Is Digital actually better than Analog?

Raul;

congratulation on pleasing the frustrated crowd, your arguments and then attack are very amusing. A little contrived but none the less funny.

Your complete dismissal of digital isn't going to look to rational when this debate gets broken down. I think you slid past common sense there buddy.

Once again i'm not having a fight about analog and digital my fight is surround versus 2 channel. And you have no real experience with that Raul, so i don't know what you're so fired up about?

See if you read your post you have to assume that I'm somehow effected by your bluster and stuff, but your focus on digital versu analog really isn't my concern. My surround system is better than my LP playabck system, no contest. You could say that in your case its the opposite but you don't have a music surround system. So I'm afraid till you get one, you're going to have to take my word for it. Its very musical and live sounding.

From one true music lover to another

I am surprised by the vehemence of the arguments against surround sound. It is patently obvious that surround can create the ambient sound of a real venue better than two channel. Two channel can add cues using special techniques in the mix but it is just not as convincing as surround. If the majority of the sound is coming out of the left, right and center channels it will be close to stereo anyway. I think most audio engineers are more comfortable and still better at producing two channel stereo mixes.....but it is only a matter of time before they become as good at multi-channel as they are with stereo....and then multi-channel will begin to consistently surpass stereo for music, IMHO.

If surround was not more convincing than stereo, then big movie theatres would never have adopted these expensive systems...

Guido notes:

In some sense, the most musically satisfying reproduction system is hyperrealistic, rather than simply realistic.

That is a marvellous way of putting it (IMO, YMMV, etc, all politically correct injunctions). I would add that the flavour of hyper-realism can and does vary to a certain extent from one audiophile to another -- but particularly with fashion/latest trend in reproduction.

GregM, you are absolutely correct. As the intrinsic goal is not realism, but hyperrealism, there will be of necessity be as many optimal versions of it as there are audiophiles, or at least broad schools of audiophiles.