I was pretty much in your exact same place last spring. I planned to spend $5-6k on a DAC to upgrade from my Node 2 (not 2i). I planned to use the Node as a streamer into the new DAC. Looked at a lot of different units (reviews, specs, etc but didn’t try in house) and finally decided on a Mytek Manhattan II. It just so happened that Mytek was running a special where they discounted the Manhattan by ~$300 and threw in a free network card. I asked them if they would discount further if I didn’t get the network card and they offered me an additional $300 discount. The network card lists for either $1200 or $1500 can’t remember but it seemed like a better deal to go ahead and get the card.
Initially tried the node streaming into the DAC and instantly the SQ was orders of magnitude better. The smile on my 18 year-old’s face said it all. After a few days I started using the network card to stream rather than the node and that resulted in another increase in SQ but nowhere near the same magnitude. I think JJSS49 above said 7-8 out of 10 on the DAC and 1-2 on the streamer and I’d say my experience was similar.
I thoroughly enjoyed my Node 2 for a few years but I expect you’ll be amazed at what digital sounds like when you make the upgrade you’re considering. My experience with Mytek was great and I fully recommend them (I bought direct from them). Let me know if you have questions about the Mytek Manhattan, etc.
I expect you can’t really go wrong with any of the DACs at that price point. Look forward to hearing where you land.
