Non Analytical Sounding DAC Upgrade- Budget $1,500 or less

FWIW, I compiled a short list by reading and researching. I don’t have personal experience with these products but I want to contribute what I learned. I wanted R2R and/or tube.

I was very, very close to getting the Audio Mirror Tubadour and the maker wrote write back when I had a question. Some really good experienced people on this forum love the Audio Mirror.

I also read very good stuff about the Denafrips Ares -- backordered by a long time, last I saw.

I got the MHDT Orchid DAC. Why the Orchid? After a lot of research, I learned two things -- the Orchid is the most raved about of all their products. It’s the chip inside -- apparently only the Orchid has the Philips TDA1541 chip. This was a chip which people realized was older and had a more analog type sound. So, people were buying old CD players up like crazy, and the maker of the MHDT DAC, Jiun, bought a bunch of these chips to have a supply for the Orchid. Do I really know if the chip is key? No -- I really don’t. But I have been loving this DAC for about a month and the company is really easy to deal with, despite being in Taiwan. Buy via Ebay or through Linear Tube Audio. Those guys are great.

@phill55 -- Can you say more? I almost got the Tubadour and went for the Orchid. I'm curious about what differences you heard and what equipment you used. The grass is always greener...

So glad to read of all these great DAC options! I'm struggling to understand what "analytical" means to different people. For those mentioning units they like, I'd be curious about what they sound like and why you think they satisfy the poster's question for a non-analytical sound.

Thanks, @ianrodger. I didn't know "analytical" was a negative — I thought it meant toward the more crisp, clean, maybe lighter side of the spectrum — which was a set of characteristics some people like. Now I realize it's a cluster of negative qualities (in your definition). The OP said "overly analytical" but I suspect that you mean that — not all analytical is bad, but too much is…well, too much!

@ken7, I second the question by akgwhiz about the Orchid. I'm interested in playing around with it, too.

@letch I'd be interested to hear about your experiments. Perhaps start a thread called "Tube-rolling with the MHDT Orchid DAC"? It's a popular enough product that we might find some interesting contributions which detail how different tubes and associated equipment combine to create different sonic outcomes. 
One person relayed the following to me:
Brighter: GE 5670 5-star (stock tube); a good tube.
Softer: Tesla 6cc42; great midpoint tube.
Extra soft: Western Electric 2C51

@letch Sorry to miss that! I appreciate you directing me to it. As Emily Litella said (all you oldies know where I'm going): "never mind."

While I own the Orchid, I have to admit to be very curious about Chord, not least because of the talk given by Rob Watts in this 2017 video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXyjsSYjnL8
His knowledge and experience shine through and I learned a lot. 

That said, I do wonder about R2R Soekris DACs. It strikes me as one of those sleeping giants, still mostly under the radar and not part of the "buzz," but perhaps one of the best values out there. I've yet to hear one. I don't know if it would sound analytical or not.