Quest for an external Dac has resulted in me way down the rabbit hole

I heard that in one review, I  wish there were ways to load them up, take a few home and compare them.  Unfortunately can’t do that here.

Maybe 4 yrs ago I’ve heard all the denafrips Model at Axpona , I heard the terminator down to Ares l , For my taste in that system I’ve heard them , I prefer the sound of Ares , upfront I told them I will buy the Ares after the show, I still have the Ares.Agon member Trelja likes the Ares dac as well.He  heard them all also in New Jersey . I think Vince is the guy who demoed them, very nice and knowledgeable.

To the OP, your other components should be your starting point. DACs can make a HUGE difference in a resolving system, but would hardly make a sonic difference if the rest of the components are of lessor quality (which is why you like your current CD player/DAC). Speakers will make the biggest difference in sound followed by your Amp/PreAmp. Change those first and then the you will be able to hear the difference a good DAC can make. 

What do you mean when you go to dealers they just give you the “party line”? You mean recommend something they sell? What are they supposed to do? Do yourself a favor- if you want to climb out of this audio hole you and so many others are in, take your Rotel into a local dealer and ask them to show you something that sounds better to your ears. Don’t worry about the price. Just see if you can hear a positive difference. That’s the first step. Anything else except a home trial is spinning your wheels. But do call the dealer first and ask them if they can do this demo for you. If they say no, walk away. I’m just trying to help.

Perhaps he would like to use this new DAC for all his digital needs; the CD player, Node. etc.

Personally, I like the idea of a separate DAC for this purpose, as it can change along with the CD transport, streamer, etc.