@jrdavisphd You are getting some really good advice and everyone has consistent themes. In my own journey cycling through gear, what I've found through trial and error that aligned with advice dealers and other audiophiles have provided. Speakers make the biggest difference when you chasing a certain sound, that's followed by the amp / room treatment as the room treatment is basically an extension of the speakers. Speaker placement is also key. The Pre Amp is next in line, followed by the source. Now, this assumes that when you get to the source, you have a decent source, a solid vinyl rig, CD player or streaming set up, they don't have to be world class or crazy expensive. If you haven't already, I'd try different sources, vinyl or CD, if you get more of the sound you are chasing with those sources, you have proof of concept that the rest of your gear can deliver that sound you are chasing, will confirm that if you tweak your streaming set up you'll be rewarded. I'd then see if a dealer would let you trial an app, pre separate set up along with a streamer / DAC. Sounds like a big ask but I've had a dealer provide me those. You could then experiment, drop the pre into your existing set up, using your Mac as the Amp and DAC, then try using the pre and a separate DAC. This will allow you to see what makes the most difference with your speakers, room which is already your anchor. Synergy between your speakers and Amp. are key and then through the rest of the gear. Think of it like a car, your speakers are your chassis, drivetrain, suspension and the amp is your engine. If those components aren't paired well together, nothing else will be quite right. The Pre is like your transmission, if that's not aligned with the engine, chassis, drivetrain the car won't really reach its potential. In streaming, if you have a solid streamer, you already do, a DAC will have a bigger impact on sound but in your system the streamer / DAC is what would take the rest of your gear from good to very good to great, in your case more likely from very good to great. The DAC would be like swapping a set of serviceable tires to high performance, if the rest of the car is set up to take advantage of the high performance tires, the change in performance will be noticeable. If you then switched fuel from 93 octane to racing fuel, if the car is set up to benefit from the change, you'll notice a difference, that's a streamer in this case. In all this though, if you have the chassis / drivetrain of a truck, a Turbo Charged engine designed for speed but not for torque or towing and a transmission designed for a family sedan, won't really matter what tires or fuel you use, if you have the chassis, drivetrain, transmission all aligned, a decent set of tires and 87 octane will still give you a heck of a thrill, better tires and racing fuel will give you that little extra that takes you from very good to great.
upgrade question regarding DAC and streamer
I want to improve my system's imaging after having carefully placed my speakers and done some room treatment to reduce reflections.
My system includes a McIntosh MA8950 integrated amplifier, Sonus faber Olympica Nova III speakers, a Silent Angel Bonn 8 network switch and its LPU, and an Innuos Zen Mini Mark III with its LPU. I use the Mini with its Sense app to stream Qobuz to the McIntosh's DA2 DAC.
I am considering a DAC+streamer such as the MSB Discrete (with render/streamer add-on, and its separate single LPU) and the dCS Lina (with built-in power supply). My budget is about 15K.
In the future, I will get a separate preamp and amp, perhaps using the MA8950 as the preamp for a while.
The dealer with whom I have a great relationship carries MSB, dCS, and Innuos (their Stream3 may also be a good option when it comes out). Of course, I will listen to the DAC+streamer options with the same/similar integrated amp and speakers at the dealer's.
For the purpose of improving imaging with my system/room/good speaker placement, does upgrading the DAC and streamer make sense, or should I upgrade to separates first? Or something else?