[Katzky]

That's just the thing, I've always thought that headphones/amps are more important than the DAC. The idea of spending 2-3x+ more on DACs is very strange to me. I am very happy with my headphones/amp but I definitely feel my dac is the weakest part of the chain hence the search for a better one. I still have to figure out how much I am willing to spend and then try to see if the cost is worth the improvement I hear. I don't doubt a 5k dac sounds better than a 500 one, just how much better and if it's worth the money is something I gotta figure out, since we all hear differently and prioritize different things.



I am definitely interested in Rockna products but I remember reading somewhere they are made to order and takes 6-8 weeks? If I knew I'd like it I wouldn't have an issue with it but to try it out seems to be too long. I will keep an eye out on the forums/other used markets to see if any pops up.



On paper R2R dacs seems to be more inline with what I am looking for in terms of sound signature over a DS, but I really don't know at this point, I think I gotta just take a dive and buy one of them to try, even as a baseline because right now I have never owned a proper desktop dac.



Wait, if I am understanding your post correctly are you saying since most of the music I listen to, EDM, pop, for example, are synthesized by computers, the music won't actually benefit from a higher quality DAC as opposed to if I listened to music with more piano and acoustic instruments? Some songs I listen to do have acoustic guitars/pianos and such, though granted most of them do not.

Yes. Some $5k dacs are worth the money. Once you’ve heard well recorded music on a highly capable dac you’ll understand. I’ve been in digital hifi since 1987 and my new dac was such a massive improvement that I was shocked. All music “benefits“ from dac quality but a crappy recording won’t sound amazing on a revealing system.

 

[DJJEZ]

Well said

I’ve said this a lot, but being an audiophile is an addiction. Like drugs, the first high is the best. After you get used to that sound, you fiend for getting that “improvement” high once again, and you purchase an even better DAC.

It’s like opiates. You first start with pills, you get addicted, you need more, so you add some benzos. You get used to that, so you smoke some heroin. Then of course you get used to that new high, so you start slamming dope in your veins.

——-—————
(As an aside, I’m really interested in addiction and substance abuse, both personally and academically. So, that’s why I compared being an audiophile with substance abuse)
——-—————

So, in the audio world you get that Mojo and are blown away. You then want that next high, so you get a Hugo2. Then you want the TT2, then DAVE, etc.

Like drugs, some people can try addictive substances and not get addicted. Those people are fine with a Mojo. They are content and don’t want anything better. For audiophiles, we can’t do that. We want another, better high. So, we get the best components we can afford. Then when that becomes standard, we want more, so we get better cables, better power conditioning, etc.

I have a PhD in the social sciences. I work as a UX researcher, but if I was still in the academic world, I would do some sort of research on audiophiles. I think it would be really interesting

This is me right now. Gone from mojo to hugo 2 to TT2/mscaler and now working out how to upgrade to dave. This is all started a year ago lmao

 

[Orlok]

Well said

I’ve said this a lot, but being an audiophile is an addiction. Like drugs, the first high is the best. After you get used to that sound, you fiend for getting that “improvement” high once again, and you purchase an even better DAC.

It’s like opiates. You first start with pills, you get addicted, you need more, so you add some benzos. You get used to that, so you smoke some heroin. Then of course you get used to that new high, so you start slamming dope in your veins.

——-—————
(As an aside, I’m really interested in addiction and substance abuse, both personally and academically. So, that’s why I compared being an audiophile with substance abuse)
——-—————

So, in the audio world you get that Mojo and are blown away. You then want that next high, so you get a Hugo2. Then you want the TT2, then DAVE, etc.

Like drugs, some people can try addictive substances and not get addicted. Those people are fine with a Mojo. They are content and don’t want anything better. For audiophiles, we can’t do that. We want another, better high. So, we get the best components we can afford. Then when that becomes standard, we want more, so we get better cables, better power conditioning, etc.

I have a PhD in the social sciences. I work as a UX researcher, but if I was still in the academic world, I would do some sort of research on audiophiles. I think it would be really interesting

Yes, we are a very peculiar bunch, as are musicians. The research would indeed be a fascinating subject to read upon.

