Now, I have had some time recently to do some serious listening at more likelike levels with some of my favorite recordings and the result is simply stunning. Tonality is very natural in, full but not overly rich, resolution allows you to hear all the way in but but with a density of images and tone that I didn't think was possible to combine with such high resolution. I have nearly universally heard either (eg. Lampizator) or (eg. DCS) but never both together before. The foundation is the most solid I have ever heard from a tube DAC and competitive with the best SS DACs in terms of weight and punch/slam. Dynamics are simply explosive. I was listening the other day to Tchaikovsky pieces on Decca and a couple times I was literally startled by the sudden macro dynamic shift in the music.
So, all the advantages I heard when listening at low levels is compounded when listening at more realistic levels...one would expect so but I have found that it is far from guaranteed. I haven't fired up my turntable in nearly 2 months! Before this I was listening to about 75% vinyl...at the moment zero. I will go back of course, my TT is crying out to be played and I frankly have much more music on vinyl that I still enjoy than cd. No, I do not have a music server...yet.
Even my vinyl rig doesn't have this grounded tonal density coupled to ultra high resolution. It does though have the dynamics and the ability to startle along with the ability to dig out the smallest bits of information...that along with a great tonal balance was what kept my analog rig comfortably ahead of all the digital I had heard...until now.
So, is it better than vinyl? All I can say at this point it is on par with vinyl but still somehow a bit different. It is the first time that I can say it is an equally valid reproduction even though they both do it slightly differently. If anything the digital is more solid, more palpable than the vinyl but the vinyl still has a smidgen more finesse and microdynamic flow. But maybe my memory is off...I will go back to analog and find out in the coming weeks.