Hey Tabl10s, let me say first your children are beautiful. Have you got your system to working condition?
Can I bribe you with eggnog and Dambuie to come down for a new listen? I got my Lambda fixed. The disc is now centered, and focus is way sharper. I also have the preamp Sogood51 has been praising. You heard an early prototype. I hope you like Christmas music.
Boa2 is right. This does not sound like tubes. Like Tvad says about tube amps, the H2O will sound anyway you set it up to sound. My sound like the Audio Note DAC I am using. It is on the warm side. I do think of bronze.
As a point of correction, the reviewer was using silver and bronze to evoke music characteristics, not to award Olympic medals.
Sajran's review was more similar to what I am listening to, but not.