Regarding addiction, well, I do believe some people can handle it better than others. Being a musician, I certainly was a pothead for a good number of years. Good weed really enhanced the music listening experience back then. Haha. Then, after a while, I realized that I just couldn't get any higher and could never get that feeling of the very first highs. I guess that's the "safe" thing about pot although I do know some people who carry around some crazy torch devices to heat some super highly concentrated THC elements in a burner. I quit way before then and I really have no craving for it anymore. There were times when I had a six-pack a day and now it's just 2 or 3 bottles on Fridays and Saturdays. Discipline is needed!

This being said, I will admit to being in the early phases of this addiction right now. And it's exciting, euphoric, sublime, and all that good stuff. And I can justify it by saying to myself and telling my wife that it's a "healthy" addiction, like going on hikes, exercising, eating organic foods. At some point, there needs to be a reckoning and I'll have to say, this is good enough now: "No, you are not going to get the Riviera AIC-10. Or the Rossini DAC. Or the Aurender W20SE server. Or some big Wilson Audio speakers." But I'm sure I will be able to rationalize getting this digital amp that Chord is working on so I can maximize the HMS and TT2 and everything else I have to the fullest! And I really need a slightly more lo-fi and midrange-y headphone and tube amp so I can enjoy classic rock, swampy blues, and nostalgic oldies "properly". And I'll probably want the Abyss house sound in a portable package with the Woo Topaz for my backpacking trips. And... and... and...

 

[OceanRanger]

Just reading this thread for the first time. I don't agree with a number of points-of-view expressed earlier in the thread, but I like where it has come. This hobby is a slippery slope and more time indoor over the last year has definitely fed the obsession for many of us.

Adding a Dragonfly to my laptop was a huge improvement. Then a pair of old Grado 325i's was upgraded to Aryas. It was awesome. Then I got a Hugo2 and thought that it wasn't possible for anything to sound better. Then up to 1266s and a Headtrip. Again I thought wow, a huge improvement, how could anything sound better? Next I added a Cipher DAC and was blown away.

To my ears, each DAC has sounded different. Each upgrade increased my listening enjoyment significantly. As expected, each upgrade also showed diminishing marginal returns for additional dollars spent. Are the upgrades worth it? To me that seems like a question that we are each only able to answer for ourselves.

Forums like these are a great place to hear about the experiences and impressions of others, but they are no substitute for listening to different amps, DACs, headphones, etc. and forming one's own opinion.

 

[Orlok]

Just reading this thread for the first time. I don't agree with a number of points-of-view expressed earlier in the thread, but I like where it has come. This hobby is a slippery slope and more time indoor over the last year has definitely fed the obsession for many of us.

Adding a Dragonfly to my laptop was a huge improvement. Then a pair of old Grado 325i's was upgraded to Aryas. It was awesome. Then I got a Hugo2 and thought that it wasn't possible for anything to sound better. Then up to 1266s and a Headtrip. Again I thought wow, a huge improvement, how could anything sound better? Next I added a Cipher DAC and was blown away.

To my ears, each DAC has sounded different. Each upgrade increased my listening enjoyment significantly. As expected, each upgrade also showed diminishing marginal returns for additional dollars spent. Are the upgrades worth it? To me that seems like a question that we are each only able to answer for ourselves.

Forums like these are a great place to hear about the experiences and impressions of others, but they are no substitute for listening to different amps, DACs, headphones, etc. and forming one's own opinion.

You hit the nail on the head. Consumers aren't suckers and makers of high-end gear aren't ripoff artists as some people would try to make you believe.

I noticed huge improvements as well over the years and I expect that I'll continue to do so in the years ahead. And, man... I just browsed the Wells Audio site and my ears are salivating! Another one makes my list!

 

[kumar402]

Wow can't believe it's end of March already. I've been trying to purchase the Bakoon since early Feb and just got it 2 days ago, it took forever but it finally arrived, as well as my Sonnet Morpheus DAC.

I was pretty set on getting the Bakoon due to the raving reviews and posts I've read praising it but man the DAC purchasing decision was tough. 1 week I was set on getting the DAVE, next the Holo May, then Wavedream... In the end, my purchasing choice actually came down to form factor. I've mentioned it before but I just can't get over how massive some of the Dacs are, like 20-40lbs and almost 1.5' long, just too much and I really want to keep things small. I also couldn't demo any of the DACs mentioned in this thread since in Canada none of the dealers I spoke with had them and they all had to special order it.

