How much do you need to spend to get digital to rival analog?

No offense mikelavigne,

But that article and then things claimed in it at times sounds like the technically questionable, at times arguably wrong, and certainly not universally proven or accepted claims made about MQA. Actually it gave me a total MQA deja-vu, and let’s be honest, there is certainly no agreement, between audiophiles whether MQA is better than simple 24/96 or 24/192, but based on the claims, it should be.


There is one example they use that gave me pause. They claim to hear 15-20db into the noise floor of an analog tape. Then they "pishaw" dithering claiming it is just averaging. If it averaging in the same sense as being able to hear 15-20db into the noise floor is averaging.  (some of the claims they made w.r.t. sound localization w.r.t. waveform distortion are not accurate and supported by current research)


But that was 1995, and much of the problems they identified were from 1986 when they started, and that was really the infancy of digital recording.



Serious question for everyone. How do you reconcile claiming that vinyl is technically better ... not euphonically better, but technically better, when the vast majority of recordings made in the last 2 decades have been recorded on digital? Even where the original is analog, many remasters have been remastered via digitization? At some level, Vinyl is just another "DAC" for many records.

Dear itsjustme, As regards the subject at hand, I like what Raul and Mike Lavigne and a few others have said; it depends.  But if "90%" of your LPs really do "sound like crap", you've got a problem that could be due to (1) buying used LPs that have been badly abused a priori, or (2) your equipment, which might include anything in the chain from the cartridge and its alignment forwards to your speakers and your listening biases.  For example, if you obsess over surface noise, ticks, and pops, and the like, I could imagine that you might object to LPs per se.  But most of us don't have excessive surface noise and rarely experience "ticks and pops", the favorite complaint of digiphiles.  So, I'd say, for me, maybe 5% of my LPs sound bad, in which case, out they go.

IMO, you need to spend 2-3x more on analog to get better sound than good digital. It will take more than $3000 to get a really good dac just like it will take much more than $10k to get good analog. Sure, you can get a $1k rega or music hall, and you get $1k worth of sound. I had $15k as my analog setup which I sold because I like my digital MQA/DSD/hires setup much better. What does a decent cartridge cost? $1k? $3k?
How about the tonearm cost: $1k? $5k? How about the turntable itself. Then you have the phono preamp. For a decent system, $10k or more isn’t out of the question. For digital, you don’t need a special server and you don’t really want 1 in your audio room.
Besides the cost, analog is much more limited in source material. Most of my new music in jazz, blues, or rock, doesn’t come on vinyl and more and more are using hires and/or MQA. 

I am going to throw out the proverbial Molotov cocktail in regards to actual frequency response in comparing digital to vinyl. It is never even mentioned in these threads. 

LPs...gasp! Are typically in the 20 Hz- 20Hz range and to expand that range it comes down to the cartridge but how many new LPs contain frequencies up to 50 Hz? I have a feeling only the most expensive pressing do.

Those stats are never listed on Music Direct's site but if you buy an SACD or High Res recording you get those stats....as we expect to know what they are as that is the basis for our motivation to get the best sound quality possible.

I currently do not spin vinyl but are heading back soon, maybe within a year as I want to upgrade my integrated amp first,  to take the plunge. I am going to NY Audio show on Friday and I look forward to hearing the difference and hopefully being blown away. I will bring a couple SACDs too.

I am a big advocate for  SACDs and if you have a good to great rig you should be impressed by their audio reproduction...even in high res stereo.

I have been very please with High Res digital as well. I purchased the  Yes Steve Wilson remixes and completely love them. I have the DVDA of Fragile and I listen to this newer release exclusively now. The details, bass reaponse, and nuances of these sophisticated recordings completely shine through.

In regards to SACD. The reissues of Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here is stunning! I listen to the multi-track on my HT rig and it has renewed my love for this record big time. Shine on You Crazy Diamond (Parts 6-9)will rock you house.

Gilmore just  completely unleashes.

 I can't wait until they do Animals.

That all being said I would love to see this discussion steered toward the possible greater technical aspects of LPs...I mean vinyl over SACDs and 96/24 high Rez.

Less hyperbole and more meat.

Merci