Can digital get to vinyl sound and at what price?

Kingrex said:

I'm really pretty impressed with how my stereo sounds. Especially using digital. I am sitting quite near field. But darn. The detail and reaism is off the charts compared to my last room. Its the best my stereo Has been. At least for clarity, balance of tone, frequency extension, bass and impact. The soundstage is wide and well placed. Yet it has little depth. I probably have to move back for that.

Anyhow. This feels like one of those leapfrog moments I have talked of in the past. For the most part, the ststem sounds better than it ever has in the past. That means playing digital on the same equipment in a different room is of higher quality than my vinyl or tape has ever been. That can be interpreted as digital is better than vinyl and tape, depending on the setup. One could argue I have to re-install the vinyl and tape to compare. They should have improved also. Maybe true. But, by resetting the same equipment in a different location has elevated the digital source beyond the capabilitues of the vinyl and tape in a different room.

By this thinking, I could say digital is just as good, if not better than vinyl and tape, depending of the equipment setup.

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Rexp said:

Until you set up an analog source, then you may have another epiphany....

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Kingrex said:

For the most part, the ststem sounds better than it ever has in the past.

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Rexp said:

Until you set up an analog source, then you may have another epiphany....

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Kingrex said:

I'm really pretty impressed with how my stereo sounds. Especially using digital. I am sitting quite near field. But darn. The detail and reaism is off the charts compared to my last room. Its the best my stereo Has been. At least for clarity, balance of tone, frequency extension, bass and impact. The soundstage is wide and well placed. Yet it has little depth. I probably have to move back for that.

Anyhow. This feels like one of those leapfrog moments I have talked of in the past. For the most part, the ststem sounds better than it ever has in the past. That means playing digital on the same equipment in a different room is of higher quality than my vinyl or tape has ever been. That can be interpreted as digital is better than vinyl and tape, depending on the setup. One could argue I have to re-install the vinyl and tape to compare. They should have improved also. Maybe true. But, by resetting the same equipment in a different location has elevated the digital source beyond the capabilitues of the vinyl and tape in a different room.

By this thinking, I could say digital is just as good, if not better than vinyl and tape, depending of the equipment setup.

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Rensselaer said:

I am very glad you have put together a digital system that ticks all your boxes (clarity, frequency extension, bass and impact) and makes you happy. Hopefully this will be it and you will never have to spend another dime on it (by the way, roughly how much has gone into it to get you to this point?).

I accept that in your view, your new system set up sounds a lot better than the analogue set up you previously had but wouldn't agree with your conclusion, based upon such, that "digital is just as good, if not better than vinyl and tape", despite the conditional of "depending on the equipment setup" you added to the end.

Yes, that last condition if you meant the "equipment/setup", could mean an unfair comparison, say of your digital equipment to a $100.00 USB turntable and no-name MM cartridge, or a cheap battery powered cassette tape recorder used for voice memos, in which case you are probably correct, but if against a Studer R2R into a decent system...

Also, you and I differ on what characteristics a great system should provide.You claim your equipment now sounds better than vinyl and tape in that it excels in "clarity, balance of tone, frequency extension, bass and impact."

I personally thought that the greatest improvement in my analogue set up was when the "hi-fi" characteristics (clarity, tone, frequency extension, bass and impact) disappeared, leaving just music without the system drawing my attention to any particular Hi-Fi trait.

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Rensselaer said:

I personally thought that the greatest improvement in my analogue set up was when the "hi-fi" characteristics (clarity, tone, frequency extension, bass and impact) disappeared, leaving just music without the system drawing my attention to any particular Hi-Fi trait.

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Al M. said:

Even if that were the case (and that judgement will vary by observer), the point here obviously is that there is no inherent secret magic to analog and no inherent detrimental flaw to digital that would always elevate analog over digital, no matter what.

Room and room acoustics, system setup in the room, system quality and synergy are much more important to great sound than any differences between analog and digital.

