The quest


I have a question that may or not be easy to answer: are all efforts to improve digital music just a quest to achieve the quality of sound of the good and old LP? I keep reading expressions like "an almost analog quality" and similar things. Is digital sound just a more convenient means to store and play music that one day may reach the sound qualities of LPs, or we can reasonably expect one day to hear a really more natural ("better") sound from digital sources?
tvfreak
Funny, I don't hear any of the glaring errors spoken of when doing things via CDP. I guess they've come a long way, I'm very lucky, or I'm just plain tone deaf.
I don't think it's the latter.

As for PC digital, all I hear is problems with interfaces, cables, jitter and all sorts of interference, not to mention great debate as to which rate is best, fllters, etc.

One can point out obvious flaws inherent in any system when done wrong, but when done right, all bets are off. Blanket statements are nothing more than a ringing endorsement of nothing really, at all.

All the best,
Nonoise
Kinda agree with Charles ... for now. But I am receptive to what Steve says too. If computer hi rez becomes more user friendly for oldies like me, I might dip a toe in. Right now, too many acronyms, formats and techno-babble. I'm waiting.
Nonoise wrote,

"Funny, I don't hear any of the glaring errors spoken of when doing things via CDP. I guess they've come a long way, I'm very lucky, or I'm just plain tone deaf. I don't think it's the latter."

Everything is relative, I'm not saying you should hate your sound. It's only when you remove the errors you come to appreciate the errors. Kinda like Invasion of the Body Snatchers: There's a lot of resistance to change. :-)
I'm the first to admit that i'm not fond of change, especially after quite an investment in what I like, but I've been to audio shows where the latest and greatest in PC was being touted and it didn't sound any better than the rest of the exhibits. More or less the same save for the MSB room where I thought PC audio had equaled or surpassed vinyl until I found out that they were using the CDP part, spinning a disc.

Come to think of it, when at the PC rooms, they had that look in their eyes, like they all came from Santa Mira, and there was this guy outside in the halls, who looked like that actor Kevin McCarthy, screaming something about pods and not to listen.....:-)

All the best,
Nonoise
Nonoise - Here are a couple of rooms voted best of show at RMAF 2013 that used computers or servers:

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=120535.msg1267552#msg1267552

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=120535.msg1267553#msg1267553

Tyson and Jason are the most objective reviewers out there. The play multiple tracks each to compare systems in almost every room.

Steve N.
Empirical Audio