2. analog
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Interesting analog experience

I while back a bunch of my die hard analog loving buddies and club members came over for a night of music etc .
It happened that I was listening to a CD when they came up the walk way , so I put a record on but left the preamp on the CD input . After about 20 minutes of listening to these good folks tell me how great the sound was and how great analog was the record came to an end but the music continued. I broke it to them that they were enjoying digital sound . I know it was kind of sneaky but seeing there mouths agape and them being speechless was worth the price of my S.M.E. 20/12 table .
tmsorosk
stringreen's avatar
stringreen
6,501 posts
 
..how many on these pages know what 4'33" is.... ?

(The performer sits at a piano with hands held just above the keys and waits 4 minutes and 33 seconds...takes a bow and walks offstage. The point is that the audience hears the air conditioner working, the seat squeaking in the 5th row, etc.... its called aliatoric or "chance" music.......the question becomes "can aliatoric music be recorded and played back???)
rpfef
110 posts
 
Clearly, these people are just not as smart as us audiophiles.
We know we could never be fooled like that.
ptmconsulting
1,000 posts
 
You might have fooled them into thinking your analogue was quiet and sounding very good. No doubt this is the definition of your digital front end.

But I would hazard a guess that when you actually switched to vinyl and played it for real the difference was readily apparent.
elinor's avatar
elinor
275 posts
 
I think Doug D is saying that the only time you cannot tell the difference between digital and analog is when nothing is playing at all. If I'm incorrect Doug, my apologies.
frogman
7,493 posts
 
The best test would be: do what you did on two separate occasions; once with the cd playing and the other time with the LP actually playing. Use a recording of great music that you have on both cd and LP; you have to have a table with food in the room. On each occasion, count how many sit the entire time and listen vs getting up to grab some food.
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