Good job trying things out and being open and neutral. I respect your conclusion too--you limit it to your ears, your system and your experience. As others note, so many here chime in without ever hearing anything they are talking about.
There are others still who seemingly don't care about how something sounds. Why? Because they believe you/I cannot tell much with our ears and brains--they think it's subjective. So, they buy based on test results and stats.
I've chosen lesser expensive or respected gear before. That's a great spot to be in. The other side--when you say, darn it I have to have this because it sounds soooo good--stinks because you have no way out of the purchase.
By the way, I owned 3 (count 'em, three) Nodes over the years. Damn fine product. The DAC inside is good and probably better than many of us give it credit for. I have to remember this is a $600 product. It does just fine if not great for that price, considering its feature set and overall build quality.
Now, I'd be curious if you can hear the difference by adding in a second REL T5i. :). I bet you can!