Yo Dark, I think you would be better off skipping the cheap DAC upgrade. I had a similar problem with my system. I bought a Parasound D/A1500 ($300) and connected it to my used ($25)Yamaha CD player. It sounded more dynamic but also more fatiguing. What opened my eyes (or ears) was a Rotel 990 cd player and better speaker cables. I was using AQ Type 6 and found that Purist Audio Designs Elementa speaker cables removed out the overly bright sound from my Apogees. Try replacing you DIY stuff with Elementa interconnects as well. I have no idea what your DIY cables and connects are doing to the sound, and until you try some good cables, neither do you. You can find them used for about $60 (1M interconnects) and $100 (2M speaker cables).
Will a DAC mellow Denon DCM 360
Will a low-end DAC help mellow the high freq edges of my Denon DCM 360 carousel. I've seen ads for the Soundstream DAC-1 ($100) and Musical Fidelity X-DAC ($70) around and wonder if they would be any help? Or is the money better spent on a different cd player? My system is Rotel RB-980BX amp(120 W), ROtel RC-972 pre-amp, B&W 601 series 2 speakers, DIY TNT-X 1.5 connects, and DIY Chris Venhaus Cat 5 (27 pair)teflon speaker cables. My current system sounds excellent for the $1,100 I paid (new speakers & stands, used electronics), except for the piercing highs on some cd's. The DIY cables & interconnects provided a great sonic improvement (excellent detail and soundstaging, much tighter bass) as compared to the cheap Radio Shack "Goldseries" connects and monster cable I was using. The only problem is that the better the interconnect/cables the more "edgey" highs that the CDP delivers.