How can we settle for digital?

I don't think everyone in the music business agrees that digital can only go so far. There seem to be plenty of people interested in pushing it further, and it does indeed make important leaps every few years.

I got back into vinyl about a year ago, after a 15 year hiatus. I was really excited about the vinyl that sounds better than CDs (although not all of it does--but what does, is terrific).

But then I traded up to an EMM CDSA-SE, and was startled. Now, more CDs could compete with my vinyl. And a really good SACD can REALLY compete with vinyl.

And today I was listening to one of the relatively new Linn Digital Stream players, the Klimax DS (which I barely understand). I've auditioned it several times before, and I continue to be surprised by how much it can get out of CDs that have been loaded on a music server. It's a lot of money, but it indicates that there is more progress available for digital.

I'd like to address a point made by Bogartgl...namely, the EMM CDSA SE. I had the CDSA non-SE version only briefly, and thought it was good--in fact, better than anything I'd heard in that price range, and better than the Linn CD12 (against which I A-B'ed the EMM). But mostly I still liked my turntable better (where I could compare directly). Then the SE mod came out, and I left my EMM up at the dealer for quite a while for installation, during which time I was doing a lot of business travel, and enjoying my LP12/Koetsu/EAR 834P.

EMM had assured me that the SE upgrade would have only minimal effect on the sound. But I was stunned, and the dealer was stunned, by the difference, as was at least one other audiophile friend who heard the SE version. And in this, I agree with Bogartgl--The EMM CDSA SE really gives vinyl a run for the money...I believe more so than the 2 box EMM unit, frankly. It really is quite something, and I heartily recommend trying to take a listen. Ain't cheap, but it's not the most expensive SACD/CD player either. (And its virtues are clear on SACD or CD.)

And, to echo Fytunes (and my own earlier post, I guess), the Linn Klimax DS really gives the CDSA SE a run for its money...and very probably more so, the more I listen (except on SACD).

Based upon listening to both of these pieces of gear--the EMM CDSA SE and the Linn Klimax DS, I came to revise my view of digital. I think it can give analog a run for its money. I didn't think that 6 months ago. And, even still, I've got to say that, with the right Lp, my Linn LP12/Koetsu Black/EAR 834P (which is a really nice batch of analog gear, but is hardly the end-all, be-all in that department) will reproduce certain recordings in a way that I can't get out of digital. Period. So far.

If you've given up on digital, or are thinking about it, these two pieces of gear will at least surprise you. There may be a few other new-technology units that would do the same (such as the one mentioned by Dcstep), but I haven't heard them. But the point is, for those of us that keep thinking digital is just never going to make it (and I became one of those), there are still surprises in store, it appears. I'm certainly revising my view.