What DAC upgrade made you say “DAMN, that sounds SO MUCH better than my last DAC”?

Just acquired the 'old school' Zanden Reference 4-box setup (model 2000 transport; 5000 Sig. tube dac- $44k combo when launched).  Best solution after 25+ years digital only, but as a 'dac only' limited in resolution to the newer stuff- but oh so relaxing and plain musical for the redbook cd fans out there...

As a 'dac only' in my second system, the Jeff Rowland Aeris with supercap PSU has upped the ante vs all my previous solutions- will add that it sounds amazing driving amps direct...

I didn’t realize that any of the Schitt DACs sound tizzy or shrill. But I have never heard one.

maybe tizzy and shrill are too negatively connotated words to describe what i hear in the schiit r2r dacs sound (gumby and yggy)... lets say they have ample treble energy (as do schiit’s amps), more than most r2r dacs, certainly r2r dacs with tube output stages like mhdt and audio mirror - schiit gear, certainly their more expensive stuff, have a certain house sound, which to my ears, is on the bright side of neutral

obviously many people do enjoy the sonic character of their gear

Hello Recluse,

My Mola Mola Tambaqui has remote balance through their app.  Sometimes I sit off center and find it useful!  Ken

Had a Kora Hermes tubed dac since 2001. Still do. And love the sound it produces.
As a believer in power supply overkill and unique tubed analogue output stages in superior sound it hit the right ballance. It has two decent torroidal transformers one big one for the analogue stage and a smaller one for the digital stage also has a 2 volt and 5volt switch on back to help it fit in with a vast array of preamps.
I now have a Lampizator Lite 7 with pcm 356 and dsd 256.
I may upgrade it to big 7 mk2 status.
Imo these dacs leave behind everything in reference sound.
I could never buy a dac without tubes and certain aspects as many of these players, they are all cut from the same cloth imo.
When I got my Kora Hermes theyre were very few dacs available. 
A few names I remember were MSB, Meitner, Metronome, and to a lesser " also ran extent"
Theta, and possibly a few others.
But not like today where everyone has a flavor of the month!