Warming up digital in my setup

Time for a new DAC and do a free trial of Qobuz. As for the DAC, given your issue I’d highly recommend an R2R DAC as they tend to have a less sharp/hard type of sound, and the new Gustard R26 just hit the market that looks like a very good option…

https://soundnews.net/sources/dacs/a-new-point-of-reference-gustard-r26-discrete-r-2r-ladder-dac-review/

If that’s out of your price range I’d recommend taking a look at the Musician Pegasus (I own one) or Draco and the Denafrips Aries ll. BTW, what USB cable are you using and how long is it?

If you’re open to a tubed DAC that will get you even further down the warm, organic path, and in that case the MHDT Orchid is a great and very reasonably-priced option. Hope this helps, and best of luck.

I’ve had a few DACs with the ESS Sabre Chips, and while they are amazingly detailed they can also lead to glassy glare. Part of the fault has to be with the implementation, as I owned two DACs simultaneously with the same chip and the difference was huge. My Bryston DAC 3, which uses an AKM chip, manages to be detailed and offers a big soundstage and is without glare. Having said that, a lot of Analog or Die! folks are attracted to the sense of space that vinyl provides, which is actually an artifact.

Whatever floats your boat

Glare - that's a great way to describe what I'm hearing.  I'd like something that rounds off the edges :)  - even if it's an artifact.  I know this is all a bit personal choice, but I really couldn't tell a difference between sub 1k DAC (SMSL, Topping, Khadas).  In fact, the Khadas ToneBoard (v1) was the best sounding IMO.  Seems I might need to investigate $1.5k+ DACs?

USB cable is nothing special -- 15ft run - coming out from my iphone.