I think it's your APL-modded 3910 that is skewing the paradigm. I just read this A-gon review of it and it's obvious that this digital rig breaks all the conventional rules on what redbook playback sounds like. I got into LP playback because I auditioned a DSD-encoded SACD vs. the original LP when played back on a $5500 Linn player, and the LP smoked it. My LP playback rig is similar to yours except I stayed with the AT150MLX and use a humble Cambridge 640P and a homemade TT platform. Still, most digital playback under $10K doesn't tempt me. This Technics/AT rig has no trouble trumping my similarly priced Sony ES CD/SACD player.
So I think a significant element in your dilemma is that your digital source is an over-achiever, maybe even an anomaly among digital playback systems in its price range that upsets the conventional paradigm of digital vs. analog.
So I think a significant element in your dilemma is that your digital source is an over-achiever, maybe even an anomaly among digital playback systems in its price range that upsets the conventional paradigm of digital vs. analog.