WBF Poll: Which Sounds Better, Digital or Analog?

Which format sounds best to you: analog or digital

  • Analog Sounds Best

    Votes: 90 64.7%
  • Digital Sounds Best

    Votes: 49 35.3%

  • Total voters
    139

amirm

Banned
Apr 2, 2010
15,813
37
0
Seattle, WA
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 :).
 

bonzo75

Member Sponsor
Feb 26, 2014
22,434
13,467
2,710
London
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

Banned
Apr 2, 2010
15,813
37
0
Seattle, WA
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

Banned
Apr 2, 2010
15,813
37
0
Seattle, WA
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.

VIP/Donor
Sep 10, 2013
8,679
4,467
963
Greater Boston
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

Member
Feb 8, 2011
24,305
1,323
435
Vancouver Island, B.C. Canada
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
 

Al M.

VIP/Donor
Sep 10, 2013
8,679
4,467
963
Greater Boston
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

Member Sponsor
Feb 26, 2014
22,434
13,467
2,710
London
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

Member Sponsor
Feb 22, 2014
240
1
123
67
New Delhi, India
You need a poll to decide this...I thought it was obvious;):D:D
Pradeep
 

Johnny Vinyl

Member Sponsor & WBF Founding Member
May 16, 2010
8,570
51
38
Calgary, AB
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

Member Sponsor
May 9, 2015
99
0
6
www.audio-land.net
For me: Analog period. Happy spinning...
 

amirm

Banned
Apr 2, 2010
15,813
37
0
Seattle, WA
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. :D

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! :D If you are an analog guy, well, go and listen to your music for a while as I round up more digital people. :D :D
 

andi

Well-Known Member
Apr 9, 2012
97
5
913
Germany
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

Member Sponsor
Apr 12, 2011
2,067
8
0
Dallas, Texas
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

Member Sponsor
Apr 12, 2011
2,067
8
0
Dallas, Texas
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

Member Sponsor
Feb 26, 2014
22,434
13,467
2,710
London
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.
 

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