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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
wsrrsw's avatar
wsrrsw
1,021 posts
 
A far more civil discussion than most. It can happen. 
I’d be curious to know the age and sex of most posters. I suspect most here are males over fifty or sixty. I’m over sixty. 
As you might have guessed: I‘d bet the hearing of many here is limited. (my dog whistle app tells me my high end hearing is going)

Does hearing, gear, the source or does the room matter? Yes. It’s all interconnected and those who proffer to enjoy the music may be the most sage. Good for those of you that can hear and chase the nuance. Great fun!

Is my room and gear like mikelavigne’s ( love your set up and I’m scheming on something similar that won’t get me divorced so in other words forgetaboutit) or millercarbon‘s, er no.

Do I love music and listen many hours a day. Y E S. Do I read, listen and tweak. Yes. Do discussions like this inspire. Yes? Do I have a soft spot for the likes of “ that casette guy” (pocket protector too?) geoffkait? Sure! 


djones51
4,947 posts
 
Rough and Rowdy ways is on Quboz. 
kren0006
1,859 posts
 
under 50 by a ways but wish it was more, haha.....sigh
mikelavigne
2,199 posts
 
As an aside, I think you were quite brave on taking that controlled cable (or was it messing with your mind?) challenge. Especially with the results posted online.

brave.....or stupid and naive. that was 13 years ago.....but Amir drug it up to get under my skin. i’ve made myself vulnerable to ner’do-wells that way.

when you have a 20 year posting history using your real name, being open about the highs and lows of your experiences, with 25,000 posts over 5 forums, there are going to be stumbles. no one held a gun to my head and made me hit send on any of those posts. i asked for it.

what did you learn from those moments?
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
glupson
"The sound of a very good well-tuned system can be expected to change week to week and day to day and hour to hour sometimes for any number of reasons."
Michael Green has entered the building.

‘Fraid not globular, son of glub, MG and I are polar opposites on most things. Yes, I know what you’re thinking: what about this? What about that? Endless drivel. 5400 and counting of drivel. No offense.
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