DAC Measurements vs Actual Experience

You’re not doing anything wrong. You discovered that good measurements are not a guarantee for good sound.

A sincere thank you to all of you who have contributed meaningful, well thought-out arguments and information in regards to this issue. 
I suppose I now consider myself a convert. Measurements alone, while still being relevant to the discipline of design and perhaps initial consideration for potential buyers, do not, cannot account for the subjectivity in how we perceive, and thus enjoy, our experiences with our systems. 
It is perhaps commentary on our own egos that some of us (myself included) want our perceptions to align perfectly with what specifications say is the ideal. And yet, it turns out that that ideal is not necessarily what gets my toe tapping. 
Kudos to jjss49 for providing what is perhaps the best analogies I’ve yet heard on this subject. 
Special thanks to djones51 for shedding light on technical issues, specifically how we perceive noise, which really set the stage for me to come to terms with the concept that my preferences don’t necessarily line up with the measured ideal. 
Thanks also go to everyone else whose simple advice to trust my own ears prodded me to do just that. 
I have a few more considerations to weigh, mostly having to do with price and performance value, but it looks likely that the PS Audio DirectStream just found its new home. 

@sixfour3,

As someone who believes in science, measurements, and subjective listening, I believe there are some serious misconceptions about "measurements", and the position that those who use measurements take, and what they mean. That misconception comes from blind attachment to absolute measurements (a well known audiosciencereview person), as well as those on the other side who don’t don’t understand measurements or want to sweep them under a rug in all cases.

Measurements will never indicate individual preference. They may indicate, after large scale tests like Harmon/Toole did, that most people will prefer a particular set of measured values, but they will never guarantee what any individual will prefer.

Measurements may also reveal "uncomfortable" truths, like high resolution digital does have more "information" and can capture and play back what comes off that microphone more accurately than analog tape and vinyl. More accurately does not mean you will prefer it, and because of side effects of vinyl, there may be psycho-acoustic effects that allow more of certain types of information to reach your brain. Strangely enough, more noise can also allow you to detect lower level signals in some cases. Reduced information can allow you to focus on that which is most important which may be lost in a higher information "stream".

And just to "tweak" the never measurements crowd :-), while measurements cannot reveal what we will subjectively like, they are pretty good at identifying what can or cannot make audible differences, but if you are unsure, you can always perform an unbiased test with your ears/brain :-)

@roberttdid This is some amazing writing. I am going to email your post for future reference.