Hi
I can't really answer your first 2 questions as I bought mine pre-owned from an auction site and haven't heard a tube DAC.
I run my Ares II fed by the Bluesound Node 2021 and Audiolab 6000CDT, into a Naim Nait 5si and Quad S2 speakers; I can't honestly say I've found the highs to be edgy or overly bright or harsh.
I have the Node connected simultaneously to a separate input on the Nait 5si for easy A/B testing as, as you will be aware, all Node outputs are live/active.
I quite like the DAC in the Node, but the Ares II gives a different presentation. I wouldn't say it's hugely more resolving; for me it seems to inflate and open up the presentation of a track (recording dependant of course).
I haven't heard the Ares II in any other system, but with my amp/speaker pairing, I find the Ares II compliments them nicely. More subdued, mellow tracks such as some mellow jazz, and female vocalists, the combination produces some really sweet highs. For example, on Joni Mitchell's Blue album, her voice never sounds brittle or on the point of harshness, even when she hits those insane high notes.
I'm not familiar with the components in your system, but for me, in my set up the Ares II sounds great. I couldn't go back to just the Node DAC now, even though I think it's very good.
I can't really answer your first 2 questions as I bought mine pre-owned from an auction site and haven't heard a tube DAC.
I run my Ares II fed by the Bluesound Node 2021 and Audiolab 6000CDT, into a Naim Nait 5si and Quad S2 speakers; I can't honestly say I've found the highs to be edgy or overly bright or harsh.
I have the Node connected simultaneously to a separate input on the Nait 5si for easy A/B testing as, as you will be aware, all Node outputs are live/active.
I quite like the DAC in the Node, but the Ares II gives a different presentation. I wouldn't say it's hugely more resolving; for me it seems to inflate and open up the presentation of a track (recording dependant of course).
I haven't heard the Ares II in any other system, but with my amp/speaker pairing, I find the Ares II compliments them nicely. More subdued, mellow tracks such as some mellow jazz, and female vocalists, the combination produces some really sweet highs. For example, on Joni Mitchell's Blue album, her voice never sounds brittle or on the point of harshness, even when she hits those insane high notes.
I'm not familiar with the components in your system, but for me, in my set up the Ares II sounds great. I couldn't go back to just the Node DAC now, even though I think it's very good.