nicktheknife, power supplies do make a substantive difference, but imo they do not save the DAC. While an upgraded PSU is nice, it will not utterly transform the DAC such that it would outperform any other given DAC with similar treatment. Power cords, digital cable, i.e. USB or Coax, are all important, too.
DACs that are super-analytical, when dropped into dull, syrupy systems, will wake up the system and the owner will think they've hit a home run because they had made such a dull system that when they hear so much more of resolution, they attribute it to the DAC, as opposed to realizing they didn't build such a resolving rig. Put a whiter, more clinical and analytical DAC into a system that is already very high resolution and it may not be acceptable. Tonality is exceptionally important to the ear, and it can take a LOT of work with some components to reach a pleasing point. Generally, if I have to work that hard to make a component sound wonderful, then you probably won't adore the sound long term. I used to try to "save" so-so components to make them work. No longer, as it's not worth the sacrifices made on performance long term.
This is not discussion of the DAC in question per se. It's general guidance based on building hundreds of rigs. The variance in performance of DACs across systems is stunningly wide. It would take about 12 discrete systems, and ideally with several different genres of speakers, to have a global understanding of any DAC's performance.
DACs that are super-analytical, when dropped into dull, syrupy systems, will wake up the system and the owner will think they've hit a home run because they had made such a dull system that when they hear so much more of resolution, they attribute it to the DAC, as opposed to realizing they didn't build such a resolving rig. Put a whiter, more clinical and analytical DAC into a system that is already very high resolution and it may not be acceptable. Tonality is exceptionally important to the ear, and it can take a LOT of work with some components to reach a pleasing point. Generally, if I have to work that hard to make a component sound wonderful, then you probably won't adore the sound long term. I used to try to "save" so-so components to make them work. No longer, as it's not worth the sacrifices made on performance long term.
This is not discussion of the DAC in question per se. It's general guidance based on building hundreds of rigs. The variance in performance of DACs across systems is stunningly wide. It would take about 12 discrete systems, and ideally with several different genres of speakers, to have a global understanding of any DAC's performance.