Update:
Thanks to an Audiogon thread I had the pleasure to be introduced to the Metrum Octave DAC. I have less than 24 hours of break in but let me say the harshness i was experiencing is gone. I've fully toed out the speakers, my original placement, and played my test files. It's astounding, this machine is truly different than what I'm used to. I'll add more as i continue the break in process - two weeks of 24/7 playback with daily genre and bit/sampling rate changes.