Pro DACs vs Consumer DACs

Dave or higher rated Directstream

Wondering if I can get a little smoother of a sound without sacrificing detail and separation. 

Of course you can, and I don’t think going to a pro DAC is necessarily a good idea given what you’re looking for. .  You went from a very neutral DS DAC to a tubed R2R, which is like going from one extreme to the other.  I’d suggest a SS R2R DAC that’d more split the difference and give you slightly smoother yet still very detailed and transparent sound.  I think the Musician Pegasus or Soekris 2541 would be excellent options to try if you can, just to name a couple.  Hope this helps, and best of luck in your search. 

Add a Teddy Pardo power supply and a fine power cord and I bet you find what you’re searching for. I swapped out the switch PS on my RME and it made a world of a difference. The RME on its own was very good, but with the Teddy it is much better.

The RME is a fantastic DAC....  I have had one for a year and it sounds great and RME support / firmware updates are among the best out there.

Best value at its price point in my opinion.