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

For the most part, people who start with the Aries 2 end up moving up the line. If it were my money, I'd start with a Pontus 2 and be happy for a long time.

I initially ran my BS Node 3 with a Venus 2 and it was great for what it was.

You want opinions on a unit with a build in DAC compared to separate DACs in what price range?  Almost all of the better DACs will be better.

Yes. It’s about as good as the built-in on my Hegel integrated and not as good as either the Schiit Bifrost or the Denafrips Pontus ll.

I'm no expert but I have a BlueSound Vault 2i, which I think has the same specs/DAC/ as your Node v3 (or slightly behind as my unit came out before the gen 3's). I'd just offer this; on the rare occasion that I can crank up the music (WAF!) I am pretty satisfied with the sound through my Schiit BiFrost into my AVR (NAD) and finally into my listening space. Do I wish it was even better? Of Course! But when I think about the cost to move to higher-end streamers, higher-end DACs, etc., I stop and say to myself "this sound pretty good." If I hit the lottery, I'll definitely go out and upgrade everything in my system, but in the meantime, 'this sounds pretty good."

So, the long-winded answer to the question you posed is, yes, there are differences with a separate DAC, but only you can decide how much they matter to you. I certainly don't think you would be disappointed if you get any well-known DAC currently discussed on these boards. Whether you decide to keep it, trade for a higher-end model, etc. is what you'll have to wrestle with. Good luck. RG 

Thx for the ideas!  

The audio store where I bought some of my equipment suggested a miniDSP DDRC-24 DAC / Room Correction Processor; D/A Converter; DDRC24.  So that’s why I was thinking of a DAC.
But I would guess that the limitations on my room and other equipment would make a high end DAC a waste of money, like putting a Ferrari engine in a Subaru.  Nice, but they don’t match.