Appreciate the reply
Ok, I do not make any claim that what I'm about to say has any validity outside my own personal experience and preferences. Before I decided to try a wide range of DACs, I ran the Topping D30 for about 2 years. The D30 measures well, and for the money it's an absolute bargain, like most Topping offerings. So then, around xmas last year, I got the Wharfedale Diamond 11.5's. Great speakers, but I could not listen to them for extended periods of time, most recordings sounded outright shrill, and harsh. Before the 11.5's I was running a pair of Zu Audio Omen DW II's which due to their eccentric design do have the advantage of being able to play a wide variety of recordings without my ears falling off. Nothing 'wrong' with the Wharfedales in comparison to the Zu's, but the Wharfdales are definitely more resolving, and will do a much better job at producing the recording, without any obvious coloration, or emphasis of any particular frequency range. The Zu's just kind of 'mask' harsh treble, particularly on poor recordings.
Ok, so I have a decent range of amps of all classes - Class A, A/B, Class D - some DYI, and in terms of brands I own amps by Rotel, Oddyssey Audio, Schiit, Emotiva and others. Tried them all, still couldn't get to the point where I could listen to the Wharfedales and find the sound 'enjoyable'. I even tried tone controls, using a Schiit Loki, but there was still this 'harsh' edge that I just couldn't eliminate from the sound. Next I ordered a pair of JBL Studio 590's, thinking that for whatever reason, I just couldn't warm up to the Wharfedales. Well - I'm really annoyed at this point - the same thing happened - it still sounded harsh, shrill and 'etched' - no difference between the two sets of speakers in that regard. I really didn't expect that the DAC would make any difference, the D30 measures well, and DACs aren't supposed have a 'sound' - but at some point I decided to try a different DAC - some old no-name 'Ambery' brand DAC I had flying about in the garage, with some old Burr-Brown Chip, I don't remember which one. Well, imagine my surprise when this ancient, but well-built DAC sounded considerably better than the D30. Oh yes, some of the detail was lost, but what was there sounded considerably 'warmer' and fuller in the midrange, while making the treble bearable. So, while the D30 measures well, I don't like the way it sounds on a set of 'revealing' speakers.
I have funds, what I don't have is much time, for anything beyond work. That's why rather than selecting just one or two DACs I ordered a whole bunch of them, and tested them over a period of several months. I like the Ares II, the SMSL M400, the Topping D90, the Audio GD R1, and one DYI DAC based on dual AD1865R NOS chips - in that order. I particularly don't like the Topping D30, the Topping D10, and the Topping D50s - on anything other than the ZU Omen DW II's. I'm still missing the RME ADI-2 DAC FS, which I'll get soon.
... and that's it really - using 'revealing' speakers - some DACs enable me to be able to listen without having an urge to turn the music off after a short period of time : )