I would put the money into getting a good DAC, since the DAC in the Node2i is nothing special. Many DACs can be digital pre amps. My personal experience
was when my Mytek Manhattan DAC was doubling as a pre amp when the latter was having a minor repair issue. I definitely preferred using it with a pre amp as I found the System had some glare without it, but ymmv. Of course, many pre amp DAC combos are out there as well. I would spend the money on a DAC now if the budget is small, and you can add a pre later if desired
was when my Mytek Manhattan DAC was doubling as a pre amp when the latter was having a minor repair issue. I definitely preferred using it with a pre amp as I found the System had some glare without it, but ymmv. Of course, many pre amp DAC combos are out there as well. I would spend the money on a DAC now if the budget is small, and you can add a pre later if desired