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

Thanks, all, for the thoughtful comments and ideas!   I’ll sort through them and make some upgrade in due time.  There are a lot of good choices.  Most of the people on this forum have been on this path, and I appreciate the benefit of your experience. I’m just beginning, and looking forward to my new leisure pursuit.

Thx jjss49.  Im probably not too skilled of a listener.  My listening area is an 8’x8’ corner of the 16’x32’ open ground floor of our house. 

My other equipment is: B&O Beolab8000 powered speakers, Hsu ULS MkII sealed sub, and Paradigm Series 7 sealed 12” sub.

Any suggestions on an outboard dac?  The Denefrips Airies II and the Topping D90SE were high on my recommended list.

Thx for the ideas!  

The audio store where I bought some of my equipment suggested a miniDSP DDRC-24 DAC / Room Correction Processor; D/A Converter; DDRC24.  So that’s why I was thinking of a DAC.
But I would guess that the limitations on my room and other equipment would make a high end DAC a waste of money, like putting a Ferrari engine in a Subaru.  Nice, but they don’t match.

Uh oh…sounds like this is going to get expensive.  I tend to buy first what I would eventually buy if I took steps.

Thx hshifi!  It sounds like you have done quite a bit of testing well past my price category.  I’ll look for the Shadow.

@jjs49

Right now I don’t have any other sources other than the NODE.  Previously I listened to 1980’s CD’s.  I really like the sound of the NODE listening to Paradise Radio MQA Mellow or World.  I used to listen to internet radio using an Apple AirPlay router.  The NODE is a big improvement, with more sounds seeming to be ‘present/real’; such as a bongo or wood block drum.  The sub base and base sound very good, not boomy, with my Paradigm and Hsu sealed subs.  If the music has some very low sounds, they sound very good.  But I’ve never heard vocals with that same presence.  They sound similar to what I hear on a car radio.  I never hear details of a breath or similar nuances.  My BeoLab8000 speakers are supposed to be excellent with vocals, but I’m not getting it.  So I’d like better vocals, and more sounds that seem ‘present/real.’  Also my present system does not sound ‘airy’, which I would like.

vthokie83

wow…that’s definitive.  Others have recommended it, so it’s a solid prospect.

daveinpa 

interesting that for you the $1000 Aires II was not much different than the DAC in a $500 NODE 

painter24

That’s good information!  I appreciate the lessons learned from others who have upgraded from the NODE.  I know that my equipment, room and probably music is different, but it helps me narrow my choices.

@knownothing Thx for your comments! Since my original post I have added the PD Creative power adopter, an LHY linear power supply, an SMSL M400 DAC and a fiber optic link in my Ethernet connection. The sound is very good, but I’m not sure I can accomplish much more improvement in my room with all the windows and bare concrete floor. Maybe some type of room EQ might work, or it might not. I would try that before I invest in cables.

I notice that some vocals do not seem very ‘present’, but seem to get lost in the background.  This varies by recording, as this is sometimes very marked, while at other times the vocals are great.

@erik_squires In response mentioned that, “It’s a common symptom of narrow, but tall peaks in the mid-bass or bass. Clipping them with an EQ/DSP is often the answer.”  So that would be my next project when I have more time to delve into it.

@knownothing Are you using a coax out of your Node to your Chird DAC?  Instead of USB?