My SACD Transport feeds so much better signal to my DAC compared with streaming end...

Makes sense! If I end up moving Ideon components to the second chain I will probably still replace the Node.

@rumblestrip Thanks for the advice! I figured it must be power/electronic noise that is bottlenecking the performance.

@elliottbnewcombjr You are right... I can see this happening... And thanks for the advice on laser age. I think mine is fine as the original owner used it for ~3 years, but one thing worrisome is that Marantz, which supplies SACD drives for PS Audio transport unites, ceased their SACD drive production. I think PS Audio stated that they have good inventory for repair and replacement though.

@cleeds I am pretty sure, at least the drive that companies like dCS, PS Audio, Wadax, etc are using.

https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/d-m-will-end-production-m3-optical-transport-at-the-end-of-july-2024.38956/

I am not sure about their other product lines, but it does have significant impact on those independent transports. PS Audio's Paul McGowan also confirmed that their new PMG Signature SACD Transport will only have a few hundreds of supply due to the end of production. Hopefully they can figure something out or some other manufacturers (Luxman, Esoteric, for example) would be able to fill the gap. (I have no clue about that though.) 

@ghdprentice I agree with most of what you said. Streaming is certainly my primary chain which I spend most of my time with. I am planning upgrade my DAC to a MSB Discrete or Premier with Renderer V2 and I2S module so that SACD playback can be unlocked and I will get a much better streaming experience.

On the other hand, I still play CD for nostalgia, collection habit, and fun. I do see a strong value in CD playback, especially for classical music. I get too easily distracted when streaming! And the lack of booklet for most albums is plainly annoying. Some combination of physical and non-physical playback is ideal! 

@kennymacc @ghdprentice Happy for your results. What streamer/DAC do you use?

@ghdprentice Thank you. I just decided to go for a used MSB Discrete with Renderer V2. I will likely move my Ideon combo to a future headphone chain if my life will need that. Even in that case, I will still do some streamer upgrades over the Bluesound Node. My experience with the PST transport makes me realize that the entry-level Ideon DAC sounds amazing and certainly punches above its price, and that it my current streamer is a bottle neck. Aurrender sounds like a great option and I will certainly be looking for it on used market if I decide to go for that path.

@curiousjim That's two great cents!

@sls883 Not yet -- I almost have to use Roon because of my large local  album collection in my NAS. Bluesound Node is terrible for still not yet support Qobuz Connect. Do you find Qobuz Connect superior to Roon? What is the difference?

@kennymacc Thanks for the recommendation! Do you find integrated streaming DAC more cost effective?

@kennymacc I haven't listened to dCS Bartok but I listened to dCS Lina which I believe uses similar core technology (Ring DAC) and is also a integrated Streaming DAC. To me it sounds amazing; extremely revealing with superb clarity. It is not a physically huge device and I am impressed of what it can do within its size.