Bits Are Bits, Right?

mkgus OP
Yes, digital only exists as a mathematical concept. All of reality is analog (at least the reality we deal with - at the scale of Planck time and Planck lengths things may be different). A stream of “digital” data is an analog signal that a computer has to interpret as a 1 or a 0 by deciding when the value has changed enough and at what time to be interpreted as a different bit.

>>>>No, actually reality is more like digital. At the quantum level, which is really where the rubber meets the road let me remind you, gentle readers, that everything can be described by its quantum state; electrons have certain quantum states and require a certain amount of energy to get to the next level/orbit. That is more like Digital than Analog, I.e., having non-continuous states. In an analog world the electrons would not have non-continuous orbits. Light also is described by quantum states. To whit,

“The photon model accounts for anomalous observations, including the properties of black-body radiation, that others (notably Max Planck) had tried to explain using semiclassical models. In that model, light is described by Maxwell’s equations, but material objects emit and absorb light in quantized amounts (i.e., they change energy only by certain particular discrete amounts). Although these semiclassical models contributed to the development of quantum mechanics, many further experiments[3][4] beginning with the phenomenon of Compton scattering of single photons by electrons, validated Einstein’s hypothesis that light itself is quantized.[5]”

Greg
The Orchid took some burning in to warm up to my ears and a change of IC but now, oh yes it's good, nay it's very good.
And I just have stock tube in it as awaiting arrival of the WE tube.

It's in my main rig where it contends with a record rig at least 4 times cost.

In my second system I just use a $50 Google Chromecast Audio puck that produces amazing SQ for what it is.

Imagine what $50 of total record replay equipment would look and sound like....

Uberwaltz - you’re right. I’m not being fair to the media. I personally believe that a computer has the greatest potential to sound best of all the mediums, however, computers are notoriously noisy environments and very few computer parts are built with maximizing audio quality in mind. A CD player is a type of computer, albeit one that sounds better, dollar for dollar, than what we typical call computers because they are simpler in nature and purposely built to sound good. Note that I said “potential,” and not “in practice.”

"Bits are bits and as long as the CD player can read them

Not really, the error correction is a constantly working part, if the error correction is working hard and guesses whether to throw a 0 or a 1 into the bits it can’t read, it’s got a 50% chance of getting it right, because it always subs the one it can’t read with whatever came before it.

Here are three closeups of an of the shelf "retail CD" (left) and a "burnt one" (middle) and a "re-writable one" (right)
Which do you think is going to give the more errors.
https://ibb.co/5nXB6bC

Same happens with streaming and with H/D stored stuff, there are always read errors to be substituted

Cheers George

Mkgus
Agreed on computer being noisy for audio playback, one reason never really used just a computer.
I use a dedicated streamer whose sole purpose in life is to stream hires music from either an online streaming service or an attached hard drive of some description.

You will likely find that’s the way majority do it who are looking for top flight SQ.

Btw my comment was not necessarily aimed at yourself, just in general.