My experience of the Node N130 mirrors that of @daveinpa when combined with the Ares II. But very much a case of "ymmv", and very subjective.
I sold my Ares II and later upgraded the Node with a power supply upgrade kit and external PSU - which made a pleasantly surprising improvement. This can be done relatively inexpensively, especially the kit from PD Creative in Poland. Even if you bypass the Node's DAC, the PS upgrade still benefits.
I'm now using a direct sale, hand made DAC from a tiny 2 man operation in England - NJC Audio. A lovely neutral DAC with great clarity.
Good luck with your journey 👍