Vinyl / High qual analog tape / High-res digital -- One of these is not like the other


One common theme I read on forums here and elsewhere is the view by many that there is a pecking order in quality:

Top - High Quality Analog TapeNext - VinylBottom - Digital

I will go out on a limb and say that most, probably approaching almost all those making the claim have never heard a really good analog tape machine and high resolution digital side by side, and have certainly never heard what comes out the other end when it goes to vinyl, i.e. heard the tape/file that went to the cutter, then compared that to the resultant record?

High quality analog tape and high quality digital sound very similar. Add a bit of hiss (noise) to digital, and it would be very difficult to tell which is which. It is not digital, especially high resolution digital that is the outlier, it is vinyl. It is different from the other two.  Perhaps if more people actually experienced this, they would have a different approach to analog/vinyl?

This post has nothing to do with personal taste. If you prefer vinyl, then stick with it and enjoy it. There are reasons why the analog processing that occurs in the vinyl "process" can result in a sound that pleases someone. However, knowledge is good, and if you are set in your ways, you may be preventing the next leap.
roberttdid
Thanks, OP. That’s the plan regardless. Today I have Teac NT-505 but I plan to eventually move up to hopefully dCS Bartok for streaming. If an SACD player could provide even better quality playing SACDs than the Bartok can for streaming, then I’d consider getting an SACD player as well, but regardless streaming will be bulk of listening. Thanks again to all who responded.
@glup the amps are Vandersteen M7 HPA, mini Vader, you can see them with the hood off in my system pics ( poverty bay )

@mikelavigne nice contribution here, thanks again your even handed tone and congrats on retirement, I can highly recommend it as a stress reducer




@krenn the Bartok is a formidable and well supported bit of gear w a long remaining upgrade life cycle :-) 
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Not everyone who has heard Mike’s system loves it: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/a-visit-to-mike-lavignes-home-and-sound-g...

to be fair.....over the years, there have been plenty of well-intentioned criticisms of my room and system, which i’ve appreciated and has helped me to overcome my own ignorance and move forward. i’ve written often about this issue.

i will leave it up to the readers to determine whether Amir’s comments fall into that category.