I appreciate the invite. I would love to connect with you and listen to your amazing system next time I visit Austin. My point of engagement was not to cast doubt on what you’re hearing with Node 2, which is a great performer for the money and even better with upgraded power supply. Bottom line, if you’re satisfied with what you’ve put together then it shouldn’t matter what else out there.
I used to own Vault 2 so I can say from my experience, Aurender streamers offers a substantial upgrade in sound over Node albeit at higher price of admission. Streamer is just one piece of the pie, so one needs to ensure your rest of the system is up to the task. My impressions of Node vs Aurender are in the context of my system (listed here under my moniker).
You’re welcome to stop by next time you’re in Houston.