I could not hear a difference between Analog and digital...... what gives ?
I always thought I could hear the difference between Analog and Digital. I have been looking to add another DAC to my 11 year old McIntosh D150 DAC, and a recent post here about Jethro Tull inspired me to pull out the two best versions of the Jethro Tull Aqualung album - the Mid 90's DCC Vinyl version and the Mid 90's DCC Gold CD. These were special Vinyl and CD from the same original master tape and mastering. Ian Anderson kept the master tape hidden for over a few decades before providing them for these DCC versions. Volume level is also almost exactly the same between the Vinyl and CD. I played both versions at the same time through the same pre-amp, amps, speakers - switching back and forth through out the whole album and I could not hear a difference between the analog or digital. They both sounded fantastic and exactly the same. What does this mean ? is this normal ? Has my hearing deteriorated ? Is it because both my Analog and Digital front ends are all McIntosh ? Is it because the DCC version of this Album could be from a digital file on both the vinyl & CD ? This whole episode has put a damper on my new DAC aquisition... I mean if I cannot tell the difference between Analog and Digital, then, who am I kidding with R2R, Delta Sigma, etc.... My system is posted under my signature, and as you will see I have very resolving speakers, so, I am not sure what to think... I would appreciate any feedback on this surprising experience. Thanks so much..
Surface noise varies greatly depending on quality or pressing and type of stylus. Your McIntosh gear also homogenizes pretty much everything that’s coming in. Not a bad thing per se but it makes it difficult to distinguish differences. In my system, unless it’s a really crappy vinyl, in most cases I can’t detect any surface noise while listening. This aside, I make every attempt to not compare streaming and vinyl. I try to enjoy |
If you're asking these kinds of questions, I offer the following: (a) your hearing has likely deteriorated, and short of having an audiologist evaluate and clean out your ear wax, probably nothing you can do about it, (b) in the long run, it's really not that important, and you should spend your time listening to music you enjoy, regardless of medium. |
Mcintosh dacs are not know to be that good Meaning you can upgrade your dac , USB cable Ethernet switch As well as a LPS from the router the $5 wall wart just adds More noice and some quality power cords .you can always do much better If you are willing to upgrade the complete circuit . I currently have the Swiss Top Merason dac and it is very Detailed and natural, and yes digital cable quality Make a sonic difference everything comes down To $$ .Being an Audiophile is always ongoing For most people. |
I had a nice $15k tt setup and sold it 5 or 6 years ago because my digital setup sounded better and a hell of less maintenance. I also had some nice 15ips r2r tape decks (Otari and Pioneer 900 series) and got rid of all of them. Hi res digital/dsd dac surpassed my analog gear. I sold all of my vinyl and tapes at the same time so no going back for me and have never regretted it. I also agree that McIntosh dacs aren’t that good compared to others for the same money, and there have been some breakthroughs in dacs in the past 5 or 6 years. My dac is 6 years old and just bought a new 1 with added features the other didn’t have. |
@rbstehno Did your (6 years?) newer DAC sound better, or did is it simply down to the features?
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