GoodSoundClub - Romy the Cat's Audio Site

In the Forum: Didital Things
In the Thread: Analog vs. Digital... without BS.

Post Subject: Of course it is methodologically wrongPosted by eduardo on: 4/18/2009

Romy,i Would state that any digital vs analog discussion must take place only in context of recording of musical material, not within the world of music reproduction itself.

be it analog tape or computer media,raw recordings (let´s call it "master sound"), obtained trough a given setup of quality microphones,and managed by good recording engineer implies the higher "inner quality" or say "potential raw sounds-content-quality" you can get in a given moment. But such a context is different game than sound reproduction althoug obviously related to.

You only have to listen to master materials maybe trough the machines that recorded the events, to realize that the mentioned "inner potential raw sounds-content quality" you can get (say 1/4 analog tape, 24/88 file or whatever) would be enough (as a starting point) in context of any given playback system .Yes, you can discuss sound quality of those recordings but never in the sense of being better for the sake of digital or analog, but in the sense of being better or worse as a "recording by itself" or say as a recording in its "technical quality" , "resolution level", "dynamic range" etc.

I´ve found that even relatively low resolution digital recordings being original raw material are better than higher resolution ones (may be wrongly processed afterwards).So Even here the dilemma seems to be relatively unimportant as "sound quality problem", being more like "technical quality problem".

About digital vs analog thinking (within the context of playback and "audioreviewing"), it occurs then in the wrong place, trough hifi setups and people whose level of
methodology derives from corrupted relationships within the highend industry , sound obtained from all of this crap. Then add the source material ,say "test cd from nowherehifisound" containing a given "style of music" .Add again The higher level of intelectual superficiality and see if analog is better than digital or viceversa .....¡Please let us be serious¡.

So in the end , the analog vs digital dilemma becomes metodollogically wrong (within the world of music reproduction) in the very moment it takes place, as it belongs if actually exist,to the world of recording media, studio and music production etc. ¿ Would anybody serious enough even think or talk about analog or digital "sound" in context of designing , building or even listening his playback system? It would be a joke.

Moreover I would say it falls into the most rooted, superficial style within audiophile world,together with the technological snobism and may be the improper design nonsense that you can see everywhere.

Regards

Eduardo

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