Reconciling analog and digital playback

I would recommend that you replace the Sony completely, afterall digital technology has moved quite a bit since it was launched. Its like using Pentium II now.

Try out a universal player like the Denon A11/A5900. You won't be disappointed. As to whether it will get you any nearer to analog, I suppose only with good sources - SACD/DVDA or good PCM recordings, will the gap narrow. But if your analog playback is top notch, digital is a pale comparison.

Is it really accurate that digital processing technology is evoloving (depreciating) quickly? The economics of technology don't seem to support this.

Unlike computer hardware which benefits from Moore's Law, and can therefore process more software at a given price point due to falling prices of memory and processor power, DACs are still processing the same 44.1 kHz software that is over 20 years old (not talking about high-res formats like SACD and DVD-A). DACs are not challenged with processing bigger programs at faster speeds that need more computer memory. Aside from upsampling, are there really improvements in D/A algorithms or other techniques that benefit from Moore's Law economics?

If this is true, good DAC design should remain competitive over time. Aren't the "best" DACs (Meitner, DCS, Weiss, etc) still competitive years after release? What technology is evoloving so quickly in D/A conversion?

I really think it has moved. While it is true of most high end redbook playback systems that these are still competitive - I still like my CEC TL2/Meridien 566DAC(20 bit balanced DACs) for redbook, a newer and cheaper Universal Player like the Denon A11/5900 offers considerably more features and similar performance(on redbook) to the CEC/Meridien combo while costing a fraction of it when new.

Even if you take the DCS combos(1st gen), those need to be upgraded to the latest spec or they are obsolete.

The Sony DVP9000 was their flagship model in 2000, now its not even listed in the catalog. Its does not have :
a) upsampling
b) HDCD/DVDA playback
c) progessive scan
and the SACD chipset comes from their first gen versions which take the DSD signal and down converts it to PCM bef the DAC gets it. I don't know if you notice this, but Sony digital machines have a certain signature sound, which as you correctly put it is "so lacking in soul, emotion and body compared to analog".

"Consensus is the last thing I expected to encounter in this forum, but the verdict seems to be that the gap between analog and digital is fundamental and part of our landscape."

That's because their goal--if any--hasn't been making their analog and digital rigs sound as close to each other as possible. In my system the goal has been to close the gap by working to improve on each format's weaknesses and not having my analog rig sounding 'analog'. I use a KAB modded Technics SL-1200MKII & Modwright modded Parasound CDB-2000 belt drive transport. The DAC & phonostage are by the same designers, thus having very similar sonic signatures.

Although I have way more LPs than CDs, I can honestly say that I immensely enjoy my digital setup and it has no glare, fatigue, edge nor any attribute characteristic of 'digital' sound.

It can be done...

***

I own the bidat. It is phenomenal. Unfortunately, hard to find. It will blow away any other dac, because of the unique adaptive algorithms it uses that keep frequency & time purity. Through my 45 SETs and to my home built speakers, it is bliss. If you can find a bidat, BUY it.
I really don't miss analog at all.
-abajaj11