The way the OP describes the problem makes it sound like a defective unit to me. And transports do matter. The DAC is the bigger determinant of the pairing, but the the situation is analogous to a disc transport DAC combination. You wouldn’t pair a top notch DAC with a $20 DVD player as a disc transport, and a poor player streaming into a good DAC will sound similarly compromised . I’ve used the Node 2 and streamers that cost 10 times as much. The more expensive players sound better but the Node has a decent “floor” if not as high a ceiling
Just got a new Bluesound Node. Very disappointed!
I got the BSN to run to my NAD M51 DAC and everything sound like the treble has been turned up +10db. The bass is also weak. I use Qobuz and Tidal and both sound the exact same way. I can listen to cd’s is my Oppo of the same music with no problem.
what gives, is it really this bad?