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

Dear @mikelavigne  : ""  and musical connection.. """

obviously ( and not from your last post because I followed yourn posts on the digital vs analog experiences from many years . ) you have a real musical connection with digital, for me it's imposible not to have it even with humble digital hardware.

My listening time goes more to LP than digital and this is more by something that could be a rutinary attitude that other thing because I enjoy a lot digital too.
ASs a fact digital ( in some ways. ) help me to fine tunning my room/system and still does and as better performs my digital experiences as better performs too my analog listenin sessions.

R.

@atdavid

You only answered a very small portion of the question I asked and effectively ignored the most significant part of it.

No offense mikelavigne...

Vs.

Serious question for everyone.

Blame yourself or bug @mikelavigne if your question wasn’t answered.

As well, are you implying it would be impossible to build an analog limiter that soft-clips like magnetic tape and put that in the circuit before the A/D? (not that that would have been needed in the last 20 ish years with 24 bit A/D with 20+ bits effective for studio equipment)

Analog consoles already soft clip. They won’t add the saturation of reel-to-reel. You are incorrect about the lack of need with 24 bit gear. There are many professional recording engineers that push the levels, and digitally clip the signal during recording. Even worshipped mastering engineer, Steve Hoffman, is guilty of digital clipping in his masters.

Anyone claiming that digital is worse than analog because of "real world dynamics" is misguided. These individuals likely enjoy the saturation of "tape" and the compression added, vs. the higher audible digital distortion from higher signal levels, during dynamic passages. With the right processing, that is no longer an issue with digital. The manufacturers just haven’t figured it out, no matter how much their gear costs ", and that is where we are now."

Anyone claiming that digital is worse than analog because of "real world dynamics" is misguided.

 
please cite examples so we can all listen and comment. or come over to my room, bring your files and dac, and we can both listen and see where it goes.

or is this just more theory?

^^^^^

Anyone claiming that digital is worse than analog because of "real world dynamics" is misguided. These individuals likely enjoy the saturation of "tape" and the compression added, vs. the higher audible digital distortion from higher signal levels, during dynamic passages. With the right processing, that is no longer an issue with digital. The manufacturers just haven’t figured it out, no matter how much their gear costs ", and that is where we are now."

I own 15 IPS tape from Ultra Analogue Recordings. I also own the CD and Digital File versions. I listened in my room with Roger Ginsley the Canadian rep for Studer and the engineer behind the recordings. The digital was  right there with the Tape. Done right Digital can do it. No they did not do vinyl so I can’t say.
Holly Cole music just as an example going by memory is the same way in my space. She is Spooky right there in the room

@tzh21y

zh21y
I am being totally serious here. Out of everyone in my audiophile circle, only 2 listen do serious critical listening to digital. I am thinking it would probably cost at least 30K. Thats a lot of scratch for digital.

All I will say.
Blessed is the audiophile that finds audio nirvana on a budget, and then just gets to enjoy music once and for all. The Gear itself is no longer the focus. I am speaking of the Music Lover...... not the Audiophile, Gear Collector and or Trophy Getter.

If it really is about the music......
The Music Lover hears beyond the engineering mistakes. Its about the music. The format does not matter anymore.

*************************************

I am in my 50’s now and have been at this audio hobby "consciously" as a known "hobby" since I was probably 10 and had my first part time job to earn coin. All remaining "old school" audiophiles in my circle, have been around the block a few times with Audiophilia. They all recognize at this point that Audio Nirvana is achieved not by throwing money at new gear but by fine tuning one’s own space and existing gear. Once one understands for each of their unique spaces, what causes things to sound the way they are...once this is understood.... no one I know is willing anymore, to drop big bucks on another piece of gear, just for the sake of changing things out. A change in direction - i.e. ESL versus Box Speakers is another matter.

I own 15 IPS tape from Ultra Analogue Recordings. I also own the CD and Digital File versions. I listened in my room with Roger Ginsley the Canadian rep for Studer and the engineer behind the recordings. The digital was right there with the Tape. Done right Digital can do it. No they did not do vinyl so I can’t say.

can you tell us which specific recording this is?