Better desktop DAC

Testing some more today, Steven Wilson: What life brings, in Nightowl headphones from Teac Nt-505 in main system vs Topping e30ii in office system. Streaming from Qobuz. - No contest, Teac is better. No surprise. But it is a gradient. Not night and day difference.

Maybe my budget should be 600 usd. This is still ca four times the price of the Topping. With a clear sonic improvement. If this is too much to ask for, maybe I should wait.

My office system is my secondary system. I dont want to reinvent the whole system, invest in a streamer, power conditioner, top grade cables, better speakers, amps or whatever. I like it as a modest system, specialized to my liking (single driver speakers, OTL sound etc).

Yet I do want to consider good-sounding DACs. This is also based on my experience from developing the analog chain in my main system, starting from the source (there, the cartridge) and going from there.

Since you like it so much, why don't you just watch the used market until another Teac NT-505 shows up?  

Yes, its a possibility. However it is a bit big for my desktop. And still quite expensive. And I am not sure I need the streamer part, since my ethernet connected laptop seems to work ok. Both streaming and playing DSD native from my hard disk. Not sure, what would be the typical symptoms that the streamer function needs upgrade?

@chayro - I looked at the Apos audio site, interesting, many options. Anyone you would consider?

I asked

what would be the typical symptoms that the streamer function needs upgrade?

this is much debated, on Audiogon and elsewhere...

I come to this digital debate from analog. There, also, opinions have been very divided, maybe the only thing that matters is the correct vinyl record speed, the pitch stability, or also the weight and timbre of different platters, the function of tonearms, and so forth, not to speak of diamonds and cartridges. You can't really stop. There are hundreds of maybe-relevant variables. But you have to stop somewhere - what are the main things that matter, to get excellent vinyl record playback.

So - is there a main rule? If you have acceptably good streaming (no obvious problems with hires pcm or dsd), what is the benefit of investing in better streaming, compared to a better dac? Like 10 / 90 percent? 30 / 70?