Apple iPad music streamer

Would what exactly compare?

Sorry Kevin I am not sure I understand your question. After iPads I have used $3K $5K, $10K and finally a $22K streamer… each upgrade was very very significant. Ancillary equipment must support the increases in sound quality. My current streamer / DAC combo equals the sound quality of my great analog end (Linn LP12. Koetsu Rosewood Signature cartridge with Audio Research Ref 3 Phono stage).

@voodoolounge 

For slightly more than the price of a new Bluesound node, you can pick up a used first generation  Auralic Aries Femto w/ outboard linear power supply. The LightningDS app is intuitive and easy to use, and in my system, the sound quality of the USB output of the Aries walks all over what I get from my CD transport connected via spdif to the same DAC. 

SFAR - you mention using an iPad with the Node 2i, which is what I do. Then you mention a Bel Canto DAC. Where does that come in. I connected the Node directly to my preamp assuming there was a DAC in the Node. Thanks

All I can say is that mConnect is klutzy, bettered by BubbleUPnP. HiFiCast is good for radio. Moode is not mobile friendly and buggy. Volumio does a few good things but is limited to Tidal and Qobuz for which you gotta subscribe unless you use BubbleUPnP (free) in front. I streamed off a computer for years, never going back. It would be just like going back to mp3’s. AM radio was where it was at until ’69, Brother  Love, KABC-FM. Get with the program.

You can spend as much as you want to but the returns are ever diminishing /$.