More convinced of analog than ever

I agree that this subject has been debated here (and elsewhere) ad nauseum however I had an experience recently that may be worth sharing.

I had the opportunity to compare two different analogue front ends in the same system as a way of seeing which I might prefer as an upgrade to my current rig. Both were based on the Linn LP12. One system was a full out Linn front end--an LP12 with the most recent upgrades, an Achiva cartridge and a Linn Linto phonostage. The other was a Linn/Naim setup--an LP12/Armageddon without the Keel (but the other upgrades favored by Naim) an ARO tonearm and a Lyra Titan i cartridge driving the new Naim phonostage (I forget the name of it). All this fed Naim amp and preamp which drove a pair of Wilson Sophia II's. While my main purpose in arranging the demo was to compare the two tables (I preferred the Naim centric one) I did bring CD and LP copies of one title to see, after deciding which analogue front end I liked best, how IT would compare to a good digital front end (in this case a CDX2 without an XPS). I had owned a CDX2 for a while and so was familiar with the sound. The recording was the MFSL version of AKUS "So Long So Wrong" on LP and the standard Redbook CD of the same title. So, after listening to the two tables for about an hour we ran the Naim centric analogue front end against the CDX2 and what I found was very interesting....

The CDX2 easily held it's own against the vinyl rig. Which did I prefer? Well, both. The digital sounded better in all the ways you might expect and the analogue was better where that medium is typically strong. I could easily see how someone might prefer the sound of the digital setup or visa versa depending on what they value in sound reproduction.

Now, I understand that there are many, many variables involved here but without getting too caught up in the details it seems to me that if a 6K CD player can compete with a 20K analogue front end digital can't be all bad. In fact, this experience ended up really opening my eyes to the potential of digital playback having spent the last 15 years squarely with the "vinyl rules" squad. My next purchase ended up being a new SACD/CD player, not a turntable (an Esoteric X-03SE) and, due to other system changes, have been without phono capability since the holidays. Do I miss my LP's? Sure. But I am getting really good sound from my digital setup and don't feel any rush to get my turntable back in business. If anything, I realize that I am going to have to save some serious coin to upgrade my analogue set up so that it won't be embarrassed by my CD player. Yeah, vinyl is great but I have found that really good sound can be had with digital sources and probably at a comparatively lower price point than a compareable analogue rig.

Hmmm. I wouldn't call Johnnyb's post snobbish either, however, these threads that seem to pit one format vs. the other are inherently contentious. I'm with Tvad in that I think it all depends on the recording as to what medium is better.

In the real world (playing all sorts of music with wildly varying sonic qualities) both can be very satisfying or disappointing. Ultimate sound quality doesn't much matter to me, playing only the best quality recordings would severely limit my music choices to the point I would no longer care about listening to my system. And so, I could care less about which format is superior.

I must admit I don't see anything in Johnnyb's post that disses digital in general, he is simply describing that evening's listening session.

And yes, I've sometimes felt very defensive about criticizing my analog sound and defending my digital sound, I feel I've been belittled by some analog fans. A tone of unbelievability has entered some of the threads I've initiated complaining about the sound of my analog rig. Some posts call into question my ability to set up a vinyl rig, stating there must be some obvious thing I'm totally missing, and then going into a diatribe about how vinyl just blows digital away. Please check my virtual system before dissing my setup abilities. I know some mean well, but others are insulting in their simplistic posts. I think some analog gurus have to extole the virtues of vinyl and trash digital in a manner way beyond the pale.

Having said that, I don't feel Johnnyb is trashing digital, however, Shadorne has some valid points in his post. Generalizations are always going to cause contentiousness, the digital vs. analog argument should be much more specific, comparing recordings rather than mediums.

I agree with Chadeffect, there's no stoppimg progress and the age of vinyl will probably be remembered as a bizarre form of musical reproduction to be forgotten.

For those of you who want the highest possible life like quality, no hassles, and on demand, I suggest that you get off the vinyl bandwagon even if you think for right now that it has a slight edge over digital. Why?

You're slowing down the progress of digital. Manufacturer's are throwing much of their R&D at analog, building turntables like never before...they're even saying that now is the Golden Age of Vinyl.

We've become the underground resistance against the advancement of digital fullfillment...and I've already had to wait a quarter century without satisfaction!

For the rest of us...who enjoy flipping over vinyl and may have a different take about quality of life and progress, I'll tell you that I'm building a new analog front end because that sounds better to me right now...today. It will most likely be my last analog system. While working on my project my daughters 17 and 20 are intrigued. I bought both of them IPods for Christmas and they download and love music. Their music...their world.

I tell my youngest, that you have to wait till one side is over and then get up and flip it to the other side. She says, "I know Dad...hah...hah." We go out to lunch in her car with her IPod, and she's flipping from one song to the next and most songs she never gets to the end. She tells me that she only downloads songs that she likes??? I tell her that with an LP, since there's no remote, you're kinda forced to listen to all of the songs. Maybe, the artist intended you to do so, or maybe the songs tell a story.

That evening, I'm listening to my system and she comes home. I say, "check this out," and put on The Guitar Artistry of Charlie Byrd on my old SOTA which I had put away for my new front end but dug out on purpose. We listened to the whole thing...she loved it.

All I know, is since I started with my new front-end project, I'm spending more time with my under 25 daughters. That's not BS.

I'm with Tvad in that I think it all depends on the recording as to what medium is better.

That is my view also.

I have what I consider IMO both top flight digital and top flight analogue. Johnnyb's excitement about the maturing of digital is extremely valid. And there might be a time that such maturity will make the analogue renaissance truly come to a trickle. A native DSD recorded SACd can sound incredible. The problem is these are few and far between. Digital recordings have improved and quite a few CDs can sound good, very good. On the whole analogue playback has better source material than digital. But digital is coming of age and hard drive based playback with fast downloads, cheap storage and phenomenal dacs for a lot less money than just a few years ago are heare with more on the horizon. Now to get the true Hi Rez digital music downloads is the final key. I wonder if anyone will convert old master tapes via a hi resolution media that can be played off of a hard drive?

Yet... great vinyl warms my heart and I listen to it more than digital, even though digital is more convenient. The worst thing for me about vinyl is cleaning LPs. Mind you I hate biasing my tube amps as well.