Has Anyone Compared the DAC On a Bluesound NODE 3rd Gen to a Separate DAC?

@tcotruvo I have a Bluesound Node (gen 3) and the internal dac is pretty good.  It was not quite as good as my old Arcam irDAC, but reasonably close. It is nowhere near as good as my current Chord QuteHD dac, but that is not really surprising.  That said, I really enjoy using the Node as a dedicated server and streamer for the Chord.  Functionality and sound quality of the Node used only as a source are both excellent.

Adding an upgraded power cable improved the sound quality of both streaming/server functions and the Node’s internal dac, and its seems others have had success adding and external power supply/kit.

I have been experimenting with different digital coax cables from the Node to the Chord, and through blind tests I have (unfortunately for my pocketbook) yet to find a ceiling on the improvements each step up the quality ladder provides up to several multiples of the Node cost.  My recommendation is to find a good dac to pair with the Node, and then experiment with different cables and power supply as your budget allows.  You will be amazed.

@tcotruvo understood. My living room has similar issues with lots of windows, plaster walls, tile fireplace and hardwood floors.  I had difficulty getting a system to sound right there.  But, jitter in a digital signal can present as glare or shrill treble, and taming it can provide significant benefits across the board.  In addition to room correction, I might suggest you try a Nordost Blue Heaven digital coax out of your Bluesound. It is not astronomically expensive, it has great PRAT and musicality, and the treble is just slightly under emphasized compared with the bass and midrange.  It is not the last word in detail, but it might pair well with your dac and room.  I am going to guess the Nordost Silver Shadow mentioned previously in the thread would sound similar.  

Another way to tame jitter is to get a reclocker like an iFi iPurifier 2.  I use one with my Node, and it provides smoother sound overall and incredible spatial order and detail, and the benefits multiply as you upgrade coax cables.  I highly recommend if you try the iPurifier 2 that you also get iFi’s iPowerX supply which is only $109 and takes the sound to another level.  

Good luck,

kn

@tcotruvo yes, I am using coax out of the Node because I use it primarily as a server and I’’m using the USB connection on the back of the Node for an SSD drive loaded with all of my digital music.  It works great for this.