Analog vs. digital

Absolutely right!

A Ferrari and a Lamborghini.

Noromance,

Probably right.  
Which Decca cartridge are you using?

It seems with the best audiophile records there is much less of a difference between analog and digital.  They’re almost identical.  But that’s not true with the majority of records on my system.

J photography,

Yes, I’m finding the same thing with an Analogue Productions LP vs. the same company’s SACD of Prokofiev’s “Lt. Kije.”

melm,

That’s a very good question.

Although objectively the space around the instruments  is better and sharper with digital, I can’t say it sounds more real than records.  I get a fuller sound and more sense of involvement listening to records. And, paradoxically, a wider soundstage with records as well. 
‘So, it’s a tossup.

charles1dad,

I totally concur that CDs made from tapes of the’50’s and ‘60’s sound more natural than anything.  This is true in classical as well as Jazz. 
‘But the LP’s from that period actually (usually) sound better.

Melm,

It’s not that the space is sharper, it’s, as you say, the notes are more distinct in digital. As far as being able to do a lot better on the digital side, the representation is very natural, just not as rounded. If anything, it’s objectively more real sounding, less idealized than analog. The addition of the Benchmark DAC really made my system come alive. The coordination of the the tubed and recapped Conrad-Johnson preamp with the very accurate Benchmark really is an ideal match.
The novelty of the Sutherland phono preamp has just reawakened my interest in analog.

As the new Phon is breaking in, the soundstaging  is sounding closer to that of the digital side, but also retaining its unique quality.

In an attempt to improve my analog side, I bought a new phono preamp and moving coil cartridge. After break-in the sound improved dramatically. It didn’t, as I expected however, surpass the SQ of my digital side. The best I can say is that on most recordings of the same material, the sound was about equal. The digital has the advantage of being sonically more consistent. Records varied much more in quality, from downright putrid to exceeding anything digital.

But, in general, I have to say in my experience, digital was more of the go-to format. 
YMMV

As my cartridge improves the gap is becoming narrower and narrower, but, your right, I probably need a higher level of analog investment to to achieve parity.
 Fortunately,I can achieve a great deal of musical satisfaction with analog