These things are very subjective, so it is hard to give an answer. All A/D and D/A converters have a "sound" – it may be that you preferred the sound of the Orville converters to whatever you are now using. Equally, you may have some kind of connection problem.
If you are qualified to diagnose these issues to find out where/why the sound is changing, you should do so – otherwise stick to what sounds best. It is unlikely that the use of AES in itself will degrade the sound.
You could try A/D to Orville via AES and analog out from Orville, vs analog in and out from Orville, both using a "Thru" preset, with nothing else connected. This might give some clues.
