I’m in danger of sounding like a broken record on this issue, but in my experience, the streamer/server is at least as important as the DAC and likely more so. I enjoyed a greater improvement in sound quality by improving the streamer than I did from the DAC.
The Bluesound Node 2i is a terrific value - a killer unit from a utility standpoint (I have one in a system). But, if sound quality is the goal, I wouldn’t be building around the Vault or the Node because even if you upgrade the DAC significantly, the end result will still be limited. My $.02. Of course, YMMV.
The Bluesound Node 2i is a terrific value - a killer unit from a utility standpoint (I have one in a system). But, if sound quality is the goal, I wouldn’t be building around the Vault or the Node because even if you upgrade the DAC significantly, the end result will still be limited. My $.02. Of course, YMMV.