Does the ESS Sabre Chip have a telltale sound?

Sorry, typos make this a little confusing!

I'm trying to get opinions on whether the Sabre chips have specific sonic traits that influence the sound of the DACs that use these chips vs. other chips.

No. I have had about 40-50 different DACS through here over the past 3 to 4 years.

I always thought it was the DAC chip that dictated the sound. I found that was wrong. It depends on how that particular chip is used WITHIN the circuit. Many other factors influence the final sound quality.

I guess I could add the Sabre DAC chip "usually" smooths things out a bit, but other chips do this as well if not better.

As the old saying goes "the whole is greater than the sum of the parts".

It depends on how you use the Sabre chip. In my experience, if you drive it with S/PDIF input it uses the internal reclocking, which mucks-up the sound IMO. If you drive it with I2S, it is quite pristine and nice sounding. I believe it avoids this reclocking when you use I2S. I have not found it to be any better than the chips from TI or Analog Devices however.