Where’s My Weakest Link?

Or mhdt Orchid.
A little more at $1200 but you get options to roll tubes and have it hot rodded by Grannyring right here.

otterbein.....pseudo-psychoanalytical....Maybe.....*L*

AKA cheap shots.....mho....;)

(I'm a ghost....the bullets hit Nothing) 

Otterbein 

I haven’t heard to many DACs in that range, but the Mytek Liberty and the Schiit DACs in that range would be high on my list.

if you buy used, perhaps a Benchmark or a Chord QTest.

All will be huge upgrade over the DAC in the Node2i.

I don’t know much about your speakers, and they may be an issue, but I can tell you for sure that your DAC could be significantly upgraded

I agree with millercarbon in that some decent cables (look at the opening price point Black Cat) and some rudimentary room treatments (first reflection points are a good starting point) before buying new components.

Dont take millercarbon too seriously. He has gone past drinking the Synergistic Research Koolaid; he now swims in it.

I dont know the Carver preamp but I have never liked anything I have heard made by Carver. Have not heard his new tube amps. 

All these ridiculous tweaks are pointless! There is no perfection and it cannot be obtained no matter how many insane tweaks you attempt. Second of all, just because someone’s perception that some bizarre off the wall tweak did something perceptible (subjective), does not mean that it will even be noticeable to someone else. My god, when do such persons ever relax and just enjoy the music! Constant tweaking and torquing this and that is absurd...unless you love to aggravate yourself to no end...I don’t get any of it. Lastly, I hardly even have the time to listen to my system as I’m considered "essential personnel" and therefore must go to work every day...I would never have the time to tweak this tweak that, nor would I want to. If something needed that much tweaking, then maybe just maybe that component just plain sucks to begin with...all my opinion....now take me to the gallows.....or behind the wood shed lol...🙄
Just a few examples....fuses?? Yea I’m going to open up a piece of expensive equipment and screw with the design of the piece that someone far more knowledgeable designed...ahhhhhh no....and most equipment clearly states somewhere, no user serviceable parts meaning don’t touch! I don’t feel the need to burn my house down. And another, raising cables off the floor! How ridiculous, unless you have microscopic hearing or the ears of a bat...lastly, a multi thousands of dollars rack is going to make an ounce of difference...mmm, yea ok... as long as your equipment is not sitting on something from ikea, I think you will be just fine. Lastly, obsessively tweaking the position of a cartridge to achieve some kind of perfect alignment when it does not exist. As soon as you move the freaking thing, you just changed another parameter duh! You get it close, close is about all you will ever achieve, plus every record you place down on that platter is different, so what is the use of obsessing. Life is too short, I’ll be dead before I ever achieve any thing remotely close to perfection, I’ll just listen to my music.