Plato and Lugnut YOU ARE BOTH WRONG!!!!!!! Just kidding! You both make great points. I have been very very blessed to have landed some decent components over the years and I think you both have valid points (and believe me, I am NOT a politically correct person - I HATE that stuff - just be honest!). I have a decent digital front end and, at times, I feel like I could do without analog (more on this in a minute) - but then I come to my senses. But I go through phases where I listen to mainly digital for a week or two and then analog. When I then switch to analog and the recording is a good one, I think to my self "why do I need digital?" (No, I am not schizo, but I am weird!).
The reason I appear to be politically correct is that I have heard both formats sound incredible. Unlike Lugnut, I have an equal number of CDs and LPs because many of the albums I like are not available on LP. Therefore, I must have a CD front end to hear that stuff. While I do agree that well maintained turntables last a long time, digital probably could have some longevity of mechanical function, but the format has changed and improved so much over the last twenty years, many of us do not even have the same digital front end we had 3 years ago. I also think digital has closed the gap a lot in the last few years.
The bottom line? I like music and I enjoy both. I love the nostalgia and ritual of analog as well as the sound. I enjoy the convenience and availability of new software of digital as well as the sound. Done right, they can both sound great (with the edge to analog on the better recordings) and done wrong they can both sound like crap!
Just my $.02
PS - how come it costs $.02 to put MY thoughts in but only costs a penny for yours?
The reason I appear to be politically correct is that I have heard both formats sound incredible. Unlike Lugnut, I have an equal number of CDs and LPs because many of the albums I like are not available on LP. Therefore, I must have a CD front end to hear that stuff. While I do agree that well maintained turntables last a long time, digital probably could have some longevity of mechanical function, but the format has changed and improved so much over the last twenty years, many of us do not even have the same digital front end we had 3 years ago. I also think digital has closed the gap a lot in the last few years.
The bottom line? I like music and I enjoy both. I love the nostalgia and ritual of analog as well as the sound. I enjoy the convenience and availability of new software of digital as well as the sound. Done right, they can both sound great (with the edge to analog on the better recordings) and done wrong they can both sound like crap!
Just my $.02
PS - how come it costs $.02 to put MY thoughts in but only costs a penny for yours?