[pHEnomIC]

I have an audio-gd compass i use mostly for headphones and it is amazing for them. (DAC + Headphone Amp)

I tried using it's dac part with my speaker setup and im unsure if its actually helping sound quality or not.

The setup is laptop optical out -> compass dac -> magnavox 9302 tube amp -> klipsch forte's.

It certainly sounds good but i dont think its doing much more than my laptop dac.

It seems as though it makes the sound a little more laid back and less bright/impact but I cant tell too much else. Seems to allow a bit more control on softer sounds as well (lighter drum hits seem to have a bit more quality for instance).

Ive tried it with various FLAC files doing a/b comparisons. Any insight?

 

[NA Blur]

I think your ears are on the right track.  I did similar testing using the Ultra Desktop Amp/DAC, my TEAC AG-10, and my m903.  To me the DAC's all sounded quite similar.  Enough so that I was not convinced that a DAC upgrade makes a huge difference.  Testing the amp sections was another story.
 
If a good DAC is doing its job it should be pretty seamless.  You want to listen for hum, hiss, and audible distortion in the bass and treble region.  That will tell you if your DAC is having any signal processing issues.  Another key thing to listen for with DAC's is any skipping or signal loss.
 
I would say that you have shown, to your ears, that both DAC's are very similar.  So much so that you cannot tell the difference.