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

@audphile1 @kennyc 

Thanks. I am listening to Scheherazade by Fritz Reiner. I have it on vinyl. It sounds very involving on the Meitner. Without A/Bing them I can hear the difference, but I could happily listen to it digitally. I am won over that digital can sound very good. Of course, the ladder is endless. i could begin comparing my turntable, cartridge, and phono preamp to much more expensive ones, and then my analogue sound would be different. I assume improved. We audiophiles must learn to set boundaries unless you have a lot of money. But i have a feeling that most people with a lot of money aren't sitting around listening to their stereos.

BTW, as an aside, I am reading a book about the left and right brains. Language comes from the left brain but understanding from the right. The author believes that human communication began as music. In a sense, music is our deppest understanding. I have been researching and writing about this stuff for over a decade, but I love the idea that music led to language.

The first time I heard MA3 in my system the thought that came to mind was how much its sound reminds me of analog. It’s got that sweetness that gives you all the details on the recording without smacking you upside the head with it. It’s nice and relaxed. 

I have the Analog Productions of Scheherazade with Reiner on vinyl and prefer it over the digital versions on streaming. No fault of DAC, just the source on streaming isn’t as good due to it being a different master and not as good as the vinyl. The AP version is  Remastered from the original master tape and cut at 33 1/3 RPM by Ryan Smith at Sterling Sound. 

You won’t get the same mastering on qobuz or tidal

As one who who grew up with vinyl, cassettes/8-tracks, CD’s, and now streaming, I do not get this whole analog v.s. digital sound stuff and this vinyl craze.  I have had various iterations of hi-fi systems for decades and decades.  All I remember is "discwashing" my albums before every play,  making sure I got no finger prints on them, and put them in a proper sleeve before the album cover.  And it still had audible aberrations.

Every upgrade, be it digital or analogue brings me to a new level of musical pleasure.  Nothing sounds better then streaming and CD’s with a proper system.  The most important variable being the engineering and mastering of the recording.  My same age audiophile buddies and I do not get this entire vinyl rage (not to minimize the importance of nostalgia).  We just shake our heads. 

I have played CDs while also playing vinyl. My CD collection is about the size of my analogue collection, 1000 each. I have tried to have the best CD players I could afford. I had Meridian separates way back when. When I bought my McCormack UDP-1 about 25 years ago, I think it was among the best CD players around.

I was with a friend at a high-end audio dealer listening to the Wilson Sasha speakers. The dealer had among the most expensive CD players on earth, including Jadis separates that sold upward of $50K. 25+ years ago!  I was very impressed with the sound of his CD player and asked what it was. He said he didn't bother using the Jadis in demonstrations anymore. The MCcormack sounded just as good. I bought one and it's still in my system. It provides an excellent transport to my Meitner DAC. 

That being said, in the past digital did not sound as good as analogue in my house. But as I said, I played both. Now digital is catching up, and I will be streaming more than I used to. But I still prefer analogue. 

@audphile1 

My Meitner MA3 frequently stops in the middle of a cut for perhaps 30 seconds and then skips to the next cut. Have you had this problem, and if so, what did you do about it?