I believe Sakahara is looking for a "tube" DAC. APL DAC-S while looks fantastic (have not heard) but I believe the DAC is not a tube design. For the same performance level, Lampizator Level 4 with 4 output tubes in balance configuration plus a 5th tube rectifier dual diode power supply is the one to audition. Problem is there are not enough dealers and you may need quite a bit of a "leap of faith".
The new Aesthetix Pandora DAC also has balanced tube output stage and can do 24/192. However, that's $5,000.
The new Aesthetix Pandora DAC also has balanced tube output stage and can do 24/192. However, that's $5,000.