Just got a new Bluesound Node. Very disappointed!

A lot of audiophiles buy and then sell these Node products because they don’t like the sound quality even after upgrading the DAC. Just a fact. Don’t shoot the messenger. 

The way the OP describes the problem makes it sound like a defective unit to me.  And transports do matter.  The DAC is the bigger determinant of the pairing, but the the situation is analogous to a disc transport DAC combination.  You wouldn’t pair a top notch DAC with a $20 DVD player as a disc transport, and a poor player streaming into a good DAC will sound similarly compromised .  I’ve used the Node 2 and streamers that cost 10 times as much.  The more expensive players sound better but the Node has a decent “floor” if not as high a ceiling

Maybe your previous stuff was rolled off and the Node is just showing you what is really there?  But that’s academic. If you don’t like it, give it back. Simple. 

I don’t know if I agree with the digital being rolled off. What I mean is the song is the song (the digital data), from a digital standpoint unless it get modified in the digital realm, the reproduction of the song (analog section) however can obviously make a difference. I guess it’s analogous to tv, the digital rendition of Star Wars is the what it is, but your DVR (pick your poison here) ultimately determines the quality of the picture along with the TV.

Which means to say l’ve been using my DAC on other CD transports; cheap and expensive with literally very little difference in sound quality and with certainly no rolling off frequencies

I mean, every CD player specifications I’ve ever seen has a frequency response that’s flat from like 2 Hz to 20,000 Hz plus or +/-1 dB.  

Not to hijack this post, but obviously many of you on here have tried the gambit of low priced streamers up to ones far more than I could afford. 

My question is this:  How do you think the sound quality of an iPAD feeding an external DAC via USB compares to say the Bluesound Node feeding the same DAC via USB?  Would there be any noticeable or notable differences? 

Currently I use an iPAD to feed a Schiit Modi II but was looking at getting a Denafrips Ares II as my "end game" better DAC.  Would I hear (in theory) a better quality of sound, or does the limitation of the iPAD say I ought to get a better streamer as well one day to pair with the Denafrips? 

Thanks.