2. analog
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More convinced of analog than ever

Wednesday night I went to my local high end shop's "Music Matters" open house, which featured six meticulously set up listening rooms highlighting the best and brightest offerings from Wilson, Transparent, Audio Research, Ayre, Magnepan, Peachtree, B&W, Classe, Rotel, etc., with factory reps to introduce their products and innovations.

There were unmistakable improvements in reproduction of redbook CD, with jitter reduced to near zero, and holographic reproduction of images, soundstages, and the minute signals that indicate instrument resonance and hall ambience.

And yet... and yet... when the demos shifted from redbook to the new downloadable hi-rez digital formats in 24/88.2 and 24/96, there was an unmistakable jump in resolution around the edges of the notes, of sounds swelling, resonating, and decaying, of greater verisimilitude.

But compared to the turntable demos, I'd say the 24-bit digital got me about 80% there, whereas LP playback closed the gap completely. Once the LPs started spinning, there was a collective relaxed "aaaahhh" that went through the audience. It wasn't because of dynamic compression. Far from it, the Ayre prototype turntable was strikingly dynamic with a subterranean noise floor.

The sense of ease and relaxation I attribute to a sudden drop in listener fatigue. The LP-source music had so much more of what makes music musical. We didn't have to work nearly as hard to rectify the ear-brain connection as with even the best of 24-bit digital, which was still significantly better than redbook. The redbook playback always reminded me that I was listening to "hi-fi," even when played through multi-thousand dollar players from ARC and Ayre.

Even my local Brit-oriented Rega/Naim dealer asserts that the latest CD players rival or exceed LP playback.

I say nay.

What say you?
johnnyb53
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shadorne
7,333 posts
 
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.
dgad
782 posts
 
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.
jdaniel13
129 posts
 
I didn't see anything snobbish about the original post either. I've been off the Digital Bandwagon for awhile and would assume that the latest and greatest digital would surpass vinyl at this point. I think the original poster's *surprise* that he still prefers vinyl is what registers, and this hardly suggests bias!

The latest digital I've heard is Ondine's SACD of Barber/Poulenc/Saint Saens works--it's fantastic but in the end I felt fatigued as well. What's missing for me in digital--even hi-rez--is a general sense of a "frame" around the music--a "relativity" with the hall which allows one to "own" the sound. Horribly inarticulate description, but best I can do.
jbaussie
52 posts
 
I sure am glad when over 25 years ago my New York Audio Labs friends implored me; as the Digital Revolution was sweeping the streets and would be the death knell to analog; to "just buy records" instead of constantly upgrading my already nice system and blowing dollars in the process. I listened and ended up with over a 1,000 new lps of all types of music.

I am also sure glad to know that cd's after all these years are "finally maturing" and the revolution is finally coming to fruition. Took long enough for what was raved about back then. Kind of like Communism, and look where that is.

We are now in the era of diminishing expectations but ease of use. The criteria is not great sound but lots of availability, easy of use and cheap. It is no longer about substance but quantity (and I have gigabytes of MP3's that are great to hear).

With where the music business may be forced to go the "the beloved" CD may perish as well. Caveat emptor.

I hear my iPod, I hear my cd player,

but I listen to my records.

I am engaged.
It takes effort.
It is an art form. You get it or don't.
Want it or don't.
What you put in you get out.
True in all aspects of life.
adam18
670 posts
 
Can't we all learn to share the same sandbox and play nicely together ? I love music.....some nights it's CD's, other nights it's LP's.....it's all great music through my system. Yes, I must admit that I'm presently spending more hours listening to records than I am listening to CD's, but I still really enjoy both parts of my front end.

I do not stress out over whether Patricia Barber sounds better on CD or Joni MItchell sounds better on LP.....They both sing beautifully through my Vandersteens and keep me quite happy. It's like with wine.....what's better, a great Pinot Noir or a great Cabernet ?? There's no need to argue about it.....done properly, both grapes can make a beautifully balanced wine which will make my palate happy.

So, let's all relax, and enjoy the music. Analog, digital, whatever.....done properly, isn't it simply the music that matters, after all ?
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