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

Thx jjss49.  Im probably not too skilled of a listener.  My listening area is an 8’x8’ corner of the 16’x32’ open ground floor of our house. 

My other equipment is: B&O Beolab8000 powered speakers, Hsu ULS MkII sealed sub, and Paradigm Series 7 sealed 12” sub.

Any suggestions on an outboard dac?  The Denefrips Airies II and the Topping D90SE were high on my recommended list.

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