Worth pursuing analog sound from digital?


Hi all,

I recently acquired a PS audio Nuwave dac which has eliminated most of the digital harshness compared with my old dac but it's still not as smooth and harsh-free like vinyl. I was wondering if it's worth pursuing that analog sound from digital without spending a fortune and if it's even possible. I know lots of digital lovers will say digital can be as good as vinyl but is it really?   
jaferd

Showing 2 responses by mayoradamwest

Everyone here keeps saying that the more expensive (and higher resolution), the closer they get. I have found the exact opposite. On my budget systems ($500 TT, $500 DAC), they sound fairly similar due to limitations in the pre-amp, amp, and speakers. As I upgraded my system (DAC went 500 -> 1000 -> 2500 -> 8000, TT went 500 -> 4000 -> 20,000), the differences became more apparent. Especially when comparing high resolution (like Qobuz) vs a brand new pressing. The results are always the same. Albums recorded in the last 20 years sound better on digital, albums before that sound better to me on vinyl. In no situation do they sound the same, though.
So what you’re saying is, you don’t have a turn table to compare with, so you’ll just assume your DAC setup is better. Got it. Im sure glad you told us that story about how awesome your class D amp is though.