Listening to digital and analog

Melm,

 Interesting discussion.
 I do agree that on my system, the analog side is more convincing to me.  Through the years, when one side, analog or digital, got too far ahead of the other side, I poured time and money into equaling things out.  I’m at a point now where I really do enjoy both, and if truth be told,  (for whatever reasons) I listen more to digital than analog.  And I do have a sense of reality therein.  
BUT. when I play a record, even though the digital seemed convincing, I hear more texture and space. And, I just have to convince myself when streaming or playing a disc that it’s just as real, even though the sonic signatures are different.
Where we disagree, is on the reason for this.  After many, many years listening and experimenting, I think the sonic nature is inherent in the media.  You are convinced the difference ls due to the quality of the equipment used in each.
Maybe we’re both right!

@rvpiano

but does that mean it’s not possible to enjoy digital sound?

This is your personal subjective opinion not supported by the robust sales of digital gear, media, and streaming. If you’re asking can one enjoy their digital audio as much as analog is also highly subjective AND it depends on the quality of your audio chain.

Although the audio quality of digital components are growing rapidly, the sound approaches analog at significantly higher price points such as MSB, dCS, Soulution, Lampi, etc. The cheapest “analog sounding” DACs I’ve found is the $10K Mojo Mystique or the $15k APL Hi-FI DSD-SR mk2 (this DAC was designed to sound analog).  

Maybe you’ll enjoy a tube DAC, like the $3k PrimaLuna EVO 100 Tube DAC, better than your current component.

glad both camps of creators seek to best the other…..some of us continue to invest in digital, the LP and high speed tape and enjoy the music, very rarely available….wait for it……on all three formats….

Music lover and Audiophile…

Digital is more picky on quality of speaker and amplifier but when your system is setup up correctly with the necessary components and speakers both are magic and you just pick the best recordings on either format and enjoy.

@tomic601

and high speed tape 

Ha- I’m barely surviving building my analog+digital chains.  Adding R2R plus tape media would not pass WAF and my bank account.  Survival trumps audio bliss.