tube magic with digital source?

obviously tubes in audio gear existed prior to solid state amplification being invented and commercialized

with the advent of solid state amplification as well as the advent of cd’s as a format, the sound produced by high end audio systems went from warm and rolled off using tube gear (and lp’s or fm as the source), to very extended top to bottom but often with an added harshness and a thinned out /flattened midrange and midbass in solid state/cd driven systems

these two sound profiles are fundamentally synergistic - as the one school compensates for the weaknesses of the other, and if gear from both schools are combined intelligently in a system chain then you can get the best of both worlds

the ’tubes in dacs’ discussion is a microcosm of the above historical mega-shift in high end hifi audio over the past several decades

it works, but as always, it depends on skill in implementation, knowledge of what works with what, and of course, the type/flavor of sound one is aiming for in their system

I definitely find that tubes sound different than solid state. But in many ways if the DAC is detailed and natural sounding enough, the solution to big holographic sound presentation can depend a lot on speaker placement and phase correctness (if that is a word). 
In my own experience speaker placement and proper phase had a better impact on the nature of the overall sound of my system than changing amps or source. Amp and source changes can have a significant impact don’t get me wrong. But for holographic presentation the location of your speakers in the room should not be discounted. 

I am a big fan of digital music and I have heard very very serious systems where digital sounded darn great. I have a feeling a lot of it has to do with the speakers and crossover as well as the quality of the DAC and less to do with whether there were tubes in the amp. 
Having said that my tube amp sounds a lot better than my ss. 

Ralph, if my Burson sounds better than that Chinese whatever you will pay for both, agreed ? If not, I will pay for both.

Digital source+tube preamp+Class D amp= very good combo. 

Sorry @millercarbon. I missed your point in my reply.

You are certainly correct in that it seems the majority contend that tubes add something (ideally pleasurable) to the sound, as opposed to doing a better job of not adding/changing/omitting anything.

Now I'm off to shop for a tube amp...