PS Audio Direct Stream DAC w/Roon Nucleus + vs. Auralic Vega G1

@pscar

i think you have some confusion on the items you are referring to:

chord's qutest, denafrips (terminator, ares, venus or pontus), ps audio directstream are all dacs

roon nucleus would provide the digital signal, from either its hard drive or streamed over ethernet

so you would not run 'a denafrips from a directstream dac' - they serve exactly the same function

the chord m scaler is another can of worms... it is an outboard upscaler that is inserted between the transport (bitstream supplier) and the DAC input ... for some kinds of dacs, the m scaler can further refine the sound, make it more easeful more natural sounding, less sharp and digital

Thanks for the clarification.  I currently run my Nucleus + through the Mytek DAC And then on to my Mac tube preamp and PrimaLuna tube amp

i think my DAC is the weak link and want upgrade it.  The current contenders are PS Audio, the Auralic Vega and maybe a Denafrips Terminator.  Up to now I hadn’t been considering any other sort of D/D equipment for sound enhancement.  
Looking forward to the days of the big Audio Fests again......

Your dac isn't a weak link, it's definitely better than PSAudio anything the Auralic uses a similar chip from ESS as Mytek a newer version and they do custom filtering. Denafrips uses a different technology but gets the same results. If you just want a different DAC that's a different story.

Thanks for that input; it's very helpful.  Maybe I am looking the wrong direction.  The Mytek seems a bit harsh and fatiguing in long listening sessions relative to vinyl (using a Dynavector 20x2L MC cartridge with SME tonearm and Vinyl Nirvana rebuilt Thorens TD 124).

Maybe the solution is to look towards a D/D converter...

That mainly has to do with vinyl distortion which is considered pleasant to the ear. Some like it, I personally don’t I like accurate reproduction. What would help if you find digital fatiguing is EQ. You would probably notice more difference than anything you’ve mentioned by attenuation in the 2khz- 4khz region which the ear is most sensitive to. You don't mention your speakers. Might be they lift a bit in that area.