Has anyone been able to define well or measure differences between vinyl and digital?

@mahler123

With all this esoterica being discussed, how does one account for the phenomena of the fact that most lps these days use digital files, and vinylista think they sound great, as long as they don’t know the truth?

Thinking in terms of LP vs Digital dichotomy doesn't explain it. More nuance is needed. At the very least, the Digital formats needs to be split onto Below The Transparency Threshold and Over the Transparency Threshold.

The Transparency Threshold depends on nature of music and hearing abilities of listener. It is different between typical pop music and untrained listeners vs classical symphonies and professional musicians or sound engineers.

Since this is an audiophile forum, I prefer to talk about the High Transparency Threshold. Here I deliberately use terminology different from official, e.g. High Definition Audio, to keep it free from marketing attachments.

In my previous posts, I gave hints as to why I believe CD format is significantly below the High Transparency Threshold, whereas 192/24 PCM and DSD128 are slightly above it. Going into even more detailed technical discussions here does not appear fruitful.

So, as I understand it, if an LP is pressed from a digital format that is over the High Transparency Threshold, it ought to sound no different compared to one pressed from an analog studio master of the same recording.

Finally, after all this science, we get to enjoy the music. Imagine that. 

Fascinating discussion. I've not read every reply thoroughly, but I want to add a thought. I have made digital recordings of the best vinyl records I own. Playback of these recordings is indistinguishable from live vinyl playback (blind-tested).

The reverse is not true. I don't have an easy way to know if a particular vinyl pressing of an album was cut the same master as the CD release. However, I am confident that most listeners could easily distinguish between the two during playback.

As a practical matter, recording and mastering quality for a given album trump delivery format. If the best-preserved recording of a performance exists only on vinyl (e.g., tapes are degraded or lost), then vinyl will be the best format for that album. The same applies if all digital masters suffer from dynamic range compression because the mastering intent was earbuds listeners.

Another practical point: I have listened to a few systems that were highly optimized for vinyl playback. Every component in the analog playback chain was selected for maximum synergy to deliver an even, engaging response. For example, if the speakers were overly forward, a phono cartridge was chosen with a more relaxed presentation. The owners usually did not apply the same care when they added digital playback capability to these systems. As a result, vinyl playback genuinely sounded better, but that need not have been the case.

Ultimately, it does not matter which format is objectively superior. Vinyl will generally sound better on a system that is turned better for vinyl playback. The best available master for a particular album will generally sound best, regardless of delivery format (ignoring flawed pressings, damaged media, and low-bit-rate MP3 :-).

@mahler123 

even if the source was digitized, the vinyl will be analog. It will be different but still analog. 

Analog is not always or sometimes better. It's always different. I have 2 or 3 copies of my favorite LPs and CDs, Each LP sounds very different. CDs not so much. Vinyl to me is the shortest distance between the source and the speaker - processing-wise

Vinyl to me is the shortest distance between the source and the speaker - processing-wise

Perhaps, but consider the processing involved to go from the artist-approved 2-track studio master to RIAA pre-equalization, cutting the lacquer, electroplating, creating the father and mother, and creating stampers to pressing a record. More processing is involved in playing the record back, including a stylus tracking the grove, the cantilever driving a generator, RIAA EQ, and adding between 40 and 70 dB of gain to bring levels up to what an amplifier requires to drive speakers.

Honestly, it's astonishing to me that such processing (call it the vinyl production and playback transfer function) can produce sound that even remotely matches the source. :-)