Does the 'Buck' Start with the DAC?

Wow , David you have a budget of 20 to 30 grand for a digital front end ? What fun that would be though some here suggested a Shiite dac and Bryson CD player can’t be beat and anything spent over that is getting on a fast train of disminishing returns .

Though I much prefer a server IE ripped CDs over streaming myself here’s one fairly easy example to highlight the critical importance of both source and dac .

This past summer we had a Bluesound vault and a Innous MK 3 with out board dacs for comparison and I can tell you the differences in musically performance was striking. 
Anyway have fun .

@in_shore I currently have approximately 6K in my streaming source (components + LPS). And 4.5K in the DAC.

Based on what I am hearing within my own system as well as auditions, it is going to take a sizeable jump in spend to justify the upgrades on both fronts. Much, much more on the DAC front.

Unfortunate, but also a reality.

@jaytor - I use the Acoustic Zen MC-2 silver AES/EBU digital interconnect cable, because everyone recommends AES/EBU provides the best sound quality.  

I was surprised (and pleased) at how great the Yggy improved the sound of my system - would never have believed it had I not tried it.  No matter what all the reviews have raved about it, compared to all the $25,000-$50,000 Dac's.

Maybe check out dCS Bartok?
It has both dac and streamer

  https://www.stereophile.com/content/dcs-bartok-da-processorheadphone-amplifier

Otherwise, as a pure guess, I would start with 20k dac and 10k streamer.

@david_ten : Is your sonicTransporter also your streamer?

Here is my current breakdown in MSRP prices (obviously, getting a nice deal or used helps 😉):

DAC: $13,500 (MSB Discrete with ProISL USB module and second optional discrete power supply)

Server / Streamer (USB out to DAC): $4,250 (Innuos ZENith MK3)

Then of course you have the USB cable, the power cords, the Ethernet cable, etc.