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

+1rocray!
I  was wondering who was holding the gun to whose head to "make" them use a DAC.
Op asked and was given opinions, nothing more.

I have I have bluesound wired to avr now, can I bypass avr and direct wire to amp? Can amp have two sources of input? Not sure it would be smart to do this?

I am being held hostage by my speakers holding out until they reach their full potential.  Captivity is challenging, expensive, and frustrating due to a lack of clarity in the marketplace relating to a vast maze of complex components.  This forum has proven to be of great value.

Would a used McIntosh d150 dac be a good choice to go with the bluesound 2i?

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.