Point of higher priced streamer?

Unexpected result I ran into - I'm running what I'd call a modest system, all separates, about 10k maybe if bought when brand new.  I picked up a Node 2 because I'd never had a dedicated streamer except for my laptop/Audrivana setup.  I thought the Node 2 sounded better (and it freed up my laptop duties), so I wondered if the Node 2i would be even better.  Turns out IMO that the Node 2 separated the instruments/vocals better and was more dynamic than the 2i.  I have an Ares II so I didn't use the inboard Node DACs at all, but I was semi-surprised that the 2 sounded better than the 2i, even though I'd seen a few reports of the two streamer portions being pretty much the same and not worth the upgrade, as long as you keep the software up to date.  I was expecting that the Node 2i might have an edge over the 2 or at least that they would sound pretty much the same on my system, so I ended up getting rid of the 2i.  I have no experience with more expensive streamers, so I think I would upgrade all of my other pieces before I updated my streamer.