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


I have a good analogue front end. Not stratuspherically good but good enough for this comparison. VPI Prime Signature 21 turntable, Pass Labs XP-25 pono preamp, Pass Labs XP-30 preamp and Hovland Radia amp. It has a lovely, very involving sound. On the right recording, I just drop everythng and am drawn in to listen.

My streamer, on the other hand, is decent but not spectacular. It is better than my CD player, but it is not jaw-dropping like my analogue front-end. My question is this: does anyone have a high-end, tier-one streamer (dCS Bartok Apex, Lumin X2, or something like them) that can rival a good analogue system?

audio-b-dog

In order to get streaming to that level you have to have a good lps power supply from router, with quality power cord ,a good line conditioner to plug into 

then a good Ethernet hub $3-4 k to get very good , lhy has a $1200 hub that decent 

ether net cables at minimum $600 from router to hub ,end point most important over $1k  also filters like stack audio and then a very good dac I have the Merason dac 2 excellent and very natural sounding your at least $16-$20 k and all power cords at least $1k each line conditioner I have a AQ niagra 3000 I will be getting the 5000 counting line conditioner over $20 k , buy a $$ dac will push you. $30-$40k , $$ is your only limiting factor. Usb cable $2500 Shunyata

I am not anywhere close to that, and my radar is not even picking that up as a faint blip in the distance. 

When I upgrade my cartridge, I will likely seriously reconsider my analog signal chain and bring those B&Ws back online.  The addition I am building will help considerably with the room accoustics as I designed it with the golden ratio in mind.

This hobby never ceases to give.  😄

I have the EMM Labs DA2i and the TXi CD transport. Fabulous DAC. As close to analogue as I have heard. The TXi extracts more from a CD than anything I have heard. Of course it is a transport only and must go through the DA2i for processing. The pair are formidable for a digital front end. 

To jaulbrich's point once you spend above a certain amount personal preference will be the driving factor for what is "Best".

@audioman58 

I don't quite understand why all that expensive electrical stuff is necessary. I do have a Shunyata Venom 16 to clean up power, but it is my understanding that digital audio is delivered in packets. Each packet is double checked. The DAC says here is what I received and the sender will send another packet if the DAC received an error. Jitter, as I understand it, is a matter of timing, and that accuracy depends upon the DAC's clocking. So, I'm not sure what all this extra electrical expense is for.

... it is my understanding that digital audio is delivered in packets. Each packet is double checked. The DAC says here is what I received and the sender will send another packet if the DAC received an error ...

That's true if you're talking about TCP/IP streaming, such as Qobuz. But digital audio such as CD does not rely on packets.