Worth pursuing analog sound from digital?

Oh yeah, totally possible. Theoretically. If you want to believe the hype. Plenty do. They will tell you the latest $20k digital dac or whatever has done it. Better, even. Whatever. This works on people with no memory, or ability to use the search bar. Because they have been promising this since "Perfect Sound Forever" way back in the 1980's. Yeah that long.

Funny thing, for all that time, anyone with $200 in his pocket could buy a turntable and actually have what the digital dudes keep promising. Actually have it. Plus another funny thing, if you did buy that $200 turntable back then it would be worth today.... $300, $600, who knows? They aren't paying that for some collectible to sit in a display. They're paying that to actually listen to music. Because that is what analog just naturally does, play music. Which is why my Technics SL-1700 is worth today a couple times what I paid for it back in 1976.

Which is also why I have only had 3 turntables in my whole life. The most recent one happily spinning records for 20 years now. Meanwhile I have completely lost track of how many CD players I have gone through. Each one better than the last. Not a one of them even as good as my first Technics turntable.

But the one I have now I will have forever. Not because its that good. Because I will never buy another one. Took me a very long time to learn, but I did eventually learn: no, digital is NOT worth pursuing.

Pursuing analog is perfectly ok. I have good examples of both digital and analog. BUT, as I have said in the past if you purchase a $300 turntable, $80 cartridge, and $120 phono stage, you are going to be sorely disappointed with analog. And I don't give a damn how well you set this combination up, it ain't gonna deliver.

@millercarbon,

No need to get angry here.  I think I have achieved parity with a modestly priced, and virtually unknown--hence no hype, very slightly modified Chinese DAC.  I love my analog gear: old and highly modified VPI TNT with a three stage all tube phono preamp.

Multi-bit or R2R or ladder dacs (all the same type, different names for it) are the way to go, when trying to achieve that analog sound from digital.

There are some from the far east that come in at about the $2k mark, even as low as $1k used (but they disappear fast).

@jaferd,

Harshness can be due to equipment being new or from digital cable linking to your DAC. Did you buy PS Audio new or used? Just like your analog gear, digital gear will also require bit of tweaking and patience.

What are you using as a source with the DAC? If you can list your system, it will be easy for members to make ‘solid’ recommendations.

You could look into Denafrips Ares II DAC that will get you very close to the analog sound.