Bluesound Node 2i vs Upscale streamers

I’ve had the Bluesound Node 2i for about a month. I live in the country with only one or two decent FM stations, so don’t bother to set up my DXing tuner. After having played my CD’s and vinyl once too many times, and listening to Xfinity jazz and blues music channels and You Tube via my cable box, I purchased the Node. What a totally pleasant experience to listen to the streaming stations. Haven’t yet delved into paid subscriptions. The fun surpasses any worries about quality at this end at least for now.

Node 2i -> optical -> RME ADI-2 DAC FS
very happy with the result

Breathing life into an older thread. 
I have a Node 2 going into a Chord M Scaler/TT2 combo using an AQ diamond Toslink cable. I think it sounds very nice. Spacious, lots of detail to let my 802 D2s bloom. That said, I have been wondering if getting a better streamer will justify the cost… I have a $500 streamer in a very expensive stack, so if there was a weak link, the node would be it. I took home a Aurender  A100 from the local Hifi shop to test drive it, however it wouldn’t play with my Chord kit using USB a-b, which was super annoying…. I’d like to listen to an Auralic Aries G1 but no dealers near by to audition it, and I don’t want to spend a few k blindly. Anyhow, if anyone has used the Aries G1 with the TT2/Scaler combo, and also the Node 2 with the Chord kit, chime in and let me know. Super appreciated if you do.

cheers

Ziggy. I would look at a Lumin Product aka U1 Mini

@ziggy17 - I went from a Bluesound Vault2i to a Lumin U1 Mini, sent the Lumin back and got the Aries G1 and have enjoyed it. The Vault was a good piece but it pales in comparison to the Auralic