Any difference in SQ from USB drive storage to NAS playback?

...so Uber looking back at your original question your configuration with uSB connected direct to streamer fits the bill. Your streamer is serving as both a music server and streamer with usb attached so it could produce more noise and jitter that impacts the digital to analog conversion process than a NAS. The reverse could be the case as well, especially with a wired internet connection to NAS, or there could be no difference at all. Could vary case to case, streamer to streamer. The devil is always in the details.  One would have to try both ways to know. 

It would certainly help to know the difference between MHz and Mbits/sec. 😁

Bits per second for cd resolution audio versus USB is what matters. 

Mapman.
Thanks for being open minded!

That also sounds very plausible too.
Could very well explain why to my ears played from the nas has more body and dynamic than from an attached USB HDD or even USB flash drive.

I am always receptive to trying it out but sometimes also interested in just why something would act as it appears to.

Are the media files the same  Flac or Wav on both the NAS and USB drive? Is the drive a small 2.5 device that is being powered by USB or does it have it's own power supply? I actually have a similar problem using my Node2i. Streaming from Tidal sounds a little better to me than streaming from my hard drive attached to my router by USB. I can't imagine the N100 has a poor USB implementation I imagine it has noise reduction galvanic isolation.