The character of analog and digital

Here's another two cents' worth! Just couldn't resist!

There is a plethora of variables at play here, just as the respondents or contributors to this post have already pointed out, to boil this down to anything other than personal preference (e.g.  quality of system components, not the least of which are the TT, cartridge and phono stage; recordings themselves; sound engineering; mixing; recording studio equipment, mixing panel, microphones, microphone placement, etc.; vinyl soup mix used in any given stamping plant; not to mention quality control procedures employed, if any; quantity of LPs stamped from the Master Disc, not to mention processes involved making those discs; how LPs were and/or are cared for; acoustics, in general; personal audiology; etc.; etc.; ad infinitum).

All things being relatively and generally equal in this respect, my ears prefer good quality, well recorded LP albums to anything I've heard in the digital realm, thus far, including the best Digital Master CD recordings and high-resolution streaming I've done serious seat-time with on state-of-the-art systems in high-end audio shops, through Qobuz and other services. The highest quality digital sources I've heard come very close, for sure. However, my ears still prefer vinyl, so far. I keep saying "thus far" and "so far" because I want to keep an open mind about this, although I'm skeptical that digital can or will ever be able to match vinyl in this respect. It's just different. I simply do not understand the technology enough.

To my ears, anyway, it seems digital just can't capture the open, airy and quiet space(s) of whatever room, hall, recording studio or wherever the performances were recorded. It's as if that is homogenized out, if that makes any sense. I can't explain it any better than that. Seems paradoxical, I know. One cannot hear dead quiet silence. However, I'm convinced most people can feel it. I always find that sense of dead quiet silence or sense of spaciousness captured by the best vinyl recordings missing from even the best digital media. Again, this is just a personal preference. I'm not trying to start a food-fight here. Most times, I tend to play my CDs when I'm in the kitchen cooking or entertaining friends because they are definitely more convenient, quicker and easier. I play my LPs when I can actually sit down in the living room and fully enjoy the music I want to hear.

When I've compared good recordings of live performances I've attended, my ears always feel the vinyl renditions come a bit closer to the live event than the digital ones. Could there be an auditory neuroscience factor involved because I just simply grew up with vinyl? Hell, if I know! I'm not a scientist, but my ears know what they like.

@lalitk, there are devices that avoid the need to "babysit" vinyl if one has a fully manual TT. For example, the Audio-Technica tone arm lifter works quite well and doesn't cost an arm & a leg like some others. Because of this Audio-Technica, just as with CDs, I also sometimes play LPs when I'm entertaining, cooking or what have you. I often play CDs, too, when I'm just relaxing in the living room and focused on pure music enjoyment. I certainly wouldn't say that digital sounds "inferior" to vinyl. However, as I've previously said, all things being relatively equal in a good audio system, to my ears, vinyl is definitely "better", for lack of a better term in this respect.

I've had many friends visit, audiophiles and non-audiophiles alike, had them sit in the sweet spot on the living room couch, played well recorded CDs and LPs of the same work or performance, at the same volumes, flat out and then asked them to tell me which sounded "best" or "better" to them. Without exception, the determination or preference has always been the vinyl recording. Typical comments include:  'more bass and it sounds more real'; 'sounds more real'; 'sounds more like being there'; 'everything is clearer; 'frequency response up & down the ranges are clearer, crisper, more accurate'; 'vocals sound more real or natural'; 'I could tell right of the bat'; etc.

I feel the same and this is not something one needs to listen long or hard for. Most of my friends are contemporaries in age. However, some are veritable youngsters who could be my children or grand-children and they all like vinyl "better".

As the French would say:  "Chacun so gout!" and "Vive la difference!" The important thing here is love of music!

@ghdprentice:

"When we go to choose audio equipment we go into analytical mode where we direct our minds eye (ear in this case)... to listen for differences flitting from sound to sound. Spend too much time picking out equipment like this only and this becomes how we appreciate a system… instead of being drawn into the music and making your decision from the perspective of the music."

I couldn't agree more! When doing serious seat-time with various components, over the years, those I've always come home with are those that have always drawn me out of critical listening mode and into pure music enjoyment quickest, often without me even realizing it, at first.