Best EXTERNAL DAC suggestions

@moose89 your comment here "Mancave is treated, speakers and me complete a 6’ triangle" is kinda throwing me. Can’t imagine, and with those speakers. I’m a former owner of SLI-80, fwiw. Selecting the right dac in your case is critical, imo.

As for dacs, I can share recent experience with MHDT Orchid w/upgrades (all possible tubes), current Schiit Bifrost 2/64 and Border Patrol SE-I now too. I’ve enjoyed all three of these dacs for different reasons. Each sounds different.

For anyone to help more - if I may suggest, you need to share a little bit more about this six foot triangle space you are listening in. What are the actual dimensions of this room/space, walls, width, ceiling height? Wow, and how close are you sitting to the Cornwall speakers? (i.e. really, a 6’ triangle?); share more details...

"@moose89 La-Z-Boy recliner sets directly across from my television and entertainment center and a 7 foot or 6 foot triangle.

Got it. So the room itself if larger than I was wondering about.   Firstly, hundreds of posts over the years of people pairing external dacs with Nodes.  The BB and ESS chips version dacs sound different too, heard them natively on a few buddies systems, and after adding external dacs. Lots of members here who've done it and live well with external dacs today.   Each benefited from external dacs, however they were looking for something different, such as more clarity, less grain, smoother sound, etc.  Two more questions fwiw.

1) What are you looking for "more" or "less" of from your system now, as it stands in your existing room configuration and system setup?  i.e I recall you said warmer and soundstage. How about at the loss of some detail to be warmer, and may lose some soundstage - etc, is that okay, etc.  i.e List what's most important to you 1,2,3. Folks here can get you closer - those who've tried 4+ dacs with Nodes. 

2) Have you experimented a lot with Toe-in vs Toe straitght (zero toe) and Toe out with the Cornwalls on rollers (nice)?  I learned about this later in my audio ventures, free and easy to do, and can be quite interesting with horn speakers too. i.e. I cannot toe my speakers in too much, or it yields a beaming sound I don't like. 

@captelee "Not many on this side of the fence care to research. But reading up on Audio Science review you can hear and learn comments from the guys (and gals) who design and build these things...past the pretty boxes."

Dacs fitting the "warm" description over there (or any of the dacs I’ve liked) usually get panned by them. And the dacs they show having the best specs, did not always sound as good or were as engaging to me. Been there and done that with their advice. I’ve found the only way to know is to try the dacs in your own room, system, and setup.Then listen close, over several weeks to get a better idea of what someone might prefer and enjoy more.

@moose89 ..."current shipments of Rogue RP-1, Ares ll, with the Node v3...".

Probably best to receive it all, let it run in for a few weeks to settle in, and see where you land at next. Report results after, let us know how it goes, and cross the next bridge when you get there.