So with these 2 new toys, I've come up with an order of how I want to test them so I can tell exactly what is improving what:

WM1Z -> Bakoon (compare Bakoon vs Manley)
Morph -> Manley (compare Morpheus vs 1Z as source)
WM1Z -> Manley -> Bakoon (impact Manley has as a pre-amp)
Morph -> Bakoon
Morph -> Manley -> Bakoon (theoretically, this should give the best sonic quality? but who knows...)

So far I've been mainly listening to the 1Z->Bakoon. First impressions vs the Manley Absolute Tube amp is, well, the Bakoon sounds more like a tube amp than the Manley does... The first few minutes I heard the Bakoon out of the box was man, it sounded THICC, like it's got such a rich, tonally dense, and full bodied sound, but at the same time, much, much better extensions in the highs, bass about the same with the Manley in push-pull mode. Bakoon's soundstage is bigger, more holographic, and overall more detailed all around. In a way, the Manley tube amp sounds more referenced and neutral while the Bakoon's sound signature is warmer and even more euphonic, which is right up my alley.

Final note on how gorgeous the Bakoon is in design, it came beautifully packaged and it really makes me wish more audiophile gear were designed with a similarly small footprint.

Interested to listen to your feedback on Morpheus. But keep it on and warm before you take critical notes as its R2R

 

[OceanRanger]

You hit the nail on the head. Consumers aren't suckers and makers of high-end gear aren't ripoff artists as some people would try to make you believe.

I noticed huge improvements as well over the years and I expect that I'll continue to do so in the years ahead. And, man... I just browsed the Wells Audio site and my ears are salivating! Another one makes my list!

Thanks @Orlok.

I've been listening to Nick Drake for a few hours and have been pondering this thread for a while. Earlier someone posted, "If a DAC changes the sound in any way, like increasing the sound stage, or making it "warmer," it's a bad DAC". To me, there are DACs to which I enjoy listening and others that I don't, though I would not say that one is good and one is bad. We all hear and enjoy different sound signatures.

While I don't agree with the statement I am happy that it was posted because it is really twisting my mind. "If a DAC changes the sound...". I keep asking myself, changes the sound from what? What is the absolute source of true sound that we are reproducing?

An artist composes a song. The artist then plays the song on a piano. The song is recorded and distributed. Head-fi users download, stream, or perhaps spin a shiny or a vinyl disk and listen. It sounds kind of simple, but the piano, acoustics of the room, perhaps a live audience, the microphones that capture the sound, the mixing board and the sound engineer all have a significant influence on the recording. As is the discussion in many threads here, our audio chains then further influence what we hear. The end product to which we are listening may not come close to what the artist envisioned in his/her head when the song was composed.

So back to my question, since the sound is changed at each step in this process, is there really a single source of truth for the music to which we listen? Or should we just audition and buy gear that simply makes the music we like sound enjoyable?

 

[Orlok]

Thanks @Orlok.

I've been listening to Nick Drake for a few hours and have been pondering this thread for a while. Earlier someone posted, "If a DAC changes the sound in any way, like increasing the sound stage, or making it "warmer," it's a bad DAC". To me, there are DACs to which I enjoy listening and others that I don't, though I would not say that one is good and one is bad. We all hear and enjoy different sound signatures.

While I don't agree with the statement I am happy that it was posted because it is really twisting my mind. "If a DAC changes the sound...". I keep asking myself, changes the sound from what? What is the absolute source of true sound that we are reproducing?

An artist composes a song. The artist then plays the song on a piano. The song is recorded and distributed. Head-fi users download, stream, or perhaps spin a shiny or a vinyl disk and listen. It sounds kind of simple, but the piano, acoustics of the room, perhaps a live audience, the microphones that capture the sound, the mixing board and the sound engineer all have a significant influence on the recording. As is the discussion in many threads here, our audio chains then further influence what we hear.

So back to my question, since the sound is changed at each step in this process, is there really a single source of truth for the music to which we listen? Or should we just audition and buy gear that simply makes the music we like sound enjoyable?

Again, I fully agree with you. I read that comment too and, honestly, I just skimmed over it without much thought. It was one of those "Okay, we'll just agree to disagree" types of comments that did not need a response. And you are right about the nature of the source or what may be perceived as the truth. What we are listening to now through whatever gear we are listening to may not at all be what the artist intended. Many artists often complain or lament about their works not ending up being what they intended or expected them to be.

