Best EXTERNAL DAC suggestions

"@moose89 La-Z-Boy recliner sets directly across from my television and entertainment center and a 7 foot or 6 foot triangle.

Got it. So the room itself if larger than I was wondering about.   Firstly, hundreds of posts over the years of people pairing external dacs with Nodes.  The BB and ESS chips version dacs sound different too, heard them natively on a few buddies systems, and after adding external dacs. Lots of members here who've done it and live well with external dacs today.   Each benefited from external dacs, however they were looking for something different, such as more clarity, less grain, smoother sound, etc.  Two more questions fwiw.

1) What are you looking for "more" or "less" of from your system now, as it stands in your existing room configuration and system setup?  i.e I recall you said warmer and soundstage. How about at the loss of some detail to be warmer, and may lose some soundstage - etc, is that okay, etc.  i.e List what's most important to you 1,2,3. Folks here can get you closer - those who've tried 4+ dacs with Nodes. 

2) Have you experimented a lot with Toe-in vs Toe straitght (zero toe) and Toe out with the Cornwalls on rollers (nice)?  I learned about this later in my audio ventures, free and easy to do, and can be quite interesting with horn speakers too. i.e. I cannot toe my speakers in too much, or it yields a beaming sound I don't like. 

Warmth and soundstage

Your goals are crying out for a tubed DAC.  At just above your price target there’s the excellent MHDT Orchid others have recommended here.  At a bit below your price target there’s the Black Ice Glass DAC.  In both cases you have the benefit of being able to tube roll to further customize the sound to your liking if you so desire, and if nothing else it’s nice to have the option.  If you’re tube averse a good R2R DAC like the Denafrips Ares II, as others have mentioned, is worth a look.  Hope this helps, and best of luck. 

answered in your other thread, but +1 on Black Ice @soix however the stock tubes were just OK - I put NOS Mullard's in almost immediately - they are not cheap but even so still a bargain for how good the sound is. 

@audphile1 

i got your drift. And I bought the Rogue RP-1. I took all these wonderful opinions and suggestions in. The reasons for the reasoning. It just makes sense to firstly allow my Bluesound Node3 to run through a hybrid tube preamp. I may even now go back to my Marantz Model 15, at 60 (old school) WPC for fun, after giving my NAD C 316BEE v2 a listen at (40) WPC. 

 I have to see/hear if an EXTERNAL DAC will now be order?

And come tube amp use in the Fall, ( my Mancave is 75 degrees + now in TN with the TCL 55” TV on)as the weather goes chilly, the Cary SLI-80 tube amp comes out to provide warmth… (hopefully this new Rogue RP-1 half-tube preamp runs coolish?) Anyone know? But I wonder how the Cary tube amp will sound with the Rogue RP – 1?

Nice!!! Yes I think this is the best move to upgrade the sound quality. The DAC in the node is not terrible at all. Yes you can do better but not with $1000  

As to RP-1, it doesn’t run hot. There’s a little “window” above the two 12AU7 tubes. One note on tubes - the stock JJs are quiet and reliable but you can do better with Gold Lion (not expensive, good improvement). Listen to it with stock JJs to get used to it first though. One other thing I really liked about RP1 when I had it was the built in phono stage. Surprisingly good!