Regarding the T2, I'm with you. They just sound "right" and "superbly musical". Just no weakness IMO. My Carbon is more or less the same way but I do I enjoy it immensely too. Maybe I'm just a tube guy.
All IMO.
I am coming to think in a high end system using HPs and ones that are very fast and transparent like the 009s, having solid state right through to the end may be leading to too much treble energy or sugar on the cake? I don't know why but tubes seem to handle the upper treble smoother than most solid state amps or DACs I have heard. That is not to say there are many fantastic SS amps around, just ones I have heard and less than 15K. The SIC FETs in the Carbon may be the closest to tubes (a quote by you know who) so far.
i.e. are tubes linear and smoother than FETs?
What does that means?
I think it means tubes are not necessarily rolled off over warm and syrupy devices many seem to think historically. Old design amps (some) can sound rolled off at the extremes and that may have led to this misconception. There is scientific evidence out there that tubes used in a good circuit can have a frequency response way beyond the human hearing spectrum.
I am not a techie, I just listen to what I hear in hifi gear, and I somehow ended up liking and living with tubed DAC designs for the last 15 years, and later adding solid state power amplifiers and speakers and solid state electrostatic amplifiers and Stax HPs on the end of those tubed DACs.
So cut to the chase, I am trying to say I think having some tubes in the mix somewhere, albeit DAC, pre-amplifier or power amplifier or electrostatic amplifier, it seems to make the system more real and an end game setup (for some).
I have enjoyed immensely the Carbon fed by my AMR tubed DAC and using the 009s. It is a slightly warm and a bit polite DAC but the 009s seem to like it a lot. I am hoping my Audio Note DAC 5 Special does the same thing, even better maybe.
Anyway, it would be super interesting to hear a top SS DAC (MSB or TotalDAC maybe) feeding the BHSE and 009s, and pitch that against a tubed NOS DAC (Audio Note or Lampizator maybe) feeding the Carbon and 009s. Maybe it would have more in common as regards sound signature than not?
Lets face it, everyone talks of accuracy and transparency, tech specs, detail detail. But if the various component parts in the system don't get on it leads IMO to AudioGon. The goal IMO is to find the illusive parts that fit together and create magic. That is why I like this hobby and enjoy the chase, even if it nearly bankrupts me....