I’ve had two Node 2’s feeding several DACs ... and have used them in two separate systems, one a CJ preamp/amp setup into Focal 1028be’s, the other a secondary system feeding into a Rogue Integrated Sphinx V3 into Monitor Audio Silver 200s.
I started with the Mytek Brooklyn DAC+ (which is great but out of your desired price range), a dragonfly cobalt (which has no business being used for anything other than iPhone or computer speaker use), a Topping D70s, and an RME Adi-2 DAC fs (the latest one with the upgraded chipset)...
While everyone’s ear and system is different, I think the Topping is very good bang for the buck - no distortion, good detail and excellent transparency (and perfect for my smaller system) though lacks the depth, staging of the Mytek or RME. As for the others, I had the Mytek for 3 yrs and loved it but just did my own side by side in my CJ/focal setup comparing the Mytek and the RME and I have to say, the two are sonically very close. The Mytek may win a bit on soundstage but the RME wins on clarity of detail. Again, both are great and very very close performance wise. And the RME has more features and ability to fine tune, which takes a while to get the hang of but I enjoy those benefits. Which led me to sell my Mytek, and I got hundreds more back for what I paid for my new RME... !
net, try different DACs and see what suits you... but RME is fantastic especially for the price. Hope that helps!
I started with the Mytek Brooklyn DAC+ (which is great but out of your desired price range), a dragonfly cobalt (which has no business being used for anything other than iPhone or computer speaker use), a Topping D70s, and an RME Adi-2 DAC fs (the latest one with the upgraded chipset)...
While everyone’s ear and system is different, I think the Topping is very good bang for the buck - no distortion, good detail and excellent transparency (and perfect for my smaller system) though lacks the depth, staging of the Mytek or RME. As for the others, I had the Mytek for 3 yrs and loved it but just did my own side by side in my CJ/focal setup comparing the Mytek and the RME and I have to say, the two are sonically very close. The Mytek may win a bit on soundstage but the RME wins on clarity of detail. Again, both are great and very very close performance wise. And the RME has more features and ability to fine tune, which takes a while to get the hang of but I enjoy those benefits. Which led me to sell my Mytek, and I got hundreds more back for what I paid for my new RME... !
net, try different DACs and see what suits you... but RME is fantastic especially for the price. Hope that helps!