How much do you need to spend to get digital to rival analog?

If I were you I’d dig the Nakamichi out of the closet and find out what you’ve been missing. Tape is a natural medium. It breathes. 

Dear @tzh21y @zalive : """ I have never heard drums, cymbals and overall air sound right on any digital system................................
........as it sounds in say an orchestra hall. """

of course not, you can’t hear it that way not only in digital but in LP neither:

first because you can’t have the live music exprerience in true/real way in any room/home system and second ( between other reasons. ) becdause in a Hall your seat position maybe it’s at 20+ meters from the instrument source where the recording microphones pick-up the same information " seated " at near field: 1m-3m.

Now if you listen cymbals or drums seated at nearfield position and at real SPL those cymbals/drums will crush severely your whole body not only your ears and you can’t stay listened in that stage for more than 5 minutes, maybe less time before you will deaf for the years to come.

Microphones can support SPLs in excess of 130+dbs continuously.

Our ears follow a " protocol ":

https://www.soundonsound.com/sound-advice/how-ear-works#top

and all those is only through our ears but we have to remember that we listen through the whole human been body: hair, skin nervous ends, muscle, bones and the like. Body has a lot of resources to listen almost anything. So, both of you as amghister too needs to live the live nearfield experiences with real MUSIC at real SPLs.

Btw, @geoffkait :: """ Tape is a natural medium. It breathes. """

natural medium?, maybe only for you. Breathes? certainly digital shares that characteristics in excess.

So what’s your point down there?, as a fact I don’t care about your answer but I can tell you that casettes is not the issue in this thread. Btw, I still own the Nakamichi 700ZXL:

https://audio-database.com/NAKAMICHI/player/700zx-e.html

beautiful and great vintage machine.

Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.

of course not, you can’t hear it that way not only in digital but in LP neither:

first because you can’t have the live music exprerience in true/real way in any room/home system and second ( between other reasons. ) becdause in a Hall your seat position maybe it’s at 20+ meters from the instrument source where the recording microphones pick-up the same information " seated " at near field: 1m-3m.

It's all correct what you say, but differences between live sound and production/mastering plus reproduction applies to all the frequency range. Yet many report it's least credible in a HF range. Obviously it's not all related to mikeing and production, there are specific additional problems related to production and reproduction of a HF range.

Zalive, if you do not like the symbals on digital recordings just focus on the bass.

It's really complex, as reproduction is (the way I see/picture it) a multiplication of influences. What's unrealistic with the cymbals or other sounds located mainly in a HF range is a result of not only digital but as well the amplification. Shushurin said a long time ago that the main problem of dominantly used amplification topologies is a total distortion which rises with the frequency, so biggest issues with distortion is expected in a HF range. Bingo, that's where digital has its worst moments too. When distortion and distortion multiplies at some point it easily gets too much and psyhcoacoustics will react: HF becomes more pronounced and easily falls out of balance.

Why I'm saying this: if room acoustics (which is another issue) and amplification quality allows it, system is pretty tolerant to bit of misbehaving on the digital side as there's a headroom of quality reproduction after it and sound is easily full with nice timbre and definition accross the spectrum. So even if cymbals are not perfect it's not a big deal and it's easy to 'forget' it. However if issues multiply too much, you must do some heavy mental self-programming to forget all and enjoy :D and it's not what hi-fi should be about.

Many went to analog rigs I think as they didn't succeed in setting up a nice digital based sound. And it's not impossible to set up a really nice digital front-end system with rich, full and gentle sound. It requires care with the rest of the system, it requires quality amplification, paying attention to details and...if anyhow possible, a solid nice room acoustics (setting up speakers the correct way means 'earth and sky' difference). Because IMO it's the room acoustics which can bring too much focus on a 'digital sound', and make it more relevant than in some other circumstances. 

In the end it's really easy to forget the fidelity imperfection as long as you are able to get the tonal balance completely right. 

I have been at this for over 40 years and owned a Audiostore 
digital has come a long way , the recording has a lot to do with any 
playback , but apples to apples first using Vacuum tubes in digital is a big plus ,on a quality machine tubes distort with even harmonicsare more forgiving natural sounding to the ear ,that being said the Best Buy for the money and is excellent is the new 
Lampizator Amber 3 dac for under $3k none better ,                 enjoy the music.com gave it 5 stars across the board for music quality, instrumental is the cable .i have tried Every brand out there under $1500. Final touch audio Callisto is by far the best in bringing realism to the party. I sold my $6k PS audio dac for the Lampizator , I also bought the $500 Triode Digital power cord it made a very nice improvement all critical components ,and 
synergistic research New Orange fuse. They offer a money back 
trial on Everything including the dac .