Please help my ignorant a$$, I just want a good streamer...I think.

Having auditioned the Aurender at length I would say the app is okay but doesn’t come near the Innuos Sense app in terms of depth of functions and fundamental user friendliness. Aurender make good streamers but, as observed, lack the actual functionality being asked for here. 

Digital audio, simplicity and function (the app) mated with reliable simple hardware. Less is better in my mind. I've got a Netgear wireless bridge feeding the ethernet cable to my Aurender N100h, going usb into an integrated's dac. No reclocking, LPS or super duper cabling.

1. If I unplug the ethernet cable, the N100h continues to play for at least 30 seconds so I'm assuming enough caching (storing) is going on that everything critical...is happening in the Aurender. So for that reason all my network stuff is pedestrian, nothing special...but reliable. Others have different opinions and results.
2. The app is very important. Like many, I enjoy Aurender's conductor app. It easily let's me enjoy a large library of Qobuz playlists, songs, albums and many internet radio stations. Play-Fi is quite horrible, I've wanted to try the Blue OS (think it's called that). I've watched some videos on it and it looks pretty good. Of course there are many others including Roon, which is supposed to be the end all of apps. I just don't feel the need, so I'm not paying for it or dealing with it's complexities. I've heard it's pretty great though. 
3. Streamer > Dac > rest of your system > play awesome music. That's the idea right? I've always taken a balanced approach to most things so I assumed this for digital audio as well. Recently I had to test a new dac using it's fiber inputs from an AudioEngine B1 (Bluetooth) streamer. So it looked like this Streamer (B1 bluetooth, horrible compared to usb/coax/fiber) > Dac, Chord Qutest...AWESOME > my system is pretty decent > and it was the best I've ever heard my system sound...period. After this I wouldn't hesitate to invest less on the streamer, and more on the dac. I am NOT saying the streamer isn't important, and there are certainly other valid points and results.
4. I think a tremendous value proposition for many would be a Node with a nice outboard dac. More universally adopted app, really nice streaming performance and VERY versatile. Even if you outgrow the Node, it's not hard to image it taking place in an office or bedroom system. Wireless for me is a huge plus. I don't have a wired connection close by and the N100h is strictly a wired device so I have to use a wireless bridge. Not a big deal...just more cables and such.
5. One last thing, besides the goal of simplicity and less is best, I never assume that I HAVE to do something for it to sound right. I use baseline quality power, digital and analog cabling (Pangea and Audioquest mostly, quality but nothing special). And I'll experiment and tinker around from there, always as fun experimentation rather than I have to fix something.

I've been in IT for over 25 years so digital audio comes pretty easy to me. I've also been into high end digital audio since the beginning and it's remarkable to see the transformation that streaming has brought to us. With it we literally have an endless supply of music to discover. Enjoy!

OP

  I feel your pain.  Streaming has been a Rabbit Hole for me as well, with many expensive false starts.  In your situation you probably should have got the Vault instead of the Node.  If you like the Node (and it sounds pretty decent if you use an external DAC, as you are doing), and the Blue OS, see if your dealer will give you some credit for your Node and sell you a Vault.  The ripping function of the Vault is drop dead easy--insert disc and wait about 5 minutes.  2TB storage will buy you a lot of discs, and you won't have a new learning curve associated with learning a streamer, or getting it to interface with your home network, since your Node is doing that then the Vault should as well.

  If you wish to forego the Vault, the cheapest way is to get an Optical Drive to burn CDs to a Hard Drive, using a program such as dbPowerAmp.  You will need a PC to do the burning.  You then cross your fingers and hope the Node can recognize the HD, whether it is attached to the Node by USB or alternatively leave the HD attached to the PC and have the PC be part of the system.

I would think that the Lumin U1 mini would certainly best your Node 2i. I have the Lumin T2 and am really happy with it. One caveat, the Lumin app is not the most user-friendly or intuitive at times. As treynolds155 said, I too have been in the IT field for nearly 30 years and the Lumin app still gives me agita occasionally. 

The beauty of streaming is you can make it simple or complex. Simple, get a server, plug in usb cable to dac, done. The software side is something you get familiar with over time.

Streaming became complicated when manufacturers came up with usb thingies, streamers, ethernet filters of all kinds, audiophile switches, etc. And they still keep coming. Now, over time some persist in marketplace because they provide some benefit for at least some people, others disappear if they provide no benefit or bested by newer product. I suspect these products will persist forever, or at least until there becomes a single standard or benchmark product that all will agree is best. NOT counting on that!

And, then I haven't even mentioned all the music player software available, and the means to control it.

Complexity is the audiophile standard operating procedure. Back in the day my family had stereo console, receiver, turntable, speakers, integrated amp, phono pre all in one cabinet. Plug it into wall, shazam! Now I've lost count of all the components, cables, etc in my system.