Analog vs. digital

“Why in High End audio do differences of preference and taste have to result in potential conflict? …..Analogue for you, digital for me. Both are splendid options.”
@charles1dad

Well said, my sentiments exactly!

@sns Done with the discussion of measurements vs sensory perception.

Agreed!
This poor dead horse has been beaten countless times. Dismissing what you hear with an audio component is akin to buying video products and paying no heed to what you see on the screen. Irrational behavior.

Charles

@ghdprentice , Come on! You know that was staged:-)

It is an odd set of circumstances. For an absolute fact, digital reproduction has a much better signal to noise level and distortion that is at least an order of magnitude if not two less than analog. I have at least 100 albums in both analog and digital form and I would say that it is an even split as to which I prefer. However I can tell instantly which program source I am listening to. As a generalization what I have noticed is that analog sources have a heightened ambience in relation to digital which makes the soundstage seem deeper as if more echo was added to the master. I can hear why people like this even though it is artificial. 

When asked I will tell people who have not started an LP collection not to bother with analog. It is expensive and a PITA. They are better off putting their money into digital equipment and music. Those of us with large collections have to make the most of it and SOTA analog reproduction is very seductive. In my system that  amounts to $35,000 in analog equipment alone! 

Digital is sooo superior!

Analog just sounds better.

@mijostyn ,

I can only assume that people reject the factual reality because they do not understand in enough detail the measured values and what they mean, coupled with auditory perceptions that reinforce to them what they already believe.The inability, in this case, to do rapid side by side comparisons continues the belief.

People often reject scientific facts due to their inability to fully understand the information available to them. Our recent "world problem" illustrated that, but many other examples abound that result in incorrect fringe views. My ears, my eyes, my interpretation of data. I regularly get told "how batteries work" by laypeople. I design them for a living. I just shake my head. That didn't happen so much in semiconductors in general because most people have so little experience that even offering an opinion is not possible.