How much does a DAC do the more expensive it is?

Here's a tangential question: Why does Tidal Master quality streaming through my Oppo/Schiit combo sound so much better than playing a CD through the same combo? I'm talking of identical releases of CD and streaming selection. 

In my case, being a professional studio musician, I'm extremely sensitive to the power of music, the sound of instruments, and in particular groove.  My DAC solution (M-Scaler/Dave) has both excellent clarity (where instruments sound more like they'd sound in the room than with lesser solutions) that I think the Dave is responsible for, and it grooves really well (I feel your my bobbing, my toe tapping, I get sucked into the music's rhythm better) that I think the M-Scaler's sorting of transients contributes to.  But these are only a guess as to why it's working well for me.  As in all things musical in both my amateur and professional life, it all boils down to "is the music moving me?"   In neither life can I accept that the music not move me.  So the expenditure was worth it to upgrade.

simao

Why does Tidal Master quality streaming through my Oppo/Schiit combo sound so much better than playing a CD through the same combo? I'm talking of identical releases of CD and streaming selection. 

They're not identical if the stream has been processed with MQA.

For me it depends on the system quality and room acoustics/ size. Up to a certain point a dac like the Denafrips Aries is all you’ll ever need. The differences could be subtle if we are talking of a simple system, but can be really palpable in a highly resolving one.