@orpheus10 the staircase effect is the result of trying to approximate the analog signal from the turntable into a fixed scale of values that is used when digitizing. That approximation, or quantization, while good enough for some, is still only an approximation that can never faithfully reproduce the infinite number of values that only analog can convey.
If I could use an analogy, consider two ways of drawing a half circle with the flat side facing down. The first is with a compas, which is pretty much foolproof at making a nice, smooth, linear curve. But what if we had to represent that circle in terms of taking measurements vertically (quantize) in the Y axis, as we move along the X axis? Now, what if we had to map (sample) that curve only in finite increments along the X (time) axis? That sampling process gets only one measure for each whole number value along the X axis, (1,2,3,4,5...). Take those points and plot them as a bar chart. You might say that half circle all of a sudden looks pretty poor. You might say that half circle resembles a staircase as you proceed from 9 o’clock to 12 o’clock and then continue from 12 o’clock to 3 o’clock. That’s what happens when an analog signal is digitized. You can double the rate of sampling to reduce the incremental step sizes, but It still is an approximation that comes with harmonic artifacts as unwelcome passengers.
The choice is yours: accept the obviously noticeable inherent flaws of the quantization process at low sample rates of 44kHz or even 96kHz or make the jump to high resolution digital (DSD) at 192kHz or stay in the analog domain.
If I could use an analogy, consider two ways of drawing a half circle with the flat side facing down. The first is with a compas, which is pretty much foolproof at making a nice, smooth, linear curve. But what if we had to represent that circle in terms of taking measurements vertically (quantize) in the Y axis, as we move along the X axis? Now, what if we had to map (sample) that curve only in finite increments along the X (time) axis? That sampling process gets only one measure for each whole number value along the X axis, (1,2,3,4,5...). Take those points and plot them as a bar chart. You might say that half circle all of a sudden looks pretty poor. You might say that half circle resembles a staircase as you proceed from 9 o’clock to 12 o’clock and then continue from 12 o’clock to 3 o’clock. That’s what happens when an analog signal is digitized. You can double the rate of sampling to reduce the incremental step sizes, but It still is an approximation that comes with harmonic artifacts as unwelcome passengers.
The choice is yours: accept the obviously noticeable inherent flaws of the quantization process at low sample rates of 44kHz or even 96kHz or make the jump to high resolution digital (DSD) at 192kHz or stay in the analog domain.