Waht is the best streamer for the money under $2500 (no DAC or storage required).

Easy less than $200 + hard drive. Competes with the big boys, but is DIY if you are up for it.  There are instructions on Superbestaudiofriends site.

I run a Raspberry Pi4b with a Pi2AES as the digital board. I load Moode or PiCorePlayer as software and select Tidal or my music on a hard drive via a app on my iPad - MconnectHD or a Squeezebox app, which goes to my Schit Yggy2 Dac via an AES connection

@big_greg.    Can the 505 be used as a stand alone streamer hooked up to an amp and bypass it's dac? 

Check out the Zen MK3 maybe. I'm leaning that way currently. 

http://www.innuos.com/en/catalog/go/zenmini-mk3-1tb-lpsu

Probably lumin u1 mini + sbooster.

Go with the guys that invented streamers.
S Korea's Aurrender.
Now that they've finally released the Android app the other half of the world can enjoy...
sK is also way ahead of us in all other common user electronics, Covid deaths, etc. They jump we say how high?
My antique Cowon DMPs SQ blows away my Astell & Kern in