You’ll notice a much greater difference with by going the route of amplification.
IMO, SS DACs belong in the category of placebo products, i.e. cables, fuses, and most power conditioning. If you want a different flavor of sound (not necessarily better) you can get it with a tube DAC.
Another path that will yield greater results is a speaker stand upgrade. Anything that’s mechanically coupled to your speakers will affect resonance behavior and therefore, the sound. This is clearly audible. $600 on Sound Anchor stands is a vastly better purchase than $600 on a DAC.
If you get something like a Bifrost, and you’re objective in your listening, you’ll realize why the $300 V90 DAC is rated "class A" by Stereophool, higher than far more expensive pieces like Shiit’s Yggdrasil. Hint: it’s not because it’s better.
BTW, I’ve owned the V90 DAC. I also own a DAC that retailed for $1800. If I’m honest with myself, they sound almost identical to my $100 Topping DAC.
IMO, SS DACs belong in the category of placebo products, i.e. cables, fuses, and most power conditioning. If you want a different flavor of sound (not necessarily better) you can get it with a tube DAC.
Another path that will yield greater results is a speaker stand upgrade. Anything that’s mechanically coupled to your speakers will affect resonance behavior and therefore, the sound. This is clearly audible. $600 on Sound Anchor stands is a vastly better purchase than $600 on a DAC.
If you get something like a Bifrost, and you’re objective in your listening, you’ll realize why the $300 V90 DAC is rated "class A" by Stereophool, higher than far more expensive pieces like Shiit’s Yggdrasil. Hint: it’s not because it’s better.
BTW, I’ve owned the V90 DAC. I also own a DAC that retailed for $1800. If I’m honest with myself, they sound almost identical to my $100 Topping DAC.