improving digital amp sound


Although I find that digital amps have many advantages, I have also found that the sound is somewhat lean and clinical. Has anyone found that matching a digital amp with a tubed preamp restores some musicality to the sound, or is it just a mask?

Thanks,

Rich
carinaram
I tried a Red Wine Audio Sig 30, it's based on the Tripath chip, last summer. I find it anything but lean and clinical. It's a keeper and I have 5 SET amps. It has a Dact attenuator so you can run a source straight into it or use it as a gain control and put a pre in front of it. I think digital amps have come a long way already. The RWA is battery powered and the thing that really gets me is how quiet the speakers are.
I thank Guido for his characterization of my system. I should add that in the case of the Evo 2, using a pair in mono is a very different experience from using a single one in stereo mode. The dynamics and air open up quite a bit when used as a fully balanced mono pair. As with most other components, system synergy is important. The VTL works out nicely with the Bel Cantos, but I also did some tweaking along the lines of power cords and interconnects. For example, using Cardas Golden Reference as the power cord significantly improves the musicality of the amps over the stock cord.
Doesn't the EVO2 use a switching-mode power supply? IME power supply is even more critical for switching-type amps than conventional A/AB/B amps. That's why the Rowland 3.. series amp is much more expensive than the other ones.
I myself am using a pair of hypex amp modules (www.hypex.nl) with oversized toroid transformer, they sound wonderful, not as warm as the PassLabs X250.5 which I used to own, but the presence and the detail are more with the hypex module amps.
I have to say that I am using my digital amp with French speakers. French speakers tend to be fast, but a little lean, and a little bright on top, so maybe not the best synergy. I have been auditioning Sonus Faber Cremonas and Dali 800's as possible replacement. I was going to pair them with new Bel Canto monoblocks. I also own a Mccormack amp, and I have to say it is a very warm and pleasant sounding amp.
Ps. The new series of Bel Canto amps do use a switching power supply. The older generations used a traditional toroidal power supply.