Are there digital front ends with the body...

I have done a full AB comparison over a few days between an Orpheus Heritage DAC and Zero cd transport and the exotic Vyger Indian Signature TT/Dynavector Karat. Both above $40k a set.

On the same audiophile recordings, similarly mastered, i could hardly tell the difference, apart from occasional surface noise on vinyl, even favouring the cd on the attributes you mentioned. I suspect a cartridge, cable or recording change, would favour either one over the other.

Short of the Heritage, however, nothing digital before (in my last 25 years of listening) came close to vinyl.

Thanks for all the responses so far.

I heard the Vyger table recently (RMAF) and it is a bit of a dry table. Cannot recall the cart. So, it is not horribly surpising it's close to digital.

My Merrill/TriPlanar/Ortofon setup has considerably more 'body'.

I thought the AMR CDP had lot of body when I heard it at RMAF. It's on my top list for digital front list.

In my own rig, AMR CD-77 fits the bill (although at $ 8.5k perhaps not what you meant by moderately pricey). Admittedly one third more expensive, there is YBA Le Lecteur CD1 Classic Sigma (or Passion 1000 which is the same player in a different outfit) that recently led me to think it would have been very serious competition for the AMR, had I heard it before, exactly for the reasons you mention (and some more).
I very much agree with what has been said on CD mastering, in particular the lack of dynamics, though: junk in, junk out. I guess that is what you get if you produce for all-day-long sonic drizzle out of small dickey boxes that only digital made possible, muzak instead of music (am I getting old or just a bellyacher?).

I guess that is what you get if you produce for all-day-long sonic drizzle out of small dickey boxes that only digital made possible, muzak instead of music (am I getting old or just a bellyacher?)

No you are right on - sonic drizzle!