WBF Poll: Which Sounds Better, Digital or Analog?

[amirm]

This is a simple poll to get a gauge of our membership with respect to format preference for utmost fidelity. Not looking for a debate. Just interested to see what percentage of our population prefers one or the other. So please vote .

 

[ddk]

The first two votes are in!

 

[bonzo75]

I think it's assumed this is for 2-ch - I prefer Analog in 2-ch, but if I had the option to go Datasat Auro 3d, I might choose digital, because in that scheme of things, the digital through an oppo would sound better rather than turntable upsampled to multichannel.

 

[amirm]

Four votes already . Let's get this to 100+ folks so that we have a good statistical sampling of the forum membership. Will give us better perspective in discussions.

 

[amirm]

I think it's assumed this is for 2-ch - I prefer Analog in 2-ch, but if I had the option to go Datasat Auro 3d, I might choose digital, because in that scheme of things, the digital through an oppo would sound better rather than turntable upsampled to multichannel.

I did have 2-channel in mind. How about creating a thread to talk about synthesized surround such as Auro 3d? We have not discussed the topic for so long and there are new technologies.

 

[Al M.]

O.k., I voted digital sounds best.

However, in absolute terms, from what I have heard from the best analog and digital sources so far, analog sounds best. It is simply more resolving. Yet this assessment is very conditional. It only holds for the very best pressings of the best recordings, on some of the very best turntables. Alas often the quality of analog is compromised by average or even poor pressings, and no turntable can compensate for that.

My vote is strictly a 'musical' vote: I personally have to vote for the format where all of the music is available in, and that is digital, and Redbook CD 16/44.1, to be more specific. For mainly that reason I remain personally also a digital-only guy.

I can respect when others feel differently and vote for the 'absolute sound', which in their mind may be either analog or digital.

 

[NorthStar]

In stereo, analog obviously sounds better. ...But digital ain't bad @ all...I use both and very happy to live in an analog world digitally remastered.

On the go though; airplane, train, limousine, car, truck, sailboat, cruise ship, ferry, bicycle, canoe, kayak, Harley Davidson, jugging, walking, surfing, snowboarding, ...digital is the only way to go...or unless you still have your Sony Walkman (portable cassette tape player).

@ home, in the comfort of your own sanctuary, in your library, your living room, @ a classical music concert, an opera, a ballet, ...there is nothing that compares to a turntable spinning an album @ 78rpm (or 45, or 33 1/3), and an open-reel-tape deck, and live analog acoustic concert halls, without electric amplified DSPed EQued rock metal guitars and drum kits.
Seeing large discs spinning with the naked eyes, not hiding under a disc transport with smaller discs, is the ultimate music listening experience, and it does sound the best.
And same for analog (acoustic) live music concerts.

But the best is not always what we practice in real life, ...time is much shorter now than say fifty years ago...so we have to adapt...with lesser best sound. ...Hi-res music servers, Internet digital radio, digital music dowmloads, digital ripping, digital audio cards, ...all that digital Ethernet firmware update pizzazz.

I think. :b

 

[esldude]

I prefer digital in any number of channels, because it is higher fidelity plain and simple.

 

[Al M.]

This is a simple poll to get a gauge of our membership with respect to format preference for utmost fidelity.

For the reasons stated, i can't simply vote for what I perceive as 'utmost fidelity'. Other factors play into this. So no, this is no 'simple poll' for me, and just like for this, for most matters in life there are no simple polls anyway.

The question is also to which degree clicks and pops intrude into the perception of fidelity. Even the best turntables don't make them go away even though perhaps they may minimize their impact.

 

[bonzo75]

I would never go digital except in MCH if not for the lampizator. And I would never go two channel if not for the fact that some horns can't be put up in MCH. So I guess in 2 ch I have 3 categories, digital, Lampi and vinyl. Also I like the idea of playing vinyl rips through the Lampi. Apologies to make this another Lampi thread, but I just don't get along with the rest of digital, low end or high end..For me the brass and violins and vocals on analog just sound way better, and the soundstage can only me beat by putting digital in MCH

 

[Sunnyboy1956]

You need a poll to decide this...I thought it was obvious
Pradeep

 

[Ronm1]

10101010

 

[Johnny Vinyl]

You guys think and analyse too much. Whether it's the best of the best or my own system, I feel that analog is much more engaging and thereby more enjoyable to these ears than digital.

 

[audio-land]

For me: Analog period. Happy spinning...

 

[amirm]

Didn't realize the forum picks the "Matrix" colors. This is what they mean:

"You take the blue pill, the story ends. You wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill, you stay in wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes."

Not sure what to think of that.

Anyway, the purpose of the forum is to have some context in conversations here as to know what is a given. That is, what people think is the superior format. Right now, Analog has Digital beat by a factor of two. If you are a digital guy, this is your chance to be heard! If you are an analog guy, well, go and listen to your music for a while as I round up more digital people.

 

[garylkoh]

preference for ...... fidelity

Isn't that an oxymoron?

 

[andi]

Because I am an analog guy, I voted for it.

But within the last years, I am not quite sure that analog is always better. My problem is the pressing quality and mastering quality of the new releases.
My collection from the late 50s to the 90s sounds much better to me.

New recordings I buy as CD or download.

BR
Andreas

 

[dallasjustice]

This is like taking an internet poll when Ron Paul ran for president in 2007. He won all the internet polls because he had the most passionate fan base. Of course, he never came close to winning the Republican primary in either of his runs. I suspect the same thing is true here.

 

[dallasjustice]

Both, depends so much upon the recording/ mastering, I am amazed how good vinyl can sound despite its technical limitations.
Keith.

IMO, unadulterated vinyl sources NEVER sound better than digital with good DSP, notwithstanding mastering, provenance or recording quality.

 

[bonzo75]

IMO, unadulterated vinyl sources NEVER sound better than digital with good DSP, notwithstanding mastering, provenance or recording quality.

In Marty's system the Analog through DSP slams the digital through DSP. And his Analog isn't expensive.