Specific Node/Airplay question


I know very little about digital and don’t have much interest in it; I bought a Bluesound Node 2i a few years ago to try Tidal but canceled the subscription shortly afterwards. The Node sat unused for years. The other day I learned I can stream Apple Music over the Node; SQ wasn’t great, but it’s coming from my phone, so I wasn’t expecting much. Here’s my question… if I only use my Node to stream Apple Music from my phone, does having an external DAC make a difference? Or, is the music so compressed, that it won’t matter? I’m asking because I’m shopping for a new preamp and considering a McIntosh c2300. But there are C2500s (built-in DAC) for the same price and the c2600 (better DAC) for a little more. The C2700 is too expensive and I don’t plan to ever “up” my digital game; I’m a vinyl guy and this digital stuff would likely be for my wife.

ron325

MQA was acquired by Lenbrook, parent company of NAD and Bluesound, so it is not “out of business” nor “dead”.  My advice to the OP is to restore their Tidal subscription and enjoy their Node 2i through a new-to-them C2600 DAC. Many of my customers report the MAC DAC outperforms the one in the Node, and you can use Tidal Connect as your source for quality files. 

^ If I'm going to sit and listen to music, it will be vinyl. Tidal is too much of a hassle (and too expensive for how little I would use it).

I also use Apple Music for lossless hi res  in 2 systems, aside from my turntable and cd player. On one system, I use an iPad connected to the Apple dongle/camera adapter which connects to a Schiit DAC that connects to an analog preamp. On the other system, the iPad connects to another Apple dongle/camera adapter then connects to a musical fidelity integrated amp (that has a DAC) through the usb input. Both satisfy my digital needs. 

Sooooo many people here say I should stream, yet nobody answers my questions above.

enj,

The streamer is connected to the net by wire or wi-fi. With Spotify Connect or Tidal Connect, their apps on your phone, pad or computer will control your streamer, which will connect directly to the source for the music stream. Just choose your streamer as player within the Spotify or Tidal app. The streamer must be compatible with the Connect feature, see specs. Hi-rez can vary - see specs. Qobuz Connect is reportedly in the works.

The quality of sound, wire vs wi-fi, is a hotbed of polarized opinion. As always, better gear gets better results. Be sure the streamer software supports your intended stream source to avoid Bluetooth.  Supported sources can be directly accessed via the streamers app.