The Digital Devil is Coming For Your Analog Soul

[mep]

The Digital Devil is looking for analog souls and wants to convert them into what I have termed "Digital Couch Potatoes" or "DCPs." The allure to sell your soul to the Digital Devil (DD) is quite strong because analog represents work and commitment to great sound whereas digital just requires a chair and remote app for what many consider "good enough" sound. New victims are being claimed every day and they are forsaking glorious analog sound for the ability to keep their butt planted in their listening chair or couch and control a remote device with an app so they can speed dial through either their hard drive(s) or a subscription service for an all you can stand digital buffet of music. Even the bar for the quality of the digital music the DCPs are willing to sell their soul for appears to becoming lower and lower. In fact, some DCPs have sold their analog soul to the DD for MP3 quality because they swear they can't hear any difference between RBCD quality and MP3s.

However, the DD always has some tricks up his sleeve to tempt more analog souls who have higher standards. The latest temptation is MQA which claims to be more perfect than the original recording. The DD's newest trick appears to be working because he has won over more analog souls and all of the audio forums have page after page of testaments to the quality of MQA and why you should forsake analog.

One of the DD's latest and greatest triumphs has been the conversion of someone we know who has invested vast sums of money in the analog portion of his rig which resides in a converted barn at the foothills of a mountain. Inside the barn is a pair of Studer A820 decks, and a very high quality LP rig and lots and lots of LPs and 2 track 15 ips tapes to keep you immersed in analog sound for the rest of time. The DD has now snatched his analog soul and the barn owner admits that he now spends the majority of his time listening to his digital rig even though he readily admits his analog is still on a higher level than his digital rig.

And so I say to my analog brothers, who is next to sell their soul to the DD? Can any of us be saved from the DD or are we all going to succumb to the temptation of sitting in a comfy chair with a remote app in our hands?

[Johnny Vinyl]

Never!

[mep]

Good for you Johnny!

[cpp]

Well it appears the VD ( Vinyl Devil) has taken control of the forum of late. I enjoy vinyl and digital, hell I still enjoy my CD's, and fishing, golf, classic cars and kayaking but I will be damned if I'm going to vegetate in a freaking chair listening to music as the world outside goes by day in and day out flipping a record and/or pushing some touchy feely app on a ipad to change a track. , . . or two

[mep]

Great perspective Chris!

[Rob]

Mark, I think I know who you're referring to --and from what I gather- he probably listens to more music in a week than most of us. where I part company with my vinyl/analog-only brethren is that good music didn't stop with advent of digital recording. most of the 'new' music I listen to was natively digital and that's almost always how its played back. does that mean the DD have taken over my system? hardly

[mep]

Mark, I think I know who you're referring to --and from what I gather- he probably listens to more music in a week than most of us. where I part company with my vinyl/analog-only brethren is that good music didn't stop with advent of digital recording. most of the 'new' music I listen to was natively digital and that's almost always how its played back. does that mean the DD have taken over my system? hardly

I guess my point is that we can all succumb to convenience vice ultimate sound quality. Convenience is the tipping point for many people when it comes to what music they listen to and how they listen to it.

[Alrainbow]

Damnnnn MEp digital rules and I don't sit I like to get up and look at the screen to search through tens of thousands of albums and then there is tidal !! If this hobby is about the music who has the biggest collection hahahha. Wow what a great comeback and I had no scotch yet. It's a major reason for me to not go analog
it's nkt cleaning the records nor changing the tapes
it's about great music that can be played loud and since we have mostly not greet quality I for one need more variaty. Now I make no claims as to hiw good what is and being a all digital agent I am one to ready to admit anolog is great to and it's what any great digital system strive to have. Is that enough kissing for me to still post my love of digital persuit hahahhaha.
Nice post MEp

[kcin]

Well I still have the VD in me , not the communicable kind, the platter spinning kind.

