USED D/A - worth the effort?

I added a Bel Canto DAC to a CAL Icon MKII (same as yours) and am happy with the upgrade. The stand alone CAL is my favorite sounding inexpensive player (which is why I have it) but the Bel Canto adds a sense of refinement and "realism" that I feel is worth the asking price of a used unit. To A/B the Icon with and without the DAC is to easily hear the benefits added and though both suit my personal taste and sound musical to me I do get added enjoyment with the DAC. However, I have found that both the CAL and the Bel Canto need better power cords to perform "as stated" in my system. I am just using HT Pro 11's which sell for approx. $125 used and perhaps just a good Belden design such as those sold by Kevperro would work as well, (what's up with yours David99?) I don't know. Either of the units with their stock cords do not do it for me musically and in my situation (power supply and corresponding gear) the upgraded cords are not an option but a necessity. I was very disappointed with the sound of the Bel Canto when I first installed it with its stock cord. Perhaps others will not find the same to be true with their systems and this is just my experience with the two units which both sound less dynamic and dull without the PC upgrades. Sorry to continue rambling, but I also liked the sound of the Homegrown Super Silver IC's with the stock CAL (prior to adding the DAC) as they added further detail and made the sound more in your face, which is quite and accomplishment with the CAL, without sounding bright. Anyway, this might be something to look into on the cheap as well as some footers such as Vibrapods if you haven't already.

PS: As much as we both apparently like the CAL, it is not the best transport by any means. A friend recently purchased an old Meridien player (for not a lot of money) that had better bass than the CAL, IMO, when I tried it as a transport. I would eventually like to replace the CAL, perhaps with an SACD model that would hopefully better it as a transport.