2. tech-talk
  3. 157932-137904

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
mikelavigne
2,199 posts
 
Somewhere out there Mike, there is a guy called George who would say your amplifiers are crap because they don’t double in power output when you 1/2 the speaker impedance :-) ... and no I am not the one saying that and I don’t agree with him.

everyone has a right to their own opinion, even george. if i listened to measurements, then he might have a point, but i use my amplifiers for music reproduction.

Fremer and i will muddle through with our flawed amplifiers. we both could choose to own any amplifier out there, and we both have the ones we prefer.

here is a link to a post that George might like (or not like);

https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/dartzeel-nhb-468-mono-blocks-in-my-system.29522/page-3#post-648874
gpgr4blu
1,086 posts
 
+1 Mike Lavigne
In short--vinyl sounds more natural. Digital sounds truncated. 
But it sure is convenient and I listen to digital more than vinyl.

My system has 2 cd players including a Spectral SDR 4000SV and two universal players. On the vinyl side, I have a VPI  HRX rim drive with 3d arm and numerous cartridges (I mainly use Lyra Atlas ).
Although I do not have Mike's raw materials, I can tell the difference between vinyl and digital on my system a vast majority of the time. That being said--the Spectral is a remarkable cd player.
djones51
4,947 posts
 
Music reproduction is science and objectively verifiable, music is art a question of individual tastes. I think some get the two confused. 
mahgister's avatar
mahgister
13,043 posts
 
You are right....

But a system can or cannot separate vinyl and digital in 2 clearly separate category.... Most system cannot, mine cannot, mikelavigne system can it seems.... When we look at it we can and may trust him for the audible difference....I trust him....I dont think a deaf man will ever invest so much money in music reproduction....
tomic601's avatar
tomic601
12,911 posts
 
I chased my tail the same way
but I got it wrong
listening to somebody else origin event
comparing masters of different formats where you were not there yields personal flavor selection not an accurate capture let alone recreation of the event...
it all starts w microphone selection.... now where did I put that ultra FAT  ribbon ???
More to discover