PBS Wired Science program Analog vs Digital

[zapnspark]

This is strictly FYI.

This interesting video appeared on a PBS series called "Wired Science"

http://www.pbs.org/kcet/wiredscience...dio_files.html

I doubt that this will do anything to settle the heated arguments about analog vs digital recordings.

ZAP

[Pano]

Interesting test. They were all just guessing.

But we know very little about the test - except that it was set up by Digidesign.

[heyitsmedusty]

Just as you would need a HD TV to see an HD signal, you need very refined speakers to hear the differences in dynamic range, frequency response, and any other benefit to be had from analog. I think they should have been using speakers instead of headphones (headphones don't really "image," they just puts the sound in your head.) Even then, they didn't mention what headphones were being used.

I really do think that lossless digital files can approach the same sound quality of an analog source, but as long as digital reproductions use sampling they will never reproduce the original recorded analog sound perfectly, technically speaking. When you convert digital data to analog sound waves, it's like making a painting by connecting the dots. And no matter how many dots you give the digital decoder (DAC) to connect, it can never be as technically accurate as something that is fed the actual waves (such as records, tapes.)

I agree that our ears may not be refined enough to hear the difference all the time, but for me there is something to be said about the psychoacoustics of just KNOWING that information is there for my ears to pick up if they're up to it.

-Dusty