Tube DACs

You may consider having your Sony modded. Modwright has turned my Sony into an exceptional player. The mod included an added tube section. It surpasses the Sony/Audio Note 3.1x sig. as well as Cec TL1x/ AN.

Let me put in a third vote for the Dan Wright mod. The absolute truth mod of my XA-777ES surpassed the performance of my previous Sonic Frontiers P-3.

Although Audio Research is not known for their digital equipment, the DAC 3 MK II is a superlative DAC. It uses 4 6922 tubes and is the best I have had in my system. My dealer loaned me a CD-3 for audition, which bested the DAC 3 in the bass, but not in the mids and highs.

I would highly recommend the Kora Hermes 24/192 or even better, the new Hermes II. I owned the original Hermes (with the Auricaps upgrade) and I now own the Hermes II. Both are amazing and will give you the harmonic richness and midrange liquidity, but they also sound very dynamic, tight on the bottom and smoothly detailed.
I'm sure you would be happy with the Auricapped Hermes, but I think you should try hunting down the Hermes II: it takes all the strengths of the previous model to yet another level of refinement and musicality. Also, it offers practically endless tweaking possibilities: the Hermes II uses either 6922 triodes or, with a different jumper setting allows for using the 12au7 family.
Give it a try!

I've been using a 24/192 Kora Hermes DAC [version 1] for almost two years and am very happy with it.

The qualities Markxiii mentions are what I realized when I replaced my Bel Canto DAC 1.1 with the Kora. The Hermes didn't sacrifice any dynamics, and I gained musical richness and soundstaging dimension.

Being that the Kora uses two 6922 tubes, it has allowed me greater ability to tune the sound according to my changing taste and when I need to equipment match.