Perhaps @grannyring has some experience with such mods?
Unfortunately, changing speaker location is not an option. When we built the house, I was just beginning my audio journey. Aside from providing a space for components, I gave audio very little thought.
The dac in the Hegel does not sound rolled off to my ears. If there is any attenuation, it’s in the mids -- there’s an overall lean quality that I’d prefer was not present.
But the main difference I experience, having gone from having the Aqua in the system to listening to the Hegel’s dac several times, is the sense of ease and relief, as though I’ve unconsciously been holding my breath with the Aqua and can suddenly breathe freely when the Hegel’s dac is engaged. It’s not subtle. However, it does seem counterintuitive. I’d expect an r2r dac to be more relaxing.
I have experimented to some degree with covering the glass-topped coffee table, the glass-doored Craftsman bookcase and the tile hearth with fabric and foam dog beds. I’ve heard no difference. Nor does closing the drapes impact the SQ, as far as I can tell. FWIW, according to two experienced audiophile biddies, I have pretty good ears.
it's not clear to me why you would assume the Border Patrol would constitute a backwards step, but then, I've yet to hear it. My only impressions are derived from reviews.
You are correct -- no sibilance with Wells and Simaudio. As an experiment, I tried swapping in an old Jolida CDP as a transport but the sibilance was even worse. I also inserted the Aqua into the Hegel’s loop function, in which it takes over clocking functions and the sibilance was worse than using the Aqua without dac loop.