Beethoven said that his greatest work was his choral work 'Missa Solemnis' but how many people would agree with that? I certainly don't. It's a good work but there are many dozens of his works that are universally more acclaimed and rated as higher. In the end, once the work is released out into the world, what the artist thinks of it doesn't really matter because it's up to the beholder to judge and embrace or reject it. This is just one of many examples of artists saying that they loved or hated certain works, songs, or albums they released. I would read them saying how they hated this or that they released in interviews and think, "Oh, really? That's interesting but I love it and I'm going to keep listening to it."

As a long-time musician and a music industry insider who has worked with some world class musicians and observed their music creation processes from scribbling down ideas on a napkin during dinner and then getting them out on a recording for distribution throughout the world, I can say that the entire process is long, arduous, sometimes torturous, and something that morphs into something that ends up being completely different from what was originally envisioned. Ultimately, the only thing that matters is how the recipients of the work perceive it.

I've learned to not try to influence other musicians or anyone else, for that matter, when it comes to musical tastes or sound. It's virtually pointless. At the early stages of my musical journey, both as a musician and a listener, I would try to convince others why they should listen to this or that and also try this gear and that gear because I liked them but I thought about putting myself on the other end when others tried to do that to me. People would say you have to listen to this or try that piece of gear and I'd find that I don't care for it at all.

But, I can still respect their opinions and totally understand that it works for them and they can enjoy it. Whether that's music of a certain artist I can't relate to, a guitar that I have no interest in playing or an amp or other piece of gear I would never want to use, if it works for them - GREAT! So I also stopped trying to convince others to think like I do or develop the same tastes that I have. I can offer my opinions, if they are interested, but they are free to take it or leave it and I won't be offended or look down on them if they say, "Nah" or "Meh".

Music and sound are so subjective. We can say that about our tastes in food, clothing, the cars we drive, our hobbies, or whatever, but music and sound take it to another level because neither are tangible and are actually quite abstract. Some people post EQ curve graph charts on certain audio forums to "demonstrate" and "prove" why some headphones or other gear aren't good or are "overrated" and disparage people who like them. If things were only that simple... They miss the whole point of listening to music entirely. To me, that kind of stuff is the real noise. Why bother? Life is short. Let's just get to enjoying what we love to do and share the experiences we can relate to.

Well, this is a long roundabout way to answer your question but I'll answer more directly now: We should just audition and buy gear that simply makes the music we love sound as enjoyable as possible. And screw 'em if they don't like us doing that.

 

[JDFlood]

Glad to hear the discussions calmed down to thoughtful. People's tastes change over time. Music is incredibly complex if you attempt to take an analytical approach. There is the treble, bass, mid-range, balance, slam... etc. We all heard something when we were younger that interested us in getting a better system. Typically it is better bass and slam, and details. So, we start looking to optimize these. In the process we notice that maybe the treble is too shrill or absent... we keep learning. One thing that influenced me greatly was the kind of music I took along when auditioning systems. I took some of my favorite pieces.. ones that I liked the sound of... well, this was a real mistake for me. At one time I was into electronic music. and by finding components that optimized the sound of those recordings, I was actually suboptimizing the sounds of other kinds of music... I was very unaware of this for a long time. My systems sounded better and better...but. Someone else would have followed a very different path based on the music and the characteristics they liked. For instance if you are hung up on details... you can loose all the musicality in that quest (loose the rhythm and pace and mid-range bloom). But as you progress in the hobby you learn about all the different aspects... micro details, edges of sounds, etc. So, you progress. Some folks that are not comfortable working their way through highly the ambiguous world of complex systems that have unexpected results (2 really good components might not sound good together, interpreting marketing materials, different flavors of sounds, like Woo versus Benchmark, McCintosh... etc.) and changing appreciation get frustrated and quit. Some people only like one kind of music and my converge on a system based on that kind of music. I like most kinds, but not all.

