+1 on the importance of ui/software in a streamer. I went from a Node to a miniDSP SHD with Volumio. Hardware was fine but Volumio was a horrible experience. I even stopped listening to music. My wife actually encouraged me to buy a new streamer! Now when was the last time your significant other encouraged you to buy a new audio toy? Volumio was that bad. Anyway, I reluctantly dumped the miniDSP and went back to a Node, but this time with an LPS, an external DAC, and fronted with an English 8 switch. To my ears, the SQ is fine with this (low cost) setup.
Streamer apps critical
I don't understand why high end manufacturers release streamers with terrible apps. One of the strongest advantages of the Nodes is the BluOS app. It's simple and effective, though not full-featured. I understand the Innuos app is great. Not all of us like much less want to pay the cost of ROON and the online apps, like USB audio Player are clunky. I would love to see a paid-for version of BluOS or other manufacturers license a common but customized app, much as early versions of Windows were available from Dell, Gateway, Compaq and so many others.