I have played about with stand alone DACs since I bought my first Arcam Black Box way back when. I have found that sound quality is not necessarily directly related to price, so auditioning is important. I am currently using a Moon DAC in one system, a vintage Classe DAC1 in another, and a Hegel in another and they are all very good.
Upgrading to a stand alone DAC
I have the upgrade bug..lol. I am considering purchasing a stand alone DAC as 60% of my listening is thru my CD player (NAD C568). This was purchased new 3 years ago for $799.00. My budget would be $1500. Rest of system is the Marantz Ruby KI integrated amp and the Reference 3A de capo speakers. Would I hear a significant difference at this price point?