My systems got better and better over about 35 years as I could afford better components. But it wasn't until I got season tickets to the Symphony that my tastes and approach converged on making my systems sound better for most genre of music. For the first time I had an empirical ruler (acoustic) against which to judge sound. All completely by accident and pretty subconscious. I suddenly started on a different course. For my main system I turned away from ribbon speakers and turned to tubes for my headphone and main systems. My choices made acoustic sounds reproduced with great accuracy and MUCH more musical. I also found that most genre of music also sounded better. Rock may not have had quite the slam... but the bass was much better (this take a long time to appreciate). The overall musicality of my system increased immeasurable and consequently enjoyment. Now, over 50 years in, I have some of the best components available, and my systems could be showcased in a high end store in any major city in the world and hold their own. Over the last 20 years the feverish pursuit of the absolute sound has become years of real musical enjoyment and no systems changes and then relatively rapid upgrade cycles as I have been able to afford a better system. I know what I want through all the learning in the first 30 years of avid pursuit. I am incredibly happy with my systems and enjoy the music almost all the time. So, for the disease there is hope, enjoy pursuing the high end, it is a process. If you are adamantly arguing some point on a forum that you know better than everyone else, then you don't. Enjoy the process. There is more to learn that you can imagine.

 

[sajunky]

Glad to hear the discussions calmed down to thoughtful. People's tastes change over time. Music is incredibly complex if you attempt to take an analytical approach. There is the treble, bass, mid-range, balance, slam... etc. We all heard something when we were younger that interested us in getting a better system. Typically it is better bass and slam, and details. So, we start looking to optimize these. In the process we notice that maybe the treble is too shrill or absent... we keep learning. One thing that influenced me greatly was the kind of music I took along when auditioning systems. I took some of my favorite pieces.. ones that I liked the sound of... well, this was a real mistake for me. At one time I was into electronic music. and by finding components that optimized the sound of those recordings, I was actually suboptimizing the sounds of other kinds of music... I was very unaware of this for a long time. My systems sounded better and better...but. Someone else would have followed a very different path based on the music and the characteristics they liked. For instance if you are hung up on details... you can loose all the musicality in that quest (loose the rhythm and pace and mid-range bloom). But as you progress in the hobby you learn about all the different aspects... micro details, edges of sounds, etc. So, you progress. Some folks that are not comfortable working their way through highly the ambiguous world of complex systems that have unexpected results (2 really good components might not sound good together, interpreting marketing materials, different flavors of sounds, like Woo versus Benchmark, McCintosh... etc.) and changing appreciation get frustrated and quit. Some people only like one kind of music and my converge on a system based on that kind of music. I like most kinds, but not all.

My systems got better and better over about 35 years as I could afford better components. But it wasn't until I got season tickets to the Symphony that my tastes and approach converged on making my systems sound better for most genre of music. For the first time I had an empirical ruler (acoustic) against which to judge sound. All completely by accident and pretty subconscious. I suddenly started on a different course. For my main system I turned away from ribbon speakers and turned to tubes for my headphone and main systems. My choices made acoustic sounds reproduced with great accuracy and MUCH more musical. I also found that most genre of music also sounded better. Rock may not have had quite the slam... but the bass was much better (this take a long time to appreciate). The overall musicality of my system increased immeasurable and consequently enjoyment. Now, over 50 years in, I have some of the best components available, and my systems could be showcased in a high end store in any major city in the world and hold their own. Over the last 20 years the feverish pursuit of the absolute sound has become years of real musical enjoyment and no systems changes and then relatively rapid upgrade cycles as I have been able to afford a better system. I know what I want through all the learning in the first 30 years of avid pursuit. I am incredibly happy with my systems and enjoy the music almost all the time. So, for the disease there is hope, enjoy pursuing the high end, it is a process. If you are adamantly arguing some point on a forum that you know better than everyone else, then you don't. Enjoy the process. There is more to learn that you can imagine.

My words in better English. Deserve a full quote.

 

[JDFlood]

Does stuff ever sound worse after 'burn in'?

I have never experienced a piece of equipment sounding worse after breakin. I will say it is very difficult to hear breakin on inexpensive equipment and very easy and completely reproducible on high end equipment. It is like a fine instrument the more sensitive the instrument to more obvious all changes in the sound is. So for mid-FI equipment it is probably not likely to be important or obvious.

 

[rangerid]

So I've been listening to my new gear and after 1.5 weeks I can say the following, the Bakoon 13R + Susvara is unbelievable, it's best sound I've heard and near sonic perfection... it's fixed the two I wasn't satisfied with the Susvara, sounding thin and lacking bass, and basically improved everything else, soundstage, detail, imaging, dynamics, whatever you name it. Susvara + 13R is quickly becoming my favourite listen. I literally cannot find a single flaw in the technical performance or sound.