I've yet to add the new Etna SL to the set up its been sitting in a box for a week. However, I was down the road to a friend's place and he has the latest Meridian CD set up MQA ready . It was playing through the small Raidho monitors this time out ( wow- very nice monitor) and not the big Revels as per usua-. but I can see the attraction. I still like vinyl - although I will eventually do some streaming with a secondary system with Tidal.

[Joe Pittman]

Yes I know I've been so wrong
Too late now I'm moving on
Hellbound Train I'm on it's track
Moving down I can't look back

[Mike Lavigne]

One of the DD's latest and greatest triumphs has been the conversion of someone we know who has invested vast sums of money in the analog portion of his rig which resides in a converted barn at the foothills of a mountain. Inside the barn is a pair of Studer A820 decks, and a very high quality LP rig and lots and lots of LPs and 2 track 15 ips tapes to keep you immersed in analog sound for the rest of time. The DD has now snatched his analog soul and the barn owner admits that he now spends the majority of his time listening to his digital rig even though he readily admits his analog is still on a higher level than his digital rig.

well......it's not that simple......I have a plan.

what is going on with me is called the 'end game'. my system has matured. my analog is where I want it to be. I could move sideways in those areas, but it would be change for change sake. in a few years I will retire and want my system development to be behind me.

2 years ago I determined I needed to upgrade my digital for the long view. I'd had my Playback Designs for 9 years. I could see (and hear) digital was taking some significant steps forward and it was worth finding a higher level and long term digital solution. since then I've investigated what is possible, and now I'm in the middle of working that out. and while I'm in this mode I am focusing on the digital side. I've taken some steps and acquired some wonderful digital gear.......but I'm not close to feeling I'm done. give me another 3 to 6 months. until then I will be spending much of my time on the digital side.

when I do feel I'm set on the digital side, then i'll be after spending my time with the best musical connection and experience. It won't be about hifi dogma, it will be simply enjoying tunes. if digital has earned a higher percentage of my focus......well.....then I see no problem. I've done as much an anyone to spread the analog viewpoint due to it's experiential payoff. if digital can deliver more of that then good. and when I retire I won't need to multitask as much, which is what digital allows much easier than analog. so we will just have to see where that takes me.

[MylesBAstor]

Mark there is an analog analog of the DCP. How about vinyl lovers who complain about having to get up and change 45 rpm reissue more frequently!?!?

[Per Sundell]

Allow me a small friday rant ...
Too much convenience makes the soul lazy.
Not having to get up and change sides/records means that you are less likely to listen to a whole album.
That "next track" button is like sugar for a kid ...
"Digital convenience" means it is much too easy to just change the track if you hit even a microsecond of boredom.

Think of the superb stuff Vladimir Lamm makes and there are no remotes!
Guess he misses out on some business because he doesn´t offer remotes but bless him for that!

But to the subject again ...
Analog comes from the greek words ana (according to, referring to) & logos (word, speech, reason).
Vinyl has the same etymological root as Wine.
Digital just means finger.

[MylesBAstor]

I draw the line at remotes!

[Alrainbow]

Not one of you have commented on the obvious of the vast amount of digital music that is NOT available on anolog , much less how simple to purchase. And the best you people have besides the admitted sound is getting up from a couch.

[cpp]

So true, there is good music in all mediums.

[MylesBAstor]

Not one of you have commented on the obvious of the vast amount of digital music that is NOT available on anolog , much less how simple to purchase. And the best you people have besides the admitted sound is getting up from a couch.

Good point Al. And vice versa.

[david k]

As far as I can remember our friend has always been streaming digital files Mark, he's just tweaking it again.

I don't have a problem with CDs and listen regularly to the digital music I don't have in analog but streaming is a whole different thing. Personally I hate the entire computer/screen/search interface needed and even if I could ever deal with that I find the sound of streamed digital painful and boring but I do occasionally use pandora and youtube for searching and educational purposes. My soul is very safe from that DD.

david

[Alrainbow]

Dave inhale
exhale repeat. Lol.