Most organic / real / analogue sounding DAC (ideally with Volume Control) for $1500??????

Maybe a used Metrum Acoustics Hex or Jade could be had in that price range. NOS R2R ladder by the R2R Guru Cees Ruetenburg. Very analogue sounding, nice sound stage. The Jade has a volume control

Lifelike is my aim, but I certainly prefer a warm, dark sound over clinical.

Life like = real musical prescence = High Fidelity, 
Warm is contrary to this imaging. 
Life like = cold, icy, finely deatiled, nuanced, instrumental separation, human voice , piano voiced perfectly. 
My Cayin CD17 with some Mundorf Silver caps and Sparkoslabs Descrete opamps have some magic of analogue,,, More analogue will flow through , once i get the Jadis DPL modded with new M caps next week.
Its a very fine cd player, however mods are needed, All cdp's need mods to catch up with the best phono players. 
I hate warm/dark,,I do my best to find ways to eliminate warm. And I am acheiving that goal lately. 
To me warm =  certain mid fq's, extended, too forward, too agressive. 

Each his own I guess. I find alot of british and american components to exhibit these defects of warm coloration.
Which is why none of my components are from either country of origin.

Try the Cayin CD17 Mark2 for analogue like sound reproduction. 

A bit more on the used market ($2500) but... PS Audio DirectStream Junior

singintheblues
Most organic / real / analogue sounding DAC (ideally with Volume Control) for $1500??????

If you want  organic / real / analogue sounding, find a used "good reviewed" R2R dac with with volume control ability.

Cheers George