supply cheap and it will have a lot more features and better control than most of this stuff being made directed at audio consumers.

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

Okay. I think I figured out what I want to try next. I am not sure if it will work, but it might. The subject is parametric EQ to use the Oratory1990 EQ Settings to tune my HD800S headphones closer toward the Harman target frequency response curve. If this works, then it will be possible to take a highly technical headphone and tune it to sound like just about anything in the industry. That sounds pretty cool. But, if I can just warm up the HD800S even more, then I will be happy.

I found an Android based app that has parametric EQ and will do it system wide. It is called "Wavelet"

I am going to purchase a midlevel DAP that runs the Android operating system, sounds good and will allow me to run the Wavelet app. I am zeroing in on the iBasso DX160. It also supports MQA, so when I use Tidal, it will probably be able to take advantage of that technology.

Once I get it set up properly, I can line out from DX160 into my Bottlehead crack by going 3mm to RCA. Or, coax from DX160 to Hugo 2.

Sounds like this might work and I can avoid using a laptop of iPhone device. DX160 is pretty cheap, too, at $399.

 

[chaz_flhr]

Am I bypassing the Node's DAC if I connect it to a receiver via optical cable?

Someone told me that I need to use RCAs to use the Node's DAC.

Is this true?

Yes rca out for node dac I use a good rca splitter 1 rca to receiver one to headphone amp unless your receiver decodes MQA over optical.

 

[chaz_flhr]

Auralic Aries G1 streamer has a parametric EQ - I Belive it can be adjusted via a web browser link and or Mobile phone / tablet
Roon has a parametric EQ, which I have tried, the user interface is clunky, you cant hear changes instantly. But like @HiFiHawaii808 I dont really want to add a computer to my rig, right now I have a laptop open and a super thick / ugly USB cable trailing across the living room floor - I am looking for a mobile phone controlled solution)
Weiss DAC 501 with network streaming has parametric EQ but is very $$$. Weiss is a band known for use in mastering and very high end recording studios. I expect that to have very tweak-able parametric / room correction as part of its (very interestingly featured) DSP section.

Node 2 has a very workable bass and treble equaliser - it can get you a smile curve / v shape that many people like and will keep most people happy. Its a great product at an amazing price.

I believe you lose MQA if you turn on tone control in node2i, I notice a immediate distinct drop in sound quality once tone control is turned on For 550 it’s a great piece of kit.

 

[markkr]

I’m a new Node2i owner and notice something different about Tidal using this device. When I play a playlist on my MacBook, and I reach the end of the playlist... Tidal keeps playing recommended tracks... when using the Node2i, the music just stops at the end of the playlist.

Is there a way to make this behaive like the MacBook where it just plays indefinitely?

 

[chaz_flhr]

I’m a new Node2i owner and notice something different about Tidal using this device. When I play a playlist on my MacBook, and I reach the end of the playlist... Tidal keeps playing recommended tracks... when using the Node2i, the music just stops at the end of the playlist.

Is there a way to make this behaive like the MacBook where it just plays indefinitely?
I think the left in blue is random and the the grey arrows on the opposite side are continuous play or repeat, but I am also a fairly new owner.

 

[markkr]

I tried the shuffle and repeat as I considered the same thing.

 

[chaz_flhr]

I tried the shuffle and repeat as I considered the same thing.

Tap on the repeat there seems to be 2 modes single song repeat and im guessing the other mode is playlist repeat.

 

[gimmeheadroom]

The settings for playing recommended content are at the app level