Ben---I agree but that's really not what I'm talking about here. For "Exotic Dances" it was recorded BOTH ways---100% analog all the way through for the TP release and 100% digital all the way through for the HRx release. No conversion happened anywhere from analog to digital or vice versa. So "Exotic" marks a great oportunity to hear the digital and analog masters and compare them.
Dolph--thanks for the informative post!! I think you hit the nail on the head when you speak about the better microdynamics in analog. Basically, the acoustical space, air around instruments and depth of the music seems to get "lopped off" in digital. You lose "presence". Much of that, as you rightly point out is because of the higher noise floor---all the micro and macro dynamics are preserved and not "cut out" like digital often does.
The HRx release I heard was probably the FIRST digital recording I've heard (and I was a BIG SACD/DVD-A fan) that didn't seem to have this issue. So, that's why maybe "for the few" like you and I this will be VERY interesting to compare the HRx and TP release of Exotic Dances---to see if the differences you speak of hold up. I think they will, but I'm curious to confirm it.