spend on the streamer or on the DAC ?

@olica the DAC will have a much larger impact on the sound character, regardless of where it is getting its audio data from. Changing the data source into that DAC will not be able to significantly change that character, and is instead probably best thought of as optimizing for it.

There are also plenty of streamer/DACs built into one unit, like the Bryston BDA-3.14.  Sometimes eliminating two sockets, one cable, and everything that goes along with that, pays dividends.

“Bel Canto, Simaudio, Aurrender and there isn’t a nickel worth of difference between them.”

I bet you saved lot of nickels staying with raspberry pi4 😂

Went from a Cambride Audio CXC to a SimAudio 260DT CD transport feeding my Mojo Audio EVO DAC ; it made a positive difference in SQ

twoleftears,

I agree with you. There are advantages, at least theoretically, for coupling the two together.  I have a Naim 555 server/DAC combination.  Different sections of the combined unit are served with their own power feed from the separate dedicated power supply (separate box).  The most noise sensitive section is enclosed in a faraday cage.  In order for the digital signal to enter the faraday cage, it is first converted into an optical signal so that the signal passes optically into the faraday cage (noise/rfi cannot come in riding on an electrical feed).  This sort of complete engineering makes sense.