Standing Still or Moving Up?


I am in a bit of a quandary. I currently am running an HP computer / jRiver / USB hard drive / Hegel 300 integrated amp (that has a decent DAC) for streaming. I have been looking at the Blue Sound Node 2 to replace the HP. Does this sound like a rational move? Does the Node take the place of the DAC in the Hegel? I am considering this only because I need a change BUT I naturally want it to be a positive one. Thanks all for the look.
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I am a bit confused by your question but hopefully will help you a bit.You can stream to the Node2 by either a wired (Ethernet) or WiFi connection.  The Node2 has a DAC that is bypassable if you wish.  I am assuming that the DAC in the Hegel amp is also bypassable.  Which DAC do you use?  Which ever sounds better to your ears.
  I own the Node2, and it isn’t a bad DAC, but I have an Oppo 105 in the same system, so I run the Node2 into the Oppo, bypassing the DAC in the Node2 because the DAC in the Oppo 105 is clearly superior.
That helps a great deal Mahler123, especially about being able to bypass the Node's DAC. Much appreciated.
On a similar note, I use a MacBook Pro and stream Youtube, Spotify, internet radio etc into a PS Audio Nuwave dac.   Is it possible that the Bluesound  Node 2 connected to the PS Audio Nuwave outperform the MacBook Pro for sound quality connected to the Nuwave DAC?