Question on how DAC’s work...

I have a node 2i feeding into a benchmark DAC2 HGC. I don't notice much a difference on MQA tracks anymore. As others have stated, the node does the first unfold into the DAC. The MQA tracks seemed more impressive when I streamed straight from the node but with the DAC everything just sounds great.

I guess I'm in the "MQA indifferent" camp at this point.

The way I understand things is if you attach an external DAC to a Bluesound Node 2i via digital COAX, you only get 1/10 the unfold of MQA.  Is there a better streamer than a Bluesound that can completely unfold MQA?  If so, which steamers sound significantly better than a Bluesound?  Love to witness a blind testing and then say was that two times better, three times better.

i certainly like my Bluesound Node 2i played by itself than when I added a ProJect S2 DAC.  I think MQA sounds incredible.  Wish I could flip a switch and compare with and without adding an external DAC.  If this Corona Virus gets any worse we won’t be around anyway.

larry5729.
Please see my earlier post in this thread. Via its digital outs, be it Toslink or Coax, Bluesound kit, even first generation Bluesound kit will unfold MQA all the way to 96K when hooked up to a non MQA DAC.
To my knowledge, the current state of the art for streaming hi res via Qobuz or Tidal tops out at 192k, and there is currently precious little material available to stream at 192k, be it via Tidal with MQA or via Qobuz at native resolution without MQA. And from 96K to 192K is just the one last unfold. I’d argue that most of the goodness is already available shy of that last unfold. And I can tell you from experience, that full unfold of MQA via Bluesound kit’s analog outputs, although very nice, is not as good in terms of SQ in my opinion as that provided by a high quality non MQA external DAC hooked up via Toslink or Coax such my own Bryston BDA1 or Chord Qutest.
At that point, it’s really no contest. That has been my own personal experience. YMMV.

I agree with jazzman7....Node2i sounds lot better when connected with a high quality non-MQA external DAC. To my ears, Qobuz native high resolution files beyond 16bit/44.1kHz spec sounds incredible when compare to MQA files. They sound natural and devoid of digital ‘sheen’ present on MQA files.

And those in the camp, “Modern DACs don’t benefit so much from high resolution data” should pursue better Streamer/DAC or get their ears unclogged from excessive wax 😊