Of course, the true believers will deny all that. Let them.

***

Sure, the best comparison is analog vs digital in the same system and room, side by side. I have my thoughts on that, having heard several such comparisons. However, that is beside the point made above.

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Kingrex said:

Very good way to put it Al.

Yes, If I set up my vinyl, it would probably supersede my digital on some source material. Not all. But the point is the room is having a profound impact. More so than I thought. And the equipment I have plays a lot better than I thought it could. I'm pretty shocked. The only issue I really hear is the less than optimum depth of soundstage. Outside that, the system and digital i particular is really really good as is. And I bet it might be a little better if I introduced a clock and AES into my DAC. Or a good transport.

What was also good were some digital rips from vinyl people have sent me in the past. They play very well. But I'm pretty sure I hear the vinyl playback equipment in the chain. A subtle shaping of the sound. A slight coloration. Not bad in any way. Just some color. It makes me wonder how much color one vinyl system to another has compared to digital.

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wil said:

drop the tired digital/analog inferior/superior agenda.

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wil said:

So you can’t take Rex’s report of great, musically involving sound without spinning it into a negative — such as the dismissive “hi-fi traits.”

How about just follow Rex’s new room journey and see where it goes — and drop the tired digital/analog inferior/superior agenda.

I personally hope he continues to get his system to higher and higher levels whether it be through a digital or analog setup — or both.

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Kingrex said:

I'm really pretty impressed with how my stereo sounds. Especially using digital. I am sitting quite near field. But darn. The detail and reaism is off the charts compared to my last room. Its the best my stereo Has been. At least for clarity, balance of tone, frequency extension, bass and impact. The soundstage is wide and well placed. Yet it has little depth. I probably have to move back for that.

Anyhow. This feels like one of those leapfrog moments I have talked of in the past. For the most part, the ststem sounds better than it ever has in the past. That means playing digital on the same equipment in a different room is of higher quality than my vinyl or tape has ever been. That can be interpreted as digital is better than vinyl and tape, depending on the setup. One could argue I have to re-install the vinyl and tape to compare. They should have improved also. Maybe true. But, by resetting the same equipment in a different location has elevated the digital source beyond the capabilitues of the vinyl and tape in a different room.

By this thinking, I could say digital is just as good, if not better than vinyl and tape, depending of the equipment setup.

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Kingrex said:

Yes AudooHR. But its likely there is someone with a good room and good digital and their digital sounds more natural and real than your vinyl. Its system dependent. Room to room. Heavily influenced by focus and effort in any one direction.

Lots of peoples digital sounds better than their vinyl. The defaul response is, put more effort and resources into the vinyl. Then the vinyl sounds better. And the default reaponse is put more effort and reaources into digital. Then the digital sounds better than the vinyl. Its just a game of ping pong. The dealers love it!!!!!!!.

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Kingrex said:

And, FWIW its way more effort to set up vinyl. I dropped a couple platforms I had on the carpet and put the footers I used under the server and DAC. And hour into it I had amazing digital running. I'm sure it will only be better when I get the room and equipment more sorted.
I haven't even thought about the vinyl. I need a stand. Tools to mount the arm. Tools to setup the cartridge. I'm scared to proceed as I see a huge investment in time. And what if I decide to rearrange things like speakeds and amps and equipment racks. My TT is pretty light. But many people need multiple bodies to move a table.

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Kingrex said:

I haven't even thought about the vinyl. I need a stand. Tools to mount the arm. Tools to setup the cartridge. I'm scared to proceed as I see a huge investment in time. And what if I decide to rearrange things like speakeds and amps and equipment racks.

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AudioHR said:

You could say digital is as good or better than vinyl but your system related premise is on shaky ground.

Hey I like digital it's convenient and well done like in your separate digital system it could be everything one wants. Having said that I know when I listen to a well executed turntable driven analog system I know there is a reason why digital is trying to catch up to the sound of vinyl.

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