Buying a DAC when you can't try it first


this is a generic "advice please" post.
I'm driving magnepan .7's with a primaluna evo 400 with KT150 tubes.
Most of my music nowadays it tidal streamed via a chromecast audio (CCA) with the optical output going into the DAC of a MusicHall C-DAC (its a CD player with a DAC that can be used by external sources).

I'm planning an upgrade path and leaning toward getting a DAC like the SMSL SU-9 or Cambridge DACMagic Plus and running the CCA optical through the new DAC. But i have no idea if those DAC's or something else at that price is going to improve on the musichall DAC (which some reviews say is a decent DAC).

Or should I ditch the CCA and separate DAC go the streamer route....but I'm worried that tying a streamer and DAC together limits upgrade path. However i am not totally against it. 

I'm just not sure if i even will hear anything measurably better than what I have so thought I'd reach out to you people for your thoughts and experiences. 

....sigh.

mid-fi-crisis
The dacs that soix recommended are entry level dacs and for a little bit more money can do better. Also, if you do get a quality dac, get 1 with mqa support, then compare qobuz to tidal masters with mqa. Tidal is so much better sounding with mqa music and equal to quboz with non-mqa music. I also don’t take recommendations from people that say to stay away from mqa when they don’t have the equipment to actually try it.
As for 3rd party streamers, you don’t need 1. The bluesound node 2 is an entry level streamer. I use Roon on a headless Mac. You can’t get anything close Roon’s GUI and its sound is equal to audirvana. All 3rd party streamers are computers and the only reason you would want to use 1 is if you want to hook it up directly to a dac which I wouldn’t do or you don’t want to support a computer. Why have a computer in your audio room? Been there and done that.
Get the best dac you can afford with a network interface and use your computer to run Roon. Then use Ethernet to hook to your computer. Don’t use usb, you’ll be spending money with 3rd party products to make it sound decent. For around $2000 or so, get a used ps audio ds jr dac with network bridge ii and mqa support. 
Since you mentioned interest in the Cambridge DAC magic why not look at the Cambridge Azur 851N. It's a streamer / DAC with Tidal, Qobuz, Spotify built in. Many digital inputs. You could decide to use its built in preamp or not.

I had one connected to my Primaluna Dialogue Premium seperates a couple of years ago.
I've been looking for a good price on a used one to put in my second system. 
dan wright (modwright) is now doing modded cambridge streamer/dac units - he has a very good ear and his mods have transformed many a digital piece (sony, marantz, oppo cd/sacd players) into some of the nicest sounding players out there for many years

check dan’s website to his ’circle’ on a-circle

no affiliation, just a happy customer of his for many years

otherwise, i would submit, from my own experience, that a bluesound node 2i streaming and a top notch (but reasonably priced) r2r dac would make streamed digital sound really excellent - dacs, for instance, from mdht, metrum/sonnet, audio mirror, even frank van alstine/AVA
That  TUBADOUR III Non Oversampling Tube DAC sounds interesting.  How durable are the tubes?  Are you replacing the tubes frequently?

I purchased a BlueSound Node 2i and was talked into adding a ProJect S2 DAC and I thought it sounded thin compared to just the Node 2i.  I also play Tidal and for some reason I think I hear a difference when playing MQA or is MQA just a gimmick?  I would think some remixes are better than the original?  Can your really hear a difference in DAC's?  That might be something to explore next.
I would second what most are saying.  Don't cheep out on the DAC.  Personally, I would have just gone with something like a PS Audio DirectStream Junior.  It has a built in streamer and wonderful paired with Roon.  The warm sound that it produces, brings it really close to sounding like analogue.  It nearly matches my analogue front end that cost 4 times more!

You might be able to find one used for $2-2.5k. 

The Lumin streamers are also highly recommended and come with built in DACs.  Only thing is most of them don't offer inputs, if that was a consideration.  I've not heard a Lumin, so don't know.  Just have heard they are highly recommended when a single box streaming solution is desirable.  

Outside of that, I might consider something like a Chord or Mytek DAC.  Once you want to go beyond that -- say a DAC of $4 - 5k -- you need a big price jump. And probably paying for the output stage.  The money might be better spent on upgrading amp or other.