CDs Vs LPs

@dynaquest4 and @cleeds you are glossing over the fundamental issue with going digital: it does not capture the infinite range of undulations. Rather, the process quantizes the input program material at the sampling frequency, and then stores it as a sequence of discrete samples.

What you are mistakenly thinking of, is the reverse process, taking that stored sequence of samples and generating a facsimile of the original analog program material, doing bit-sum averaging to compensate for dropouts. 

Perhaps this is the missing information you needed to see why digital is inherently flawed. 

sleepwalker: Assuming your post is scientifically accurate, I'd opine that you are addressing facets of the recording process that are well beyond the ability of the human ear to detect.  Therefore, to me, irrelevant. 

The video that @cleeds referred to is heavily slanted toward trusting that the conversion back to analog fills in the missing pieces with a perfectly synthesized replacement. The human ear is not capable of discretely differentiating the bonafide program material from artificial. Put another way, not capable of seeing the forrest for the trees.

As as a person who can’t put on the blinders and “un-see” what I know, I cannot accept that 16 bit depth with 44kHz sampling even approaches the principle of high fidelity sound reproduction (ie: don’t alter the program material).

That is not to say that there isn’t a purpose for CD in my life. It’s just a distant third choice, because of the nature of what it is, to vinyl and analog tape done properly. Sadly, after you learn that there is no Santa Claus, the ritual of gifting becomes as hollow as the sound of 16/44 digital.

sleepwalker65

The video that @cleeds referred to is heavily slanted toward trusting that the conversion back to analog fills in the missing pieces with a perfectly synthesized replacement.

Actually, the video is not slanted at all. It scientifically and visually demonstrates that your claim of the CD’s "fundamentally flawed ... staircase effect and artifacts" is mistaken, no matter how intuitively reasonable your claim might appear to be.

As as a person who can’t put on the blinders and “un-see” what I know ...

What you think you "know" is mistaken. Don’t get me wrong - I have my issues with the compact disc. But claims of the "staircase effect" have been shown to be false. The reason this is important is that if you seek to get the most from CD - and many of us do - it’s important to know what it gets right, and what it gets wrong. And claims of the "staircase effect" are just nonsense, as shown in the video.