> >> Yes, and realize that there are still people who believe >>> vinyl records sound best and CDs are a fad. > >> And maybe they are not so far off track as it seems. Probably not >> because of the bad quality of the CD system, but because of the >> lousy recordings that have become standard over the last decade. > > >Check this out, also: >http://www.howstuffworks.com/question487.htm
While it is true that there are good points on both sides of the analog vs. digital argument, the web site page indicated above is heavily biased against digital. For instance, the diagram indicates that the output of a digital audio system will be a square shaped wave. In reality, the output will be smoothed and will much more closely resemble the original waveform than the diagram indicates. Also the site neglects to mention the main the main advantage of digital, the lack of further degradation as the digital signal is passed along. The site also neglects to mention the main downfall of analog, which is that each step of the process (transfer to vinyl, reading from the vinyl, pre-emphasis, and deemphasis applied to the recording) each degrade the signal. The site is quick to point out that digital has specific limitations (the sample rate and sample size of the digitization process) but neglects to mention that analog recording media also has limitations (frequency response, noise on the system, impurities in the vinyl, etc.) I am not trying to say that there aren't any advantages to analog, just that this web page presents a biased perspective. There are tradeoffs and advantages to both analog and digital. For many consumers, compact discs provide better quality than the consumer previously obtained from vinyl or tape. It may be possible that vinyl is capable of better quality than CD, but with typical consumer gear, CD's sound better. -Michael Fryd * **** ******* *********************************************************** * For list instructions, including unsubscribe, see: * http://www.a1.nl/phomepag/markerink/eos_list.htm ***********************************************************
