The character of analog and digital
Having just obtained some high quality analogue components, I want make some comments on the character of both analog and digital.
First of all it’s very difficult to speak of analog in general. Records vary widely (indeed wildly) in sonic character and quality. Digital recordings are much more uniform. When you play a digital file you more or less know what your getting. Of course some sound better than others, but there is a consistency of character. With records, it’s the Wild West. Variation in SQ and character are rampant.
Therefore it becomes very difficult to make generalizations on which categorically sounds better.
To wit - grabbed a legitimate CD of Aqualung last week, and it is painful to listen to. Compared to the worn out vinyl I have from about 1971, the comparison is interesting. Ian Anderson provides a short discussion, and his voice is just perfect. So, this is not a fault of the hardware or the software, but that of the dolts who are pushing the buttons. |
@millercarbon I looked at your system. We’re talking serious level analog source. And that was compared to a CD played on the modified OPPO DVD player? Or was there another digital source that’s a bit closer to the level of your analog that you used for the comparison? Just curious. As to the character of analog and digital, in my system it’s mostly about different sound between the analog and streaming that I enjoy, although I do have few MoFi and Analog Productions albums that I prefer to streaming but those are exceptions. The two types of media have their pros and cons that have been discussed and described at length on these forums. |
@heretobuy -- Over the years I've had more stick shift cars than automatics. Right now I enjoy the hell out of my six speed manual Mazda Miata. It has the best gearbox I've ever had. Better than the ones in any of my BMWs. Certainly better than the manual trannies in my Mercedes Benzes or the Brit cars I've driven. Or the manual tranny Peugeot I rented in France. I gotta say, though, that it's still a dead heat for me between analog and digital. The game is over for me. They both win, |
Oppo long gone. The digital was modern high end and brought by a guy certain it would put my vinyl to shame. Instead it was his wife that released a sigh of unexpected pleasure practically the instant the stylus touched down. The two reactions I would pay money to have recorded, that one and the other guys wife who when her husband wasn’t looking whispered to me, "I could listen to this all night!" In a tone of amazement, because her audiophile husband having only CD she never even imagined music on a high end system could sound like, you know, music. |
@millercarbon +1 Happy to see you back. I have missed your input. |
