Advice needed: It's time for a new DAC

@bigfatpaulie GIK sells stands for the panels. Mount a thick GIK 244 panels on these stands for each first reflection point. Store these two panels in the garage or something like that, and break em out for your critical listening sessions. Then stow them away. You can even do the third panel in front of fireplace. May be that’s an option.

@bigfatpaulie that fuzzy center image is most likely due to first reflection points not being treated. The fireplace has some say in it but it’s negligible. The direction of the sound your Sashas put out is forward with tweeter and midrange dispersion to the sides at a slight angle. I don’t have a fireplace but had exactly the same issue. Cured by treating the first reflection points and installing bass traps to tighten up and refocus the lower registers. Snapped together nicely. 
May be talk your wife into hanging heavy curtains over that window by the right speaker. Mean time, toeing the speakers in to fire directly at your listening position should help with imaging as well.

As to the DACs, you have a nice list. If you use Tidal and don’t need DSD, go with the Berkeley Alpha 3 ( has MQA processing capabilities). However, keep in mind that it has no USB input and you will be using AES with it most likely, which means the clock in your streamer is what you’re going to be relying on. Not sure how good that section of the Lumin is. 
With the DAVE you can use USB (will most likely sound significantly better using that interface with your streamer) but you don’t get MQA. Chord tone is superb though. 
With MSB, you get awesome USB implementation, MQA and DSD capabilities. 
So if I were you, my choice would be the MSB Discrete. 
Just thinking out loud….

@bigfatpaulie was it the PA Audio DSD mk1 or mk2?

@bigfatpaulie very nice of you to pop back in and share your progress. 
That Playback Designs DAC is really nice. Enjoy!!!

Thanks @bigfatpaulie 

good to know 

@bigfatpaulie quick question on a bricasti…did you experiment with different filters and clock settings? Having it on Linear 0 filter setting may create the impression of what you described. When I had the M3 I used it on Minimum 0, ClockWide. Very natural sound. 
 

Also, I was hoping PS Audio would address the items you mentioned with the MkII release…I was pretty sure you were talking about MkI the way you described it. Too bad…

@bigfatpaulie thanks!
I agree the filter is not going to have as much impact on sound as changing a component or incorporating room treatments. And man with the Wilsons they’ll seek you out and kick your butt with good or bad whatever they are fed. So I get how you arrived at the results you’ve shared. thanks again this a timely thread as I’m on a market for a new DAC. 

@bigfatpaulie so I kind of screwed up so don’t laugh…

I had a Bricasti M3 and was using its network card as Roon end point and it sounded not too great. I kind of got pissed off at Bricasti. I bought an Aurender N200 and began using the M3 as DAC only via USB and it sounded excellent but I was still kind of pissed so I sold it. Bought PS Audio DSD MkI which is a really nice musical DAC but I couldn’t get past the high noise floor. I realized I made a mistake selling Bricasti, sold the PS Audio and decided to try Chord Hugo TT2. It’s better than PS Audio but I’m looking to sell it and go back to Bricasti…probably M1 this time.

I had Pass XP-22 driving Pass X260.8 mono amps, into Wilson Sabrina. Sold Pass stack and bought 2 integrated amps: Coda CSib and Boulder 866. Zero regrets. So I had Bricasti M3 and PS Audio with Pass and Coda, and recently borrowed my buddy’s Bricasti M3 to compare with my Chord TT2 in my current setup with Coda and Boulder amps.

I intend to only keep one of these integrated amps so I need a good DAC to figure out what combination I like best.

@bigfatpaulie 

I loved the way my system sounded with Pass monos and XP22. I wanted to make a change to 1) reduce the system’s footprint (2 chassis preamp, two amps…too many boxes, too many cables), 2) reduce the heat (the X260.8 are space heaters), simplify my setup WITHOUT sacrifice in sound quality and 3) get rid of the rack in the middle between the speakers without the need to buy a 5m length version of my Nordost Tyr 2 XLRs that I really like to move source components to the side of the room. 
 

I bought the Coda integrated before selling the Pass stack. Wanted to make sure I don’t go backwards in performance of my system. I was completely amazed to have discovered after few weeks of thorough comparison that the Coda hangs right there with the separates! It almost sounds too good to be true but after selling Pass separates and keeping coda I have no regrets. 
Take a look at my system pictures you will see the system layout. 

I’d love me a pair of DAWs but I think they’re too big for my room. I can imagine how good they are though!

@bigfatpaulie thanks! Will do.