Has Anyone Compared the DAC On a Bluesound NODE 3rd Gen to a Separate DAC?

@wolf_garcia that Schiit Bifrost 2/64 multibit seems like a good alternative to the Ares II at a roughly similar price point. I’ve heard others mention it having better quality textured bass than the Ares II. Heck, I’ve heard a few mention that the AKM 4493 based Geshelli Labs J2 DAC (at $300 or $350 with a nice wood case) is very comparable to the Ares II in soundstage and depth, and yes, has better bass (especially if you get a linear power supply for it). I guess it comes down to what a user is looking for and what sonic signatures they like. There’s nothing technically "magical" about an R2R DAC but yeah, they can be very good. So can others.

@tcotruvo

among standalone dacs, i would suggest you try a chord qutest or 2qute - qutest around $1400 used, 2qute at about $800 of that amount but the sound is very very close - they also benefit from a suitable filtered or linear power supply ($75-150 additional)

both will give as much airiness in soundstage and detailed midrange among dacs in this price range, and much better than the internal node n130 internal dac, which is smooth but lacks incisiveness

the topping d90 and rme adi2 provide a similar tonality to the chords with a crisp clear sound, but without the excellent imaging and as much clarity of transients

Tcotruvo,

I have the 3rd generation node, and did A/B testing with my Denafrips Ponuts II DAC......absolutely no comparison; the Denafrips improves the sound on every single measurable I can think of. Also though the Denafrips Pontus II ($1,825 US) is twice the price of the Ares ($840 US)....it is worth every penny of the upgrade. The Pontus punches WAY above it's price

vthokie83

wow…that’s definitive.  Others have recommended it, so it’s a solid prospect.

I received my Bluesound before my DAC arrived and absolutely noticed the difference when adding the separate DAC. Of course you have to ensure the DAC you use has a better chipset ….. I went with the Gustard X26 pro which is reasonably priced for the quality and sound it produces.