Music server vs. external hard drive to DAC

RME is a fine DAC.    Only reason I sold mine is that my new Integrated has a DAC. I used it with a Bluesound Vault and it sounded excellent.  That DAC will be a good pairing , the Node sounds good through it's analog outs but will sound better through your DAC.   

Buy something like a Bluesound Node, subscribe to Qobuz or Tidal and there's no looking back.  

Hello @kckrs 

There is a whole world of music available by streaming Qobuz vs just your own cd's ripped into a hard drive, or purchased music files on a hard drive.  It is an amazing way to explore new music.  Also, a quality streamer will sound better.

You have some nice stuff.  I would reach higher than the Node.  Most of us had one and many of us have upgraded.  Look at models from Aurender, Innuos and Auralic.

Perhaps it is one of the hardest concepts to understand, how a better streamer improves everything.

So to actually answer your question, I'd say usually a streamer from an online service should not sound better (usually).  Assuming your external hard drive is good quality and you have no equipment issues, and the files on your HDD are full resolution, then your DAC will deliver CD quality music.  Frankly, most music servers are the same setup except the hard drive is inside.

Streamers are so expensive and work hard to not drop any bits to ensure they provide "CD quality".  

When I first started streaming, I compared it to a CD and found that the streaming service sounded better....then I realized I was using a CD player instead of a CD transport feeding my DAC.  So what I was really comparing was the cheap DAC in the CD player to my high end DAC seperate.  Apples and oranges.  

The exception I mentioned is music that is now available on streaming services that is higher resolution than CD quality.  It takes a good ear and a good system to tell the difference, but it is there.

Like previous responses, I prefer the endless library and convenience of a streaming service.

Jerry