Good Entry-Level DAC

djones, 

I'm not really lusting over a new DAC; just wondering if I can get better sound. You say you doubt any of them will be a significant improvement. Is that because the NAD is so good? Or the others not good? Or do DACs just not make so much of a difference?

Why don't you pick one of the above suggestions from a seller with a good return policy and check if YOU can spot a difference that's worth it between your current setup and this one?

It's like you said in your original post it is a pretty good DAC in the NAD. It's not that some of these DACs mentioned wouldn't sound different, not necessarily better, but you were asking about significant improvement. You already noticed how you couldn't tell any difference when you got the NAD from it and the other DAC. If some of the ones mentioned look intriguing I would make sure I could return them with a trial period. I've certainly been there and done that. 

The idea that DAC’s don’t get better but only a different sound is just like saying there’s no difference between preamps and amps. Can only speak on the current RME ADI-2 fs to the DAC in my Bluesound Vault 2 and DAC inputs on my Oppo UDP 205 and Cambridge 851C. All these DACs have a clear sonic signature that is indeed different from each other just like the NAD, Sonic Frontiers, Audio Research and ModWright preamps I have owned among others.

What the RME is doing, is extracting information off CD’s or streaming of music I know or thought I knew well. I’m hearing minute things for the first time and yes preamps, speakers and etc. have done the same but not by this margin. I don’t know if it’s the reduction of jitter, crazy low noise floor or just good engineering but it’s not just changing things a little. Agree the only way to know or believe is try in ones own system and fortunately many retailers that sale RME do indeed offer a refund.

Obviously it takes ears that have been trained to listen and equipment that is revealing in the first place. It takes time to dial a system in with proper set up, room treatment speaker placement and etc. so just having expensive equipment doesn’t mean anything as I’m sure most here have heard systems costing far more than one’s own that sound horrible. If the DAC in a NAD is similar in sound quality to a Bluesound, then it’s not even going to be close.

DACs don't extract information off CDs or Streams they convert what's been sent to them. The speakers, room placement and treatments will affect the sound a lot more than the DAC. The OP could also try a newer NAD CD player with the newer 24 bit Wolfson DAC cheaper than some of these outboard DACs. I still haven't seen anything here that would be a SIGNIFICANT  improvement over what he has. Especially if he auditions them in a blind setting. Another thing he has never said what the rest of his system consists of, if it's consumerate with the NAD I wouldn't expect changing a DAC unless it's really crap to make much of a difference.