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
Robberrttddidd, you are a bean brain. No hard feelings, though. You don’t need to pose for the camera. 🏋🏻‍♂️ We see through you like you were made of glass. 
"We see through you like you were made of glass."
Are you saying he is fragile but sharp?
"where digital is better, is in the way it works for my life. it fits."
All the theory aside, this is the point in 2020.

mahgister also makes a good point. If you elevate your system to mikelavigne's level (pricewise and, hard to not believe, qualitywise), the view may be different.

Regardless of which format you seem to prefer, if you did not compare it, you would be fine.
geoffkait,

"The lithium appears to be working. Bland but not too crazy."
What are you having for dinner? Toyota Prius?