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Analog Versus Digital Put to the Test!

Michael Fremer  |  May 30, 2012

Last week I did a series of in-store appearances in Colorado, first at the Audio Alternative in Fort Collins, where I saw a record collection larger than mine. I was jealous! Also attending that event were AudioQuest's Joe Harley who presented a fascinating history of Blue Note Records. Joe is also a partner with Ron Rambach in Music Matters, the Blue Note reissue label that will probably soon branch out to reissue great recordings from other labels. Also attending was Audio Research's Dave Gordon and Richard Vandersteen. You can see some images here: here.

Next it was on to Denver's Listen Up! where there were too many other industry reps to list here, all demonstrating their gear to appreciative audiences. Then it was on to Listen Up! Colorado Springs and then Listen Up! Boulder.

Part of my presentation was to first play "live" "Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes" from a test pressing I received and then play it again from my computer from a 96/24 file I'd created using the MSB Platinum Studio A/D converter—thought by many to be the best or one of the best professional converters currently available.

At the Listen Up! events live playback consisted of a VPI Classic 2 turntable, a Lyra Kleos cartridge and a modestly priced Musical Fidelity M1 ViNYL phono preamplifier. So the comparison was between that "live" playback and digitized vinyl using the Continuum Caliburn turntable, Kuzma 4 Point arm, Lyra Atlas cartridge and Ypsilon VPS 100 phono preamp.

Virtually all of the attendees preferred the "live" vinyl to the digitized even though in many ways (dynamics, extension, background quiet,etc.) the digitized vinyl was superior.

The problem for all ears was a certain, sometimes difficult to describe quality to the digital presentation that ruined it for almost all of the listeners, including Roy Halee, the album's recording engineer, who supervised the reissue.

Roy had shown up in Boulder to say hello and see the presentation. What a thrill it was to talk about Graceland with Roy in attendance. Roy and all of the attendees thoroughly enjoyed Joe Harley's Blue Note Records presentation.

What I took away from the event was that if the source is analog, it will always sound better in analog even if the playback gear isn't as good as the gear used to produce the high resolution digital file!

But then, you already knew that!

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