Just installed a bluesound node 2i , quality not so good


Sounds flat vs streaming from marantz 5014 heos, which is more revealing and open.  Both ways are wired.
Is there a break in period?  Otherwise it is disappointing.

I am listening thru b&w spkrs and mcintosh amp. And wired to analogue inputs of avr

thanks for any comments, suggestions


emergingsoul
emergingsoul, what eq are you using with your Marantz? Direct? I’m not very familiar with Marantz AV receivers. On my Onkyo, I have various eq settings. IE; Orchestra,Acoustic,Theater,Direct. On the rare occasion I listen to stereo,I use 2ch Direct for best SQ. I hope I explained this right. 
@OP, 
As listed earlier, an Ayre Codex, now running under $1K used.
Or, a Schiit Gungnir Multibit used- for a little less used, should provide you with enhanced sound quality.
As far as the Mac DAC, I would keep searching. Though it would probably be an improvement, I think you could do better.
My 2 cents....
Bob
Thanks.
rocray, like the diversity of sound settings. Don’t have these but do use auto direct so I can include the sub for stereo.

presently searching for a higher quality dac.  So many to chose from, kinda like all the ice cream choices.  If I can find a chocolate Chip cookie dough dac I’ll be happy. 
Thorens td 125 (Hana eh)
vincent SA-T7
bluesound node 2i 
music hall dac/cd
bob latino st-120
bob crites cornscala speakers

ive had the node 2i for about 8 months now, and at first I wasn’t really impressed. I mean it sounded ok, but didn’t have the magic. But here’s the thing, (you know the thing! Lol) I was streaming over the WiFi. I learned about the fiber optic bridging people were doing and thought I’d give it a try. A reasonable tweek under $200. Well it was night and day, huge improvement! I think I bought cat 8 cable but I can’t remember.
Dang it! Just checked my amazon history when I bought the fiber optic bridging gear. Prices have dropped by about half! Anybody streaming should do this tweak, you have no excuse now! Dramatically improves sound. Oh and I did get cat 8 Ethernet cable.