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An interesting Digital vs. Analog experience

On Friday I visited my local hi fi store where Garth Leer of Musical Surroundings was showing off the new Clear Audio Master Innovation turntable and Jim White of Aesthetix was on hand with a lot of his gear. The speakers were Focal Stella with dual JL Audio Gothom subs. Obviously, the point of the event was the turntable, but I'll have to admit that when the music was temporarily switched from the turntable to a labtop both my friend and I thought the digital sounded better.

I've heard A/B comparisons in the store before using identical recordings and in that case preferred the vinyl, but this time with the recordings being different I would have left with a very different impression.

I mentioned it to Jim White (I didn't discuss it with Garth Leer since because I didn't want to rain on his parade) and his comment was that the system was tailored for analog so I'd probably really enjoy a system that was intended for digital. I think the computer was using an Aesthetix CD player for the DAC.

It was the first time in a long time that I was blown away with the sound of a system in that room, it made my system sound very humble (as it is in comparison) in a way that I had not heard before. It was the first time that I've heard Aesthetix amplification making the Focal Utopia's shine.

I guess what I'm saying is that both vinyl and digital can be amazing, but the difference in convienience is astounding.

I could see myself owning a pair of Stella speakers, but I don't think I have enough organs to sell to pay the bill. I doubt my wife would be willing to chip in...
mceljo
levy03
442 posts
 
i don't belong to the "analog is best" camp. have listened to numerous digital systems that rival or beat the best analog gear i've heard. no biggy as i'm sure there are analog systems out there that rival or beat some great digital set-ups i've heard.

kinda like trying to debate why someone prefers fish over chicken or visa versa. there is nothing to debate so just enjoy your meal(and whatever else you like).
ptmconsulting
1,000 posts
 
I think at the same price point digital wins. There has been so much trickle down into lower priced units that even cheap digital sounds good these days. For convenience digital is also a no brainer.

However, there is a fast approching point of low return with digital. With analogue you have the potential to exceed digital, but at a higher cost. And also with analogue it seems that the more you go up the chain the better it gets. There almost doesn't seem to be a point price wise where there isn't an incremental improvement (IMO).
phaelon
1,052 posts
 
"And also with analogue it seems that the more you go up the chain the better it gets. There almost doesn't seem to be a point price wise where there isn't an incremental improvement”

Analog playback involves electromechanical machinery, the quality of which, relies heavily on very precise parts tolerances. As long as a part milled to .001 spec sounds better than .01 and .0001 sounds better than .001, it will always be possible to improve an analog playback system just by spending more on precision parts and fitting, IMO.
charles1dad's avatar
charles1dad
10,250 posts
 
Levy03,
Good analogy, but as onemug pointed out you first have to reach a certain level of security with yourself as well as your system. Some never get there unfortunately.
tomcy6's avatar
tomcy6
2,599 posts
 
I think that digital, including cd, is just beginning to acheive its potential. I think that we will continue to hear significant improvements in digital sound for some time to come.
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