R2R next? Don't like ESS

I really like Gustard R26. Not expensive and the sound suits me perfect. I listen to music through analogue sources primarily my turntables and reel to reel Revoxes and Studers. I use Qobus and Tidal only to find new music and after owning around 10 different dacs I found Gustard R26 and it sounds most "analogue" to me which suits me perfect. (I can´t listen to ess dacs I get headache after 20-30 minutes. To "sharp" sound)

@dclone I went from a Gustard R26 to a Gustard X-30 (four ESS9039SPRO chips). I was afraid that I would miss the warmth of the R26.  I don't.  The X-30 is very impressive.  I'm sensitive to sibilance and high frequencies.  The X-30 is very detailed, but not bright or sharp.  

Ive only had the Geshelli J2 AKM 4493 using an external Keces lps.

Vinyl is my 1st choice in SQ, but some Hi Rez streaming through the J2 is very impressive.

OP would probably want the J2 socketed . Added bonus, the Geshellis were great to deal with, USA product and for the price of the basic J2 its well worth a try.

What’s your budget ?   Denafrips  always has very good  sound build quality per $ Dollar spent.

I was the proud and very happy owner of a MSB Platinum Signature DAC (based on a proprietary R2R topology) for many years. I was lucky enough to find it in 2021 for $7,000 on USAudiomart from its first owner. However, dating from 2012, the unit did not handle native DSD, which led me ultimately to sell it last year and look for another R2R ladder-topology DAC. I settled for Gustard R26 (many glowing reviews!), first by itself, and then paired with a Denafrips Gaia DDC in the hope to come closer to what I was missing after my MSB sale.  I kept this combo for 3 months before selling it: It did handle DSD, but the musical result was more akin to coming from a chip-based process. I know exactly what you mean when you describe the sound of an ESS-based converter (I had been using an Oppo for many years): more forward, more bombast, less naturalness and authenticity; great for loudness-pop or background music, but dismal for classical or any recording containing a lot of spacial information.

Needless to say, I am back to MSB, this time with their "entry" offering, the "Discrete": while my Platinum Signature had three of the proprietary, hermetically shielded R2R modules per channel, the Discrete has only one. However, the sound is much closer to analog than what came from the Gustard/Denafrips combo, and in that regard resembles my old Platinum.

What I am trying to tell you: R2R topology alone does NOT GUARANTEE a more musical experience; there is much more involved here, probably having to do with physical separation of the signal-converting parts from the PSUs (the Discrete has two separate PSU chassis per channel), very precise clocking, and the very best materials. Also: try to find a DAC that uses a Galvanically-shielded USB connection. MSB uses a small converter for this purpose, which transmutes the USB signal into an optical one and then transmits it through two fiber-optic cables (one per channel) to the DAC; these lines can be a mile long w/o losing a single bit of information (a German company by the name of Acousence was the first to use this technology about 15 years ago). For all who doubt the critical importance of a premium DAC to bring digital music closer to the analog experience: listen to a top-shelf R2R, emphasis on "top-shelf", before you commit, and then patiently look for a second-hand deal every single day, as the good ones show up rarely and go very fast. R2R alone does not guarantee the best result: execution is paramount. Best of luck!