What am I missing streaming music with a Node 2i

You'll be fine. By most accounts, the Bluesound Node 2i sounds very good. Just play music and enjoy it......

BTW, what do you stream? Tidal? Spotify? Radio Paradise? All of the above, and more?

I just picked up a Vault 2i, it's awesome.  I bet you would love a Node 2i, they soumd great for the money.

That seems like a question only you can answer.  Is it meeting your streaming needs?  Are you happy with the way it sounds?

I have a Node 2 in my main system and am running it through my Auralic Vega DAC and the sound quality is better than using the internal DAC in the Node 2.  The Node 2 is not bad by any means though.  I have one in my bedroom and am running it directly to my preamp using the Node 2's DAC and it sounds very good.  I plan to add an external DAC at some point, but there's no rush on my part to do so. 

Supposedly the 2i sounds better than the Node 2, so you're probably not "missing" anything.

I agree with big greg, if you want higher fidelity, you can always get a better DAC.
I use my Node's solely for wireless connectivity between my office and LR.
B

I added an RME ADI-2 DAC to my Blusound. The SQ went up a few notches. The DAC in the Bluesound is okay but you'll get more w/a quality outboard DAC.

So what’s a good DAC to pair with it? To answer the question about streaming, so far I’ve been building playlists and saving albums on Tidal and have been listening to some of the Blues radio stations on the Node. I just took delivery on a set of Double Impact towers with a center.  Anything that starts that many fights had to find it’s way into my system. I like the sound and they should get better with time. My preamp has a HT bypass so my 2 channel is also part of a 5.0. 

I have been told by a dealer that the DAC's in the Node 2 and Node 2i are the same. The units, in reality, should sound identical.

In my experience pretty much and DAC will enhance the Node.  What your budget?

Hadn't really thought about it too much, I would probably buy used, that's what all my recent purchases have been. what does a 1000.00 get you in a used DAC?

The new Node has 2.5 and 5ghz networking capabilities, same DAC.
I use an Ayre Codex. Slightly more than $1K used, but worth it.
Otherwise, a Schiit Gungnir or Yggy.
Bob

My favorite in the $1000 range 

http://www.musicalparadise.ca/store/index.php?route=product/product&path=61&product_id=97

I’m enjoying TIDAL streamed through my Marantz 8805. Not perfect, but fun and easy. 
Anything can be improved. Balance is found with learning to enjoy good enough!

Looks like there are plenty of upgrades you can add at a later date.  Looks like a possibility for tinkering.

 The  MP-D2 MK3 10TH ANNIVERSARY ES9038PRO AK4497 AK4490 TUBE DAC

Afraid have to disagree with genesis.

adding a mytek Brooklyn to my vault 2 made a huge difference in sq.
not even close call.....
worth every penny imho 
i used the Brooklyn to perform the full MQA unfolding 

+1, uberwaltz. 

The DAC in the Node 2 is very good considering its price, but connecting the Node 2 to my Auralic Vega takes it to another level.  I already had the Vega before I got the Node 2, but I don't consider adding a better DAC to be a "waste". 

I'm planning to add a dedicated DAC to the Node 2 in my bedroom.  It's currently connected to my Oppo BDP-105D.  There's a noticeable improvement listening using the Oppo's DAC.  For convenience sake, I'd prefer to have a dedicated DAC.

I don't think adding a DAC to the Node 2 is a necessity either.  It's very listenable using the internal DAC and if the rest of your system isn't able to resolve the added detail, it might not make sense to add a DAC.

I have a Odyssey Statos stereo amp with upgrades, a Odyssey Candela preamp and Tekton Double Impact’s with upgrades. All of this equipment will garner the love / hate conversations!  

A great used DAC at the $1K price point is the PS Audio PerfectStream DAC MKII.   If you ever want to upgrade to their benchmark DAC the DirectStream it can be upgraded.  

I had the first generation of the Node you know the ugly gloss black square. When I went to the Lumin D2 streamer it was a whole different level of sq. IMOHO it's the way to go you don't need a out board DAC with that piece it has it's own internal DAC that serves itself. Happy Listening.
Mark

How about the ability to stream MQA 

The Lumin dose exactly that it streams MQA . I currently use Tidal. My only complaint is about the Lumin is I don't feel the app is as user friendly on my tablet as the the Bluesound app was. The sound quality however makes up for the minor inconvenience.
Mark

The Lumin dose exactly that it streams MQA . I currently use Tidal. My only complaint is about the Lumin is I don't feel the app is as user friendly on my tablet as the the Bluesound app was. The sound quality however makes up for the minor inconvenience.
Mark

I wouldn't put much stock in MQA, just yet.It sounds different, but I won't say it's better than a high rez recording.
B

Agree with gdnrbob.

gdnrbob and mr_m do you have any recommendations for the OP? That is all he was asking for.
Happy Listening!
Mark

I haven’t really done much A/B between my DACs output with Tidal @96k compared to the Vault 2i analog out streaming MQA but both sound great.   I think in general my DAC sounds better but the Vault sounds pretty good given it’s modest price.   I don’t know if it’s in the remastering but some MQA titles sound better to me but some aren’t as good as their 44.1 counterparts.   

Another option to the Lumin D2 is the Teac Reference NT-505 though in addition to streaming like the Lumin it also has the ability to serve as a full function DAC.  I have owned both and prefer the AKM 4497's in the Teac over the Wolfson chipset in the Lumin.  Both use the Lumin app for a control app.  

The Teac NT-505 looks really appealing because of the ability to hook it up directly to the amp. There is also a lot of options for hooking up different digital sources, a NAS and flash drives + headphones. My tube amp uses RCA's and the Teac uses XLR connections. I'm going to ask a possibly stupid question, can I have them both hooked up to the amp at the same time and turn on the one I want, the tube pre will be relegated to phono duty only after I sell the Node 2i.

Not sure I understand what you're asking.  The Teac has both SE and Balanced analog outputs but I don't know if you can hook up both at the same time.  If you are using your Marantz as a control center including bass management how are you going to do those things.  Tell me exactly what you are proposing including the specific gear included.  I have mine connected via balanced IC's to my BHK preamp with the volume on the Teac at unity gain.

The Marantz SR 5012 is for surround sound with tv only. I have a Odyssey Stratos stereo amp and Odyssey Candela tube preamp for 2 channel listening. The Candela has a HT bypass so I can use the mains for the fronts in the surround setup. I am running the Node through the Candela as well. What I'm proposing is using the SE inputs for the Candela and the Balanced for the NT-505 on the same amp. It doesn't sound right to me but I don't want to run the NT-505 through the Candela.