I have a different view than the others. Yes, the DAC is very important, but I also found that the streamer or source is as important.
I started with a Node 2 going into an outboard DAC, and found a sizable improvement in performance when upgrading the streamer going into the same DAC. BTW - It didn’t present itself as a tonal difference, but In the form of a lot more spatial detail. The Node 2 sounded “flat” dimensionally in comparison. The upgraded streamer also offered more information and musical detail but the most obvious difference was how the soundscape just opened up dramatically.
Perhaps you could audition better sources along with better DACs to see how it works in your system. In any case, YMMV but it’s worth exploring.
My $.02.
I started with a Node 2 going into an outboard DAC, and found a sizable improvement in performance when upgrading the streamer going into the same DAC. BTW - It didn’t present itself as a tonal difference, but In the form of a lot more spatial detail. The Node 2 sounded “flat” dimensionally in comparison. The upgraded streamer also offered more information and musical detail but the most obvious difference was how the soundscape just opened up dramatically.
Perhaps you could audition better sources along with better DACs to see how it works in your system. In any case, YMMV but it’s worth exploring.
My $.02.