Does anyone have a digital system that is as involving as their analogue front end?

@audphile1 

Thanks I will give Jplay a test run. Do I just download it off apps? 

@charles007100 

I have read others who have tried directly hooking the Meitner MA3 to their amp. I think, though, when someone has a preamp with the qualities of the Pass XP-30, direct to amp streaming doesn't stand a chance. I have also tried good passive preamps and haven't thought they sounded nearly as good as a decent powered preamp. For me, the preamp is the heart of a system, and I have become very picky about the preamps I use. The Pass Labs XP-30 is every bit as good as the ARC Ref. 3 I had, and in a number of important ways better.

I use Mcontrol HD app or with the MA3i, Qobuz connect I use the Qobuz app too…I was using the Pass XP-12 preamp, the Meitner had a better musical sound with my system, try it both ways and if you like it without the preamp there is money in the bank if you want to send the Meitner back for the update. Be sure and let us know how it goes, the service lady at Meitner is very helpful and always responds to emails…with your whole system it will all go good…

The short answer is NO….. my current digital front end is a Vivaldi One Apex, now with the outboard clock, it is good, maybe great,  BUT it is not as involving as my analog front end. The DCS has incredible detail retrieval and does many things very well, you just never get that second (or third) glass of Bourbon warmth, relaxed, comfortable feeling you get from a good analog rig and decent pressing. I nostalgically feel like my old EAD dsp 9000 was the most relaxed DA I’ve had, or maybe it was just rolled off, warm, and smooth. The newest generation of converters seem to be capable of much more in terms of precision, separation, and maybe exactness, for lack of a better term. The Wadax Studio system may be the outlier here as I felt like it was warmer and still had the precision and presence that is closer to analog. I have not spent enough time with it to make a personal decision on it, Time will tell, but I have never been tempted to forgo the intimacy that vinyl continues to provide, however much hassle it may be. Should I find a digital front end that gets 95% there, I may consider going fully to the digital (dark) side. 
MJ

Give Jplay a try @charles007100 

both the UI and sound quality much better than mconnect or mcontrol. 
I’m using Roon and Jplay. 

@miketj 

Interesting perspective given that you’re nearer the top end of digital than most of us. I hope it’s not presumptuous of me to mention that while many love the sound and consider their offerings some of the best available, DCS is also a somewhat polarizing brand.

Personally I’ve heard most of their offerings, including the Varese stack, and while that particular model is well out of my budget, not even it moved me. They are fantastically detailed and precise but more digital sounding to me than some other top end units I’ve auditioned, including the T+A unit I ultimately selected.  

As you own the Vivaldi Apex and find it limiting, it wouldn’t surprise me if you find the Wadax studio to be a better solution for you.You might also want to explore MSB or Lampizator which, like the WADAX, are a decidedly different flavor than DCS. And while I haven’t heard it (yet), rumor has it that the Master Fidelity DAC and Clock are truly superb as well.  

My own T+A DAC is equally involving as my vinyl rig to my ears. Indeed, on the same recording (vinyl pressing vs streamed via Qobuz) are shockingly close but for the surface noise on the vinyl. So it can be achieved.