Does it really matter how high a sample rate a DAC goes up to if your source material doesn’t need it? I don’t doubt that you prefer the SMSL to the Schiit, but I don’t think it’s because of DSD512 vs 24/192. That’s well beyond human hearing and into the realm of industrial calibration equipment.

I use Qobuz which caps out at 24/192 so anything beyond that is useless to me, and I’m not convinced I can even hear the difference between, say, 24/48 and 24/192. OP is streaming Spotify which I believe is at 16/44.1, so a DAC that goes to 24/192 is overkill for him at the moment.

Since you already have a pretty good DAC, get the Wiim mini or pro instead. WiFi streaming is higher quality than Bluetooth and will give you a better upgrade path with your streaming service if you want to move on from Spotify in the future. I believe Wiim also accepts Spotify Connect.

That being said, I have the Node since it’s an excellent compromise between price, quality, and ease of use; especially since I didn’t already have a DAC and my wife uses it too. You could of course use a digital out on the node (which also has Spotify Connect) and run it through the Bifrost, but that get you to the question of whether or not you value the additional features and interface of the node at $450 more that the Wiim Pro.

It could, but the real limiting factor would be the Bluetooth codec being used. For example, I have an iPhone which only uses the AAC codec. AAC’s maximum quality is approximately 16/44.1 (but not quite) so a DAC isn’t going to help much with that.

If you have other digital sources it could be worth trying out

Manufacturers hate this one simple trick…

My receiver, a Heathkit AR-1500a. An early/mid-70s granny radio-looking thing; it clocks in at ~60lbs and tosses out 60wpc @ 8 ohms and 100wpc @ 4 based on the conservative ratings of the day. It has power for days and drives my Thiels with ease. I’d put it toe to toe with any comparably powered amp of the era.