Time to try direct to amps with all of the DACs. How about this weekend?
Have you tried the Final Drive yet with the preamp?
BTW, here is what I would recommend for room treatments:
1) to eliminate HF sidewall reflections, put Sonex panels, 3'X5' on the spots where you see the tweeters when putting a small mirror on the wall and looking from the listening position. If these do not pass the WAF, then look to absorbing panels from GIK acoustics with graphics on them. I have some of these as well with a nice Fender guitar printed on it:
http://www.gikacoustics.com/product/gik-artpanel-acoustic-panels/
2) get two ASC 1/4 round tubetraps, as tall as your tweeters:
http://www.acousticsciences.com/products/tube-traps
Place these just behind your speakers (2" behind) with the inside curved surface faced inward. Start with the flat surface parallel and in line with the speaker inner facing side. Then "tune" by rotating the left one counter-clockwise and the right one clockwise. At some point you will get razor-sharp focus, but too much rotation will compromise the width of the soundstage. Rotate them back until you have just the right mix of width beyond the speakers edges and sharp focus of the vocalist in the center. If you have a reflective surface like a TV screen, these will eliminate the effect of it by scattering the back-wave from the speakers. This is a very effective treatment for both imaging and bass that I have used at shows and at home for years.
Steve N.
Empirical Audio
Have you tried the Final Drive yet with the preamp?
BTW, here is what I would recommend for room treatments:
1) to eliminate HF sidewall reflections, put Sonex panels, 3'X5' on the spots where you see the tweeters when putting a small mirror on the wall and looking from the listening position. If these do not pass the WAF, then look to absorbing panels from GIK acoustics with graphics on them. I have some of these as well with a nice Fender guitar printed on it:
http://www.gikacoustics.com/product/gik-artpanel-acoustic-panels/
2) get two ASC 1/4 round tubetraps, as tall as your tweeters:
http://www.acousticsciences.com/products/tube-traps
Place these just behind your speakers (2" behind) with the inside curved surface faced inward. Start with the flat surface parallel and in line with the speaker inner facing side. Then "tune" by rotating the left one counter-clockwise and the right one clockwise. At some point you will get razor-sharp focus, but too much rotation will compromise the width of the soundstage. Rotate them back until you have just the right mix of width beyond the speakers edges and sharp focus of the vocalist in the center. If you have a reflective surface like a TV screen, these will eliminate the effect of it by scattering the back-wave from the speakers. This is a very effective treatment for both imaging and bass that I have used at shows and at home for years.
Steve N.
Empirical Audio