Has digital come close to or beat up analog yet ?

I agree with all the above posters. I own the Meitner DCC2/CDSD, and have heard the Reimyo, Accustic Arts, and Zanden rigs, and IMO the best of digital today offers the same level (but VERY diferent presentation) of performance that the best analog does. Analog still does some things that digital doesn't and probably never will do, but I can say the same for digital vs. analog. For me, it comes down to what type of presentation you prefer--just as is the case with solid state vs. tubes. The diehards will continue to spew their rhetoric one way or the other, but for me, at the uppermost level, you can't lose either way.

As I stated above, I think digital has evolved to a point where it's largely a matter of DIFFERENCES between the two formats. Sure, analog does some things better than digital, but digital also does some things better than analog. The best of the two formats are overall pretty equal in my book. In my time as an audiophile, I've either owned or heard the best turntables and digital playback devices out there, and I don't agree that, with a good LP, analog "walks away" from digital. A well recorded CD played back on a quality digital rig can compete with equivalent analog any day of the week. It's mostly a matter of what type of sonic presentation you value. I own an EMM Labs setup now, and I could've easily bought a SOTA turntable, but I didn't feel that the difference in presentation I'd get was worth the hassle. The EMM does everything (and more) that I need it to. Just my opinion.