When is digital going to get the soul of music?

Frank,

That is correct; clocking is very important, as well as transports, DACs, analog stage etc. It is really a synergy of everything, and same applies to analog and the complete audio system. So if you are happy with it, just smile and enjoy your favorite tunes. :-)

Best wishes,
Alex Peychev

Frank - I see that I have missed quite a few posts on here today! This is a very busy season for me, as you can imagine. Anyway, Albert and Aplhifi have certainly gone much farther than I ever could towards answering the question you last put to me - all I can say is "yeah, what they said!" :) Seriously, though, one of the reasons I love this site is that I can read such posts by Albert or Atmasphere, who are both excellent at describing the technical reasons in layman's terms for things that I know I can hear, but don't have the technical knowledge to explain to someone else why I am hearing it. I realize that's a terrible sentence I just wrote, but it's late, and there is a reason I am a musician, not a writer, LOL!

"Either they throw away dynamics, detail, and resolution but coax out a sweet tonal balance with much of the warmth of analog.

Or, they get resolution, drive and dynamics but the upper mid and high frequencies drive me from the room."

When I run my mhdt Paradisea with the NOS Tung Sol tube in my current rig, I would say it does extremely well in regards to delivering dynamics, detail and resolution with a touch of sweet tonal balance and nothing offensive in the highs.

With the stock RCA tube, more towards the first camp.

I also use an mhdt Constantine and it falls a notch or two more towards the second camp.

I've used these in several system configurations and can also say the specific results can vary greatly depending on what the rest of the system is.

Currently, these DACs are proving themselves to be amazing overachievers especially for the cost.

ALbert, if you are ever in Baltimore DC metro area with some time I'd be happy to give an audition if you are interested.

Indeed it is very hard to get details, dynamics and warmth but like with right tubes and system *synergy* (here we ago again- components, cabling and matched speakers) it is possible to get both, may be not to the fullest as experienced in real life but what I perceive is best possible today in audio reproduction.

If recordings is bad or compressed no digital (or vinyl for that matter) system in the world can make that hight freq nastiness go away and make it sound sweeter- not even mine ;-)

Boy that Kanye's new album is real good- musically, but recordings is horribly compressed. On the other hand say albums by Arcade fire or Deerhunter or The walkmen or Dave Holland's hands or Wynton Marsallis's Vitoria suite- all a pleasure to listen to.

Aplhifi,

Happy Christmas to you too!!! Time to spin some Chanticleer Christmas. Oh boy!!!!