Thanks everyone that's pitched in and helped me here and in PMs. I realize this thread is all over the place and it kind of reflects where I stand, which is all over the place... One day I am convinced of getting this thing then a few days later somebody pitches another idea and I am onto the next thing and this is without not having even bought anything yet. A lot of it I feel can be cleared up in a matter of hours even maybe if I can just find a place to demo some things, but a lot of the stuff that's been suggested is very hard to find here in Canada and some that are available is not accessible right now due to Covid. Initially my budget was to buy a pair of Stellia, drive it off my iphone and be done with it, but with Head fi before you know it I've gone close to 5 times over my original budget buying this and that.
Anyways, the reason I made the thread in the first place was because I wasn't convinced how much difference a high end dac will make (as stated by the title), and after 11 pages I can say I am still not convinced it's the best thing for me to buy right now. I've always been in the camp that upgrades goes in order of headphones > amp > DAC and even though my Manley tube amp is doing an excellent job, it would seem the Susvaras paired with a speaker amp is something I need to really look into. There's also the 1266 that I've wanted to try for a long time but haven't been able to get over some of its apparent design/sound signature impressions I've read. So right now I would say I am leaning towards this order:
1. Speaker amp for Susvara
2. Trying to 1266
3. Getting a DAC
For amp the Bakoon 13R is on the top of the list. There is a whole range of speaker amps I will research but something I value, which I realize might not be as important to others, is form factor and size. I am just not a fan of having massive 40 pound amps lying on my desk or coffee table next to me. However, nothing is off the "table" sort of speak.
As for option 2, I will need to find a dealer that has a return policy in case I don't like the 1266. Right now the 2 local dealers nearby don't accept returns because this is a special order item.
For DACs, the Chord stuff, particularly TT2, is on top of the list followed by the DAVE. I've put TT2 over Dave because some impressions people have told me lead me to believe the DAVE might be too thin and analytical for my taste since I prefer a warmer more lush or "musical" listening experience. Some of the Rockna stuff like Wavelight/Wavedream and PS Audio is also on my radar but the same form factor/size considerations also applies for DACs.