Great input from the community on all the possibilities! I have both Schiit Modi3 and Topping D50S and I would a very slight edge to the Modi3 although Topping is so rich in features (Bluetooth 5.0 including AptXHD, LDAC codecs) plus Native DSD to DSD512 (on USB). And yes, APOS is SUPER easy to work with and the shipping turnaround time (3 days max) is absolutely amazing coming all the way from China. I even broke down and got their accompanying linear power supply and there is a small improvement on both the Modi3 and D50S.
I am seriously contemplating on getting a Bluesound Vault2i as I would like to finally store all my CD's in a central repository for significantly easier access but it's internal DAC is definitely an issue when I was demo'ing in a store.
Also, any thoughts on DSD vs PCM ? I don't think Bluesound plays DSD's natively though. I downloaded a few albums in both formats and frankly, have a hard time discerning the difference. Also, I can't tell much audible difference between DSD 64 vs DSD128 vs DSD256 vs DSD512 of the same recording...
Much appreciate feedback.