[Kele]

Wow, this is a heck of a subject. I have done my own experiment
between a Gold CD against a Japanese vinyl pressing of Dark Side of
the Moon. Does that count? I think so. I know which my favorite
rendition is. I suppose to explain the difference is similar to
explaining the difference between live and recorded music. It is
difficult to explain, but it's not difficult to tell which is which.
Even the best sound reproduction systems I've heard aren=92t the same as
live. My memory of hearing live is all I have. And I agree that the
environment of the live also influences my memory. If I compare each,
digital and analog sources, against my memory of live... that answer
would be my preferred medium.

I've done the blind test (unofficial), but all that's doing is helping
prove if there is a difference. The difference between analog and
digital? No, we shouldn=92t stray away from the true goal, the sound of
Live. [I=92m leaving the environment out of this, ok] This is the part
that leaves science behind... Which "feels" closest to live? Or,
which reminds me most of live. That's all. I don't know if digital
discs can potentially sound better than record albums or not. So far
neither sounds like live - really. It's like a ripple sandwiched
between two panes of glass, the ripple can't fully expand. But which,
analog or digital, is the glass further apart? I say lets remove the
glass!

Both digital and analog have their strong and weak points. Is this
topic trying to uncover the weaknesses (against live)? We know vinyl
grooves can=92t be cut to save all the sound, and we know that
converting to digital involves rounding to the nearest whole. Either
way, the information is not all there and that=92s why it sounds flatter
than live. I=92m guessing analog is the least processed, and digital is
capable of holding more information. How then can the best of both be
combined? Saying it to myself like this, I would say digital has the
potential to be better than analog (vinyl) if only the processing can
be truly out of the way. Cannot a laser light track a continuous
groove (sound wave)? If the signal didn=92t have to be converted to
mathematics, there can be greater chance to approach live.

For now, vinyl reminds me more of live, but I think vinyl has reached
its max capability. What if it weren=92t made of vinyl? What if the
recorded medium was made of a substance that could support all the
information and the reader could collect all the information (without
physical touch). No ones & zeros, just ripples. Then we could more
clearly hear what=92s not right about the pick-up devices. Like vinyl,
I fear digital will also plateau short of the mark.

Kele