I only just learned of the RME this weekend and have had the Pro-Ject for a few days … I initially bought this for my desktop, but when the weekend hit I connected it to my main system and have it wired to my Roon Core via a crappy USB cable I had that was long enough. It’s shockingly good compared to the blusound node 2 I have there as well. Of course now I am looking to go bigger (if needed) and aside from upgrading the USB and power supply thinking a bigger box would be the right choice. Qutest was where I started but then realized the RME is much less expensive and highly capable. Seems though to lack the reputation (and reviews) comparatively …
Also suppose worth considering the Mytek Liberty at around 1K …