When is digital going to get the soul of music?

"Although digital may be more detailed, and even gives more detail than analog does(in a way), when will it convey the soul of music. This has escaped digital, as far as I can tell."

Have you tried any of the current DSD recordings?

my thoughts are that digital gets let down through the transfer stages of becoming a CD/SACD,etc.

It (digital) has probably a more accurate reproduction of a master tape than a vinyl master/pressing.

Why? As I record my LP's in a DSD format for convenience and availability, I find it hard to discern between the LP and the digital playback of it in DSD.(Korg DSD recorder). As I get into PCM, the quality starts to lessen and differentiations start appearing. Probably also less data space is required as we go down from DSD to 16/44.1. In easier terms I would say 45rpm presings better than 33rpm, etc.

So digital can convey the soul, but I feel during the transfer chain we are not getting the best out of it and it starts to loose out.

Hence we have all these formats such as High res downloads, SACD, Reel to Reel, XRCD,K2HD,etc.

Redbook certainly does not have enough space for the amount of music record companies want to put on it.

Record companies are also tactful for the fact that if they eventually do let out a quality so close to the master tape -then the game's over for them- as they will never be able to sell another version of a 're-mastered' 'higher ultimate quality' ,etc. again. After all how often have the Beatles, Sonny Rollins, Miles Davis, Rolling Stones have been re-released and we know we haven't seen the last of it or a special edition.

So my final view is that vinyl and digital both have different presentations and if you can get lost into either of them more easily, you will feel the soul. Easier on vinyl though.

Cheers,

Neville

Nevillekapadia - SACD is DSD

Thanks Kijanki.

You are right, DSD is the format used for making discs that we call SACD. A better format than PCM redbook playback.

I love vinyl even though I think the reason why it seems to sound better is a combination of fluff, overdrive, gain, distortion, imperfections, etc. Digital doesn't really have that... everything that distorts in digital is like nails scratching a chalkboard. However, when something analog distorts (I'm using the term loosely, not technically) it sounds a little fuzzy. More fuzz and you get warmer sounding perception. It's the same reason guitarists like me love tube amps.

I bet if people used tube amps for their hi fi systems, they'd get more warmth. Some do, but it's expensive!

In the guitar world, they're more affordable... usually just 2X as expensive as solid state. So a $200 ss amp will be about $400 if it's tube. There are more expensive ones that go for $1000, $2000, etc. Whereas in the audio world, the contrast in price in simply inaccessible... $20,000? Insanity! It is hard to find any tube guitar amp for more than $3000.