Which DACs are known to be sweet/rich/relaxed?

i find this kind of decadence depressing

I would like to give you advice that is outside of the expensive solutions. I too have been chasing the perfection of music from a digital source and purchase an Uptone Audio EtherRegen switch lowered the noise floor but kept reading positive reports of almost eliminating digital noise by converting ethernet signals, that carry digital noise, to optical through a converter product like the Sonore Optical Module. It has been sold out for a while so the owner of Uptone Audio recommended the $20 TP-Link module. I took his recommendation and bought the module, 2 SPF units, and a fiber cable for $75. After installing it with a linear power supply, the noise floor is non existent and any digital harshness has disappeared making me wonder how much better the Sonore Optical Module would be with Finisar SPF modules. Pretty cheap experiment!

@robert1976 If 95% of the recordings sound fine, you are seeking a solution for the 5% that don’t. A solution that makes those 5% sound fine may adversely affect your satisfaction with the other 95%. I reiterate my view that a software or hardware approach to reducing treble energy for specific albums is a safe approach.

Acoustic treatments may help reduce the excess brightness and hash from those 5%, but they might unacceptably dampen the sound of the other 95%. Either try treatments that can be returned or consider hiring a capable acoustic engineer who knows how to treat a room.

I would also consider some of the highly cost effective, simple suggestions made by others - get a better Ethernet switch; try different Ethernet cables. Those, in particular, can make a very audible difference, but again those solutions affect everything, not just the objectionable 5%.

Good luck.

This post has gone off of the rails!! The OP wanted to know, "Which DACs are known to be sweet/rich/relaxed?" We have debated nuclear physics and acoustical engineers for room treatments. If you treat your room, your system will still not "warm-up"! If you have an extremely bright pair of speakers, their brightness will be amplified by creating a perfect acoustical chamber since you truly hear what the drivers deliver. We all spend far more than we should on equipment to recreate a jazz club in our living room. How many jazz clubs are acoustically treated by engineers?? I love the interaction of tables, chairs, glasses, etc., on sound quality. That's what makes the music real!!

Aries Cerat DAC or Audio Note, AN being much warmer. End game and call it quits for the next 7-10 years. Or, spend $200 K (in this crazy economy) and build a custom room designed by engineers and still question, "Which DACs are known to be sweet/rich/relaxed?" because my room is so perfect!!!

Best of luck on your journey! BTW, great system!!