Next goes back to the original point of this thread, me wanting to get a full sized DAC, well, I got the Sonnet Morpheus. Well, it has been a massive disappointment. Compared to my 1Z as DAC/Source, it is no better or worse, just slightly, and I mean SUPER slightly different. Everything is a bit smoother and laid back. The soundstage is depth is a tiny bit deeper I feel because of the laid back manner. However, overall resolution I feel is not up to par with the 1Z. I've honestly heard more improvement upgrading the power cable on my amp than changing Dacs. That does bring me to another point, I am wondering if upgrading my power cable on the DAC to something better like I did on my Amp and maybe better RCAs will improve sound. I do have some RCAs in the mail arriving next week but damn so far, 100% not worth the money getting the DAC. The Bakoon was incredible but this Dac, might as well give me some sugar pills and hypnotize myself into thinking I am hearing improvemtns.

 

[tunes]

So I've been listening to my new gear and after 1.5 weeks I can say the following, the Bakoon 13R + Susvara is unbelievable, it's best sound I've heard and near sonic perfection... it's fixed the two I wasn't satisfied with the Susvara, sounding thin and lacking bass, and basically improved everything else, soundstage, detail, imaging, dynamics, whatever you name it. Susvara + 13R is quickly becoming my favourite listen. I literally cannot find a single flaw in the technical performance or sound.

Next goes back to the original point of this thread, me wanting to get a full sized DAC, well, I got the Sonnet Morpheus. Well, it has been a massive disappointment. Compared to my 1Z as DAC/Source, it is no better or worse, just slightly, and I mean SUPER slightly different. Everything is a bit smoother and laid back. The soundstage is depth is a tiny bit deeper I feel because of the laid back manner. However, overall resolution I feel is not up to par with the 1Z. I've honestly heard more improvement upgrading the power cable on my amp than changing Dacs. That does bring me to another point, I am wondering if upgrading my power cable on the DAC to something better like I did on my Amp and maybe better RCAs will improve sound. I do have some RCAs in the mail arriving next week but damn so far, 100% not worth the money getting the DAC. The Bakoon was incredible but this Dac, might as well give me some sugar pills and hypnotize myself into thinking I am hearing improvemtns.

Are you driving the Susvara via the headphone jack on the Baloon or Via speaker taps?

 

[rangerid]

Are you driving the Susvara via the headphone jack on the Baloon or Via speaker taps?

Headphone jack, if I'm not mistaken the power output of headphone jack and speaker taps are the same on the Bakoon.

 

[JDFlood]

So I've been listening to my new gear and after 1.5 weeks I can say the following, the Bakoon 13R + Susvara is unbelievable, it's best sound I've heard and near sonic perfection... it's fixed the two I wasn't satisfied with the Susvara, sounding thin and lacking bass, and basically improved everything else, soundstage, detail, imaging, dynamics, whatever you name it. Susvara + 13R is quickly becoming my favourite listen. I literally cannot find a single flaw in the technical performance or sound.

Next goes back to the original point of this thread, me wanting to get a full sized DAC, well, I got the Sonnet Morpheus. Well, it has been a massive disappointment. Compared to my 1Z as DAC/Source, it is no better or worse, just slightly, and I mean SUPER slightly different. Everything is a bit smoother and laid back. The soundstage is depth is a tiny bit deeper I feel because of the laid back manner. However, overall resolution I feel is not up to par with the 1Z. I've honestly heard more improvement upgrading the power cable on my amp than changing Dacs. That does bring me to another point, I am wondering if upgrading my power cable on the DAC to something better like I did on my Amp and maybe better RCAs will improve sound. I do have some RCAs in the mail arriving next week but damn so far, 100% not worth the money getting the DAC. The Bakoon was incredible but this Dac, might as well give me some sugar pills and hypnotize myself into thinking I am hearing improvemtns.

Sorry to hear how disappointed you are with the DAC. Since a DAC is a low power device you don’t need to spend on a large current design, but do want a cord with noice reduction. A friend of mine reached out to Shunyata and the actually talked him out of a very expensive cord and into this one Venom NR V12 Power Cord. I have one on my DAC. Having said that, this will not fix the DAC. First of all, do you have 400 hours playing It? Most take at least 150 - 200 hours before they sound anything like natural. 400 hour minimum to de considered broken in. What you describes sounds like a non-broken in DAC.
if it is broken In, let me see if I can figure out what the rest of your system is. So the source is your Sony 1Z? That could be a limiter. The streamer makes a big difference,