R2R next? Don't like ESS

I agree that ESS isn't for everyone - sometimes it just a chip specific thing. For instance, some people find AKM velvet sound chips too mellow regardless of the implementation.

My setup now includes a Holo audio dac which is my end dac - really like it.

However, I did consider some other R2R Dacs including those from Audio-GD, who have brought many R2Rs to market and are fans of Burr Brown. 

Website: http://audio-gd.com/Products-EN.htm

Not everyone's cup of tea but perhaps worth some research since their price point is certainly reasonable. 

@hilde45 I agree with you.. & perhaps I worded my thoughts poorly. I certainly wasn't implying that tubes or any type of topology was better or worse than another. As much as I like to switch things up I often find myself going back to the shortest most transparent signal path I have available. At the moment in my digital set-up I'm going straight from Dac to amp. This is where I find myself just enjoying the music & not thinking much at all about the components. 

I didn't mean for my current thoughts of straight wire with a gain to come off like a negative. I'm just more open to trying something that may be deliberately not as transparent or without the lowest THD. I don't mean something broken or with poorly engineered noise. Utmost transparency, neutrality, lowest noise floor, is normally what most try to achieve I believe or thought. I feel that saying I'm open to trying a tube dac or old R2R technology could lead to some people thinking "why?".  It's certainly not because I don't value or appreciate a neutral or balanced presentation. I'm also not saying that all R2R or tube dacs can't achieve that..I don't have the experience to say one way or the other. I do lack experience with different types of dacs.. especially anything outside of what I guess is basic low cost delta sigmas. I had been under the belief that I didn't need anything different or "better" than that.

"@mattw73 I didn’t mean for my current thoughts of straight wire with a gain to come off like a negative."

Your thoughts and experiments are what matters most. It all comes down to your preference. Never apologize to anyone about what you hear yourself. Just like it did for the audio engineers doing the original recording, adjustments to the sound for emphasis and de-emphasis, mastering, way before you DAC.

If you want the most pure, go to a live performance, and then listen to how it all sounds based on the room and where you are seated in the room. Lots of variables. In the end, you'll end up keeping what sounds best anyhow. 

@decooney thumbs up to that. 

I haven't been to an intimate or small club music show in a long time. I'll listen to any live music with actual musicians though. During the summers in my area I'm able to experience a usually different genre in an outdoor kind of a Half Shell event every weekend if we are in the mood. Open walls on 3 sides so with an extremely high rooftop..so not exactly in the room but I'll take what I can get.  I love the sound of live drums/cymbals/drummers. 

@mattw73

I’m just more open to trying something that may be deliberately not as transparent or without the lowest THD.

I agree. I have an R2R DAC and a tube amp. I had a tube DAC and it just muddied things up too much. I had another DAC that was not R2R and it was just too bright, most of the time. So, on to a more expensive R2R DAC.

And of course I totally agree with you and with @decooney when he says it’s up to your preference. But that's like saying, "I'm for goodness." Who can disagree with this? Can’t fathom someone saying they want someone to tell them what their experience is. Pretty much impossible. So the real lesson is to not be railroaded about a particular approach to an engineering problem. Trust your ears. Ok, that's an easy lesson but maybe easy to forget in the fog of audio shopping.

Just to clarify, my point is perhaps best stated with an analogy:

A cast-iron skillet is better for pancakes.
A saucepan is better for poaching chicken.

No one is ever asked to choose one tool for different jobs!

So, when it comes to different kinds of music, different preamps might be better. That’s what I was attempting to illustrate. In other words, the false choice is the "either/or" rather than the "both/and."

And notice: this has nothing to do with you choosing what you prefer because of course that’s what we’re all doing! It’s about you (or me) recognizing that we might get more of what we prefer by having more than one preamp (or cooking pan).