I guess this means you don't like tube amps either !
Yes, it's each to his own.
I expect TI make the very opamps theu recommend for their dacs. if they made transformers things might have been different......
I think you are extrapolating and applying things the way you deem suitable to you and the point you are trying to make, but during that process, you did make an error; in particular, you failed to see vastly different use-case scenarios between tube amps and transformers, and low current out DACs and transformers.
Transformers in valve gear are used due to high voltages/stage coupling issues/ extracting AC signal from the DC & superimposed AC signal... therefore, they are simply required and the necessary evil (unless OTL).
AD811 has something that no other IC has... a very low input impedance while providing great speed. The way Jung used it allows DAC to see virtual 0 dynamic input impedance. It is vastly superior to AD844; however, AD811 needs to be implemented properly to prevent oscillations. Also, AD811 does not like capacitors with long leads, the resistors should be non-inductive as well....
But with a very low current-out level like PCM1704 for example, AD811 is unparalleled as an I/V converter.
Transformers will colour the sound and slow the DAC substantially. They are far from being a good choice for DAC I/V. Maybe for something with a lot of current-out (1794), they may provide okay-ish sound, but in this particular case (1794), the simple high-quality resistor (TX2575) will work much better.