Analog vs. digital

After exploring and discovering acoustic/psycho-acoustic optimalization methods, mechanical one only inspired by Helmholtz in my case , i discovered why people argue so much about analog/digital and cables, which are secondary choices in term of S.Q. impact compared to the incredible impact of acoustic and psycho-acoustic settings adapted and fine tuned for a specific system and specific ears...

They had no idea in a non dedicated room what is the real potential S.Q. of any good relatively well chosen system even their own...

There is yes differences between analog/digital, but they are minute one compared to the difference between an ordinary living room and a dedicated acoustic room... And by the way let me smile because my system value is low compared to all the money some invested without even adressing the room/speakers/each ear relation. save at best a few acoustic panels..

It is the reason why i am neither an objectivist nor a subjectivist, because these distinctions had no meaning at all and were created by the marketing of electronic gear...Not by acousticians for sure....

For sure using my ears to tune a room, objectivist will put me with the subjectivist...

They dont understand and cannot fathom even what i spoke about... It seems i am almost the only one to say that here....

Like we learn music art and language, we must learn basic acoustic and psycho-acoustic science, art and language; and learning here is not only reading about the LEV/ASW ratio in s small room for example, it is experimenting with it to hear it really...Same with timbre and all other acoustic concepts...

Even acousticians experimented and learn about the acoustic of small room compared to Hall acoustic... Why not you?

Learning has nothing to do with buying publicized marketed piece of gear...I quit that obsession after my 2 years intensive acoustic experiments...

I wrote this post for the only one person who reading it will save his money, read acoustic research articles and inspired by them will do some simple basic experiments... Nothing is more fun... It takes much time yes but cost me nothing...

I think my post will be useful for one....Which is not so common... I remember my situation 10 years ago now , reading audio thread to buy the best components....It had help me to do so yes, but the problem was that there is NO END to the best component to buy... And most audiophiles not knowing anything about acoustic suffer upgraditis... And it is a contagious disease...

Acoustic is the only remedy...

It is always relative....

Put the best tape in a bad room and install a digital system in a room acoustically tuned for it and you will choose the digital system...

What is best did not exist out of all  possible specific acoustic conditions...It exist theoretically or on a top of the game dedicated acoustic room coupled to a top of the game amplifier and speakers... And yes mikelavigne said also that tape is top if i recall right... I trust him.... But for almost everybody this does not  means  they must buy a tape recorder at all.....😁😊

In any case, nothing can match tape at its best, and this will continue for a foreseeable future.

I am afraid not.

The first home of ignorance is our "tastes" the last home of ignorance is our "habit"....

Exploring and listening experiments is the way...

Our taste dont matter so much, we must play with them and not dying with only them......

Analog or digital choices are only taste and habit, going out exploring with acoustic and psycho-acoustic, make them what really they are : only mere tools...

They  are one chosen taste only because of ignorance or because our limited experience most of the times...

People dont understand that engineering is not sound, acoustic/-psycho-acoustic has more impact than the choice of relatively good and equivalent piece of gear, and explain sound...Electronic engineering dont explain sound at all...Electronic engineering use discoveries in acoustic and neuro -acoustic...

Nevermind digital or analog, silence or music is neither digital nor analog, it is an acoustical/ neuro-acoustical fact...

People really believe that the sound comes from the gear alone because of marketing not from the acoustic settings of ROOM also and from their brain correlating each ear....

Pieces of gear matter, yes, way ,way less than your brain/room/speakers correlated dynamic...

Picking a dac or a turntable matter way less...Pick a good one for sure either a dac or a turntable....But nowadays dac are more pragmatic choice, and no more behind analog...

I don’t even understand what you are talking about. Digital can’t get a single note right, or even a silence.

Digital/analog arguing are children play...

The truth is any sound/musical experience, is not only related to a format, but to acoustic/psycho-acoustic conditions specifically created for example for this turntable or for this dac in an idealized room adapted for each one ... Which is the better?

Then because each experience with any specific system will differ at all price scale, and will differ much in different embeddings working dimension, it is up to anyone choice...

Sound engineering is an art based science...Not only a technology.

I prefer digital, for practical reason , and in low cost system the difference between the two seems minute one to me...

But it was very difficult to buy a good low cost dac for my ears.... I was lucky....

«What is the sound of an unconnected off dac out of any room ? Sure it is perfect sound»- Anonymus engineer

I cannot answered definitively ...it is only my opinion for sure...

But on "relatively ordinary" analog system at relatively low cost, with low embeddings controls in the mechanical, electrical and acoustical working dimensions, the relatively low cost digital system in the same embeddings conditions  will sound often more detailed or more "cut up" which is not a pure positive fact, ( timbre is not a simple matter) but this digital system if the dac is well chosen can be made with improved  embeddings controls very organic sounding tubelike more and will beat the relatively low cost analog system...

It takes high value analog system to beat digital actual one in the same embeddings conditions.... Too much money to contemplate...( i trust Mike deLavigne impressions about that )

But anyway these discussions analog/digital are way less important than the three embeddings control but this seems impossible to be understood by many ... 😁😊

I tested this difference between analog/digital sound with one of my friend analog and digital  system.... Then i could imagine the huge difference, way over this difference between some analog/digital separate systems, made by the three embeddings control method...

But a method is not an easy upgrade solution ...And somebody not owning a good acoustic room and no vibrations control, and no house electrical control cannot imagine the difference at all...He then contemplate upgrade between analog or digital to be a very important upgrading solution ...It will be a costly one in most case...

It was more difficult to figure out embeddings controls , not in money in my case, but with my time...But the end results is so huge than upgrading make me afrais and smile at the same time...

Audiophile experience is not an engineering choices dependant fact mostly nowadays, with all these equivalent good design available, it is mostly acoustic and psycho-acoustic  knowledge ( vibrations controls and electrical controls are almost  as much as important )...