Hi-res streaming on Qobuz

Well, I got the Node 2i and put it through its paces. I compared hi-res streaming on Qobuz to normal streaming of identical selections on Idagio.  The differences in quality were tiny if any at all.  Certainly not a game changer.
But the biggest difference was in the comparison to the Arcam.
While the sound of the Node is certainly good, it does not have the transparency or dynamic range of the Arcam.  It’s definitely a step down in fidelity.
It could be the Node needs to break in more.   (I don’t know how much break in a streamer needs.). I did leave it on for hours.
My impressions jibe with the review in What Hifi.
Based on these preliminary tests, there certainly is no reason to hold on to the Node.

Well @rvpiano, now you can rest assured you made the right choice to begin with. I have the Node 2 and didn’t detect much (if any) burn-n so I doubt it’s much of a factor. It’s a nice streamer, no question, but it’s certainly not the end-all. FWIW as much as I enjoy high-res my focus has changed over the years. My goal is to get Redbook ’right’. Besides the fact there’s far more music available at 16/44.1, I’ve found there’s an awful lot of goodness to be had from well-mastered CDs. Best.

Yes, the quest is over.

My brief experience with the Arcam  was that it didn’t match the Node in SQ, but 
ymmv.  I also have a Bryston BDA3, which is both a significant upgrade over the Bluesound and displays bit rate.  The Qobuz high Rez tracks sound much better than standard on the Bryston.  Via the Node the difference is less striking

Streaming is sounding so good, I’m beginning to listen less and less to my very large collection of CDs and records.
Its very seductive.