Will a new Dac improve the sound?

Cables/ interconnects are other issues that i need to address. I am using Audioquest, i don't remember the exact ones ,but they are on the budget end of their cables. 

I have a high-end CD player (Marantz SA-10), which I'm using without my DAC (Chord Qutest).  I can't tell any significance difference in the sound when it's attached to the CD player.  Maybe the sound from Marantz (even without built-in DAC) is so good you don't need a DAC.

People sometimes overlook the A in DAC.  The analog side is just as important to the overall sound.  While I'm not personally a fan of tubes, they are an example of how much the sound can be affected by the analog stage. 

However, the digital side controls your digital flexibility wrt input connectivity, sample rates, bit depths, and the initials - DSD, MQA, etc.  I'm guessing these things are less important to you now, but will come up when you tackle streaming. 

I was curious about one thing.  Your Cary decoded HDCD, a precursor to MQA.  Do you have any HDCD CDs?  If so, you may want to consider an HDCD-compatible DAC.  I don't know if there are any still currently in production, so this would likely have to be used.

No, i do not have any HDCD Cds.

Went through parallel quest 27 yrs ago, I tried a Theta Prime, Pro Basic, with Magnavox CB650 as transport. Unsatisfied with the outcome, added a full set of Conrad Johnson Premier and VTL deluxe, both full pre/power combination. Tried 2 x Krell KSA250 and vertical bi-amp. Rotated loudspeaker of many flavors to come to the realization that room acoustic was the final frontier. 

Read a lot of books and tested various passive room treatment. Still have various acoustic softwares until I came across a product name SigTech. Denis Doyle came and gone with a total of 4 units of SigTech, 1 for music room and 3 for theater, I’d learned that the combination of passive room treatment, speaker placement, and electronic room correction out weights ANY equipment upgrades in my life long pursue for good fidelity.

My humble suggestion is to look into room correction processors. Currently I’m using QEDX in three separate systems. The beauty of this is that it is a Dac, digital crossover (for subwoofer), and pre-amp. Three birds in one stone.