I just received my PerfectWave back from PS Audio. Had it upgraded to DirectStream. It is far and away the best $3,000 I've ever spent on any audio equipment. You said you wanted "Looking for musical, emotional, engaging, accurate , with great dimension. Not looking for analytical and sterile."; IMHO this is it. I have Kharma CRM 3.2 speakers, speakers often deemed "analytical", and before this upgrade I was considering swapping them out for something more "musical". Now I can't get up from my couch. This is one of those rare pieces of equipment that makes you want to listen to your entire library anew. It's simply beautiful.
Lastly, reviews of this unit talk about detail retrieval. This is quite true but not in an aggressive fashion. Your reaction isn't, "Wow! That's a lot of detail." but "Hmmm. I hadn't noticed that."
Post lastly, I've never auditioned or heard another top-end DAC so I may not know what I don't know, so.... Good luck.
Lastly, reviews of this unit talk about detail retrieval. This is quite true but not in an aggressive fashion. Your reaction isn't, "Wow! That's a lot of detail." but "Hmmm. I hadn't noticed that."
Post lastly, I've never auditioned or heard another top-end DAC so I may not know what I don't know, so.... Good luck.