Pulled the trigger on a Moon 861! Hope it pairs well on my Focals

OP ..."I'm learning every component matters when doing separates. "

@audphile1 

+1

Exactly. I have to say the same stuff... hopefully differently. 1) is the big problem. The second is reducing the fidelity. 

1) There are two ways to do streaming with your Streamer / DAC. One is to "catch" the streaming service on your phone and then to send it to your DAC by some terrible sounding method like bluetooth. This is the wrong and vastly inferior way to do it. You want to be using the Eversolo app to control your Z8. In the Eversolo app (for your phone), you log on to Qobuz or Tidal... Hmm, I missed it, what service are you using? You should use Qobuz or Tidal.

 The give away is that there is a hookup problem is that you should not have a volume control on your phone in the loop.

2) Your Streamer / DAC budget consumer and you have high end Preamp, amp and speakers. This is a gross mismatch. You must choose wisely but and appropriate investment is that Streamer (individulal box)cost = DAC (cost) = Preamp = Amp. If this ratio is way out of whack then the sound quality you are getting is going to be very inferior.  If you want you can get a  Stream / DAC combo, but then it should be in the ballpark investment level of combined preamp and amp. 

Yes, you are using the Eversolo as a preamp...that it why your system is not sounding good. All should be good when you put your Mac back in. 

So, you are using your DAC straight into the amp... that is the issue. It is the input to your amp that determines the volume you get out. Your preamp should provide the input voltage (I think that is the parameter). An amp does not vary its amplification... that is what the preamp does... unless your are using your DAC as a preamp as w'll (unlikely to sound great). Should sound great with lots of volume when you put your Mac back in. 

Typically the sound will change a lot... being less trebly and more natural... often takes a lot more than 100 hours. 

I'm not sure why, but many companies are shy about documenting the  long burn in... even through it is required. My Audio Research gear took 600 hours to stabilize and even after that there was very slight improvements over the next 400. I burned in three of the same amps... and it followed exactly the same pattern.

I’d run it 24 x 7 for a couple weeks. 

The MacIntosh preamp may have the balancing effect you are hoping for. Tell us what happens.

Don't forget that a new solid state amp typically starts out very trebly and then softens over the first 100 to 200 hours. 

I know this, but I just can't help but draw conclusions when I put a new amp in my system, even after knowing this for decades. I get all upset... then it settles down. This happened to me recently... and it settled down so much, it was as if it was a completely different amp.