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

@kennyc @audphile1 

I have listened to a lot of speakers over the years, mostly at shows, but I helped a friend of mine buy high-end stereo equipment and heard a lot of speakers and electronics. He chose Wilson Sashas which were only $12K then. I have been impressed with a lot of speakers. Two speakers I was not a fan of were Wilson and Dynaudio. I don’t like exacting, analytical gear. I’ve used tubes for a good part of my audio life.

I know most of the speakers in the L.A. area. I don’t have the energy I had 25 years ago when I helped my friend drive from Santa Barabara to Riverside, well over a hundred mile radius.

To buy my Sonus Faber Olympica V speakers, I went to the dealer closest to me and first heard Vienna Acoustics at about $15K. I immediately ruled them out. I listen to a lot of jazz and rock, as well as classical, and I wanted some real-world punch. When I heard the Sonus Faber Olympica Nova V, I didn’t look farther. That was my speaker. Although, I must admit the treble opened up a lot after 50-100 hours use. But it works well in my system, whose electronics are a bit on the rolled-off side, Pass Labs preamps and Hovland Radia amp. If you don’t know it, you can look up an old Stereophile review. It’s a hell of an amp, even at 25+ years old.

So, age and I guess experience, stopped me from driving all over one of the largest cities in the world. If I’d inherited the money 15 years ago, my orgy would have put a lot of miles on my car. But I think whatever system you bring home will not be perfect after you listen to it over time. Rolled off or not, my system is very transparent. Bad recordings sound pretty bad. When I had tubed gear, it was much more forgiving. But good recordings, like Cassandra Wilson's "New Moon Daughter" sound sublime.

@audio-b-dog 

I’m in Silicon Valley. I demoed speakers all high-end audio stores in the the Bay Area and most in the LA area. Also attended AXPONA twice, THE show in LA, and the Pacific Northwest show (Daedalus woodwork looks fabulous in person).

I earnestly tried to like Wilson’s offerings, but the sound never resonated with me.

I love the sound of more musical Sonus Faber, but prefer Magico. Initially, I thought the S3 was lacking in the bass, but the new S3-2024 sounded great. Wondering what the new S2 sounds like.

I also love the high treble sound of bells, violins, etc,  so I’m greatly pleased in getting a diamond tweeter. Funny how my Vimberg Mino D is the entry level for Tidal.

@kennyc 

In the end, it comes down to personal taste. I think there is a learning curve too. I was very happy with my ARC PH-3 for many years and then one day I felt like something was missing and traded up. That was, I think, my right brain telling me something, and music is "listened" to by the right brain. The left brain dissects what we likes and puts it into language, but music is beyond words, as we all know.

The reason I didn't look at the Magico, besides the dealer being far away, was because I'd heard its treble was more transparent than the Sonus Faber, and the treble on the new Sonus Faber Olympica Novas is transparent enough for me with a silk domed tweeter.

I've heard Vandersteens many times and there is a Vandersteen dealer in Santa Monica, but Vandersteen is pretty much in the "accurate" zone. I lean a bit more toward a bit of "romance" and musicality. 

I’m thoroughly enjoying my Wilson Sabrina speakers. Not analytical at all. 
I think the older Wilsons with the Focal inverted metal dome tweeter could sound bright depending on the room acoustics and associated equipment. My Sabrinas have a silk dome tweeter. The sound is very natural and realistic. All depends on the setup and obviously personal preference. But I’m not a fan of analytical presentation or overly detailed artificial sound. My setup sounds great. I would even say it leans slightly warm. There are challenges with Wilson speakers yes…but when dialed in they are great.