Looking to add warmth


I'm looking for a solution to add warmth/richness or "emotion" to my rig. Currently the sound is what I would describe as dry/uninvolving, very accurate, but not pulling me in per say.

At the moment I'm using a HTPC running high bitdepth tracks via USB into a Wyred DAC2 being used as a pre to directly feed an Aragon 8008BB driving Philharmonic Audio 2's.

I would be spending money on room treatments, but my room is not very permitting. I live in a geodesic home and the living/listening room is very odd: there are few straight walls, its very open to the rest of the house, and there is a steel spiral staircase directly behind the listening position.

I've debated switching out the DAC to a PS Audio Perfectwave MkII w/bridge and foregoing USB altogether.

Or keeping the DAC2 and selling the 8008BB to switch to a warmer amp, or possibly go the tube route.

Or adding a USB converter of sorts to feed the AES/EBU input instead of the USB on the DAC2.

Tube buffer?

Adding a tube pre-amp? Or is adding another link in the chain only going to make matters worse?

Thanks in advance for any and all replies.
koenigr

Showing 2 responses by rodman99999

If you don't want accuracy, but rather warm coloration: just
sub out some carbon composition resistors almost anywhere in
your signal path. NOTE: What some perceive as, "warmth", is
sometimes simply noise/distortion(btw: what applies to guitar
amps,
applies to all amps:
(http://www.aikenamps.com/ResistorNoise.htm)
The innate noise of carbon comp resistors, is still noise,
whatever the application. Especially pay attention to the
paragraph under the heading,
'Resistor applications':
(http://www.resistorguide.com/resistor-noise/) The, "tubey"
(warm/sugary glazed) sound of many older tube amps can be
reduced
by the subbing out of carbon comp resistors, with metal film
or wirewounds(which I've been doing for decades). ie: Read
the last few paragraphs of this
article(http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1272283)
In the context of this thread; If the OP wants to add
warmth, carbon comps(in the signal path) are a valid option.