Analog vs. digital

Highest resolving and natural systems I've heard were multiples of $100k, practically that much on vinyl setup alone. Those systems and my aural memory of them has long been the reference for my home systems. IME not extremely difficult to get pretty high levels of resolution, transparency from digital, the issue is attaining the same level of natural timbre, timing, spaciousness that I've heard with the very best vinyl. At the level of vinyl I'm speaking of you're getting every bit and more of the resolution and transparency of digital, but you also get a certain feeling of relaxing into the music along with the extreme resolution/transparency. While digital is closing rapidly on this front, I still think some work needs to be done.

Another issue with determining a general sense of digital's potential is how highly variable streaming setups can be.  Streaming noise floors and systematic induced jitter may hinder dac potentials. I fully expect with further innovations in streaming hardware and software, digital will continue to close the gap on the finest vinyl setups.

As for my own vinyl setup, I fullly expect I'll never reach the level of vinyl reproduction I'm talking about here, digital is the future for me.

melm,

That’s a very good question.

Although objectively the space around the instruments  is better and sharper with digital, I can’t say it sounds more real than records.  I get a fuller sound and more sense of involvement listening to records. And, paradoxically, a wider soundstage with records as well. 
‘So, it’s a tossup.

My preamp has the ability to run both a standard rectifier and full wave rectifier. I tried the standard one first then tried the full wave. I initially preferred the standard rectifier. It sounded more detailed/etched...cleaner? Actually sounded digital-like.

The full wave rectifier sounded smoother, softer and less etched and detailed. I put on a familiar track and note carefully listened to the sound and every bit of high detail was present in the full wave rectifier. It just had a level of density and smoothness that the standard rectifier didn't.

After some time, I realized the full wave rectifier was better for me.

For me, LPs are like this. In my system digital is quite good sounding and sometimes better sounding than my LP playback system. But overall, with digital, I'm never alarmed by the realism during certain musical moments. I only get those occasional surprising moments with LP... despite the many issues (noise, pops etc).

charles1dad,

I totally concur that CDs made from tapes of the’50’s and ‘60’s sound more natural than anything.  This is true in classical as well as Jazz. 
‘But the LP’s from that period actually (usually) sound better.

Depends on level of comparable components. If the level of analog tract of your system is relatively same level with components of digital tract, theoretically the analog will win cause signal path is shorter and less dependable on all bunch of decoding and filtering processes.