soix, not to be too generic, I am looking to increase soundstage and to pull out more details
A better DAC could very well extract more detail (of an incremental level), especially if it’s one that has a very low noise floor. It could also expand perceived soundstage width if it applies noise shaping and/or adds harmonic distortions. The latter can cause other detriments though. BTW, the original Schiit Yggdrasil did exactly that, it had poor linearity and barely achieved 16 bit resolution. That’s how it managed to sound so “different” from other DACs of its era.
Nine times out of ten, the best way to increase soundstage width is to adjust speaker placement and/or add room treatments. At a similar rate, the best way to get more actual detail (as opposed to perceived detail that one only notices because of neglect to match volume when judging the new component against the old) is by way of a speaker upgrade.
That isn’t to say a standalone DAC won’t yield some improvement over your CD player. I am merely suggesting it might not give you the “wow” factor you are likely seeking.
I realize it’s an unpopular sentiment around here, but it’s my belief and experience that digital sources and associated cabling produce some of the lowest ROI in a system. Let’s say one has a max budget of $1500 they can invest in upgrading their system. In my experience, that person would likely be much better off if they were to allocate $300-$500 of that budget toward a objectively transparent “Chi-Fi” DAC, and the rest toward new speakers, or simply allocate the entire sum to new speakers (especially speakers with higher quality drivers). Keep in mind that most dealer-sold speakers under ≈$6K/pair are equipped with very mediocre drivers. I can build a $2K/pair speaker kit from the likes of Madisound that will wipe the floor with many $5K speakers and yield far higher ROI than would any DAC upgrade at any price.
Sorry for the tangent, but hopefully that somewhat explains my stance on this subject and why I believe hobbyists are often heading down the wrong path for achieving their goals. I get why listeners like to “upgrade” stuff like DACs and cables—it’s a much easier endeavor than going out and auditioning speakers and toying with setup once you find the right pair, then selling/shipping the old ones to a new owner. Swapping DACs is nearly effortless by comparison. Unfortunately, the latter is not where most systems have a bottleneck, not by a long shot.
For a reference, the speakers currently in my primary system retail for $11K, and compete favorably against >$15K speakers from other brands. Despite the disparity in price, I have zero doubt my $500 Topping is up to task. Even in my situation, I would rather apply $1500 of disposable income toward saving for a pair of $35K Rockport speakers rather than “upgrading” my DAC.
Almost forgot the requisite disclaimer: “your mileage may vary.” There, now others can hopefully read this post without busting their BP cuffs. ![wink wink](https://d2whmegz38cf3z.cloudfront.net/ckeditor4-releases/plugins/smiley/images/wink_smile.png)