Why, oh why, does vinyl continue to blow away digital?

No, because you can go hear live, very talented players today live and understand what might be missing from either a recording or a system…you can triangulate which is the culprit by playing the same recording on many systems. You have no live template with electronic music and at least greatly reduced comparability with amplified instruments.
Understood. Triangulation is easier for me.
 
  • Like
Reactions: mtemur
Thank you - I hear similar with Chord MScaler. So to pursue this a little further - WHY is this? What critical thing is HQPLAYER doing, resulting in the improvements you hear, that other digital solution's aren't? Why does doing that/those things result in such improvements? And doesn't this imply that other digital solutions are therefore deficient? Again, these insights could well add some clarity to the the OP's question...

It is my understanding that the developer of HQPLAYER developed dynamic filters for the Finnish military to listen for Russian submarines. The special filters and techniques required for that type of military detection and surveillance have an application in extracting low level detail from recordings. But that is just the tip of the iceberg, Jussi Laako is one of the world’s foremost authorities in digital audio and has other contributions. What Jussi has developed is far superior to the MScaler. For instance, where MScaler upsamples just 16x, HQPLAYER offers options to upsample 512x with complex modulators. Where MScaler offers 1M taps 11th order, HQPLAYER now offers 16M taps 15th order. There are many ex-MScaler users now using HQPLAYER. While HQPLAYER offers PCM outputs, Jussi find the DSD output technically superior. HQPLAYER also deals with Apodization.. There are many different reasons to explain why HQPLAYER delivers greater sound quality from old and new recordings.
 
Can HQPlayer be used to upsample and filter, then save the file so.it can be played as say native, without added processes during playback
 
Agreed. No, they don't. They are still subjective perceptions. (Instead of "hard" facts I probably should have said objective facts.)

And you confuse the scientific process with subjective audio evaluation. Yet explaining the scientific process goes way beyond the scope of this thread, so I'll let it be.

They are fact for individual persons. These perceptions may or may not be shared by other persons. They are not hard, objective facts. That the sun rises every day is an objective fact.
Agreed, you are correct. In literal terms "subjective" refers to one's interpretations of sensory input. But when you refer to the scientific process you are limiting the scope of research.

As I understand it there are two types of research, Quantitative; whereby "objective" findings are evaluated statistically to determine facts, and Qualitative; where "human experience" is collected and evaluated to determine facts. My "subjective" findings fall into the later.

I am not claiming that digital sucks, only that analogue to vinyl sounds more real than digital to vinyl. This is based upon blind listening tests I conducted at my home. The blind listening test was set up to remove as many variables as possible, as follows:

Using the LP playback rig in my signature; I play one 33.3 RPM analogue source-to-LP (a lacquer by Supersense) of Marvin Gaye: "What's Going On", followed by the Mobile Fidelity 45 RPM DSD source One-Step Ultradisc vinyl of Marvin Gaye: "What's Going On" (or visa versa). The listeners are not told which is playing, just listen to the one track on one then listen to the same track on the other vinyl (volume adjusted to be a close as possible between the two). After listening, the listeners are asked which sounds more real, which do they prefer and why. I collate the information and reported the outcome. In every case but one, the preference (and most "real" award) went to the analogue to lacquer. I must declare that the outlier said before the blind listening test that he preferred the sound of digital over analogue. He was not asked which he preferred, nor was anyone else attending these listening tests, he just announced it.

If we accept that the outlier with a stated preference for the sound of digital over analogue was being honest throughout, and not trying to skew the results for whatever reasons, then we must conclude that people must hear sound differently so that what sounds unreal to some may sound the opposite to others.

My apologies for not clarifying that I was talking about Qualitative Research when speaking of "subjective" findings, thank you for putting me straight.
I have also not ridiculed those who prefer the sound of AAA. If you think I did, you are free to point us to a post where you think this was the case.
91: arguments in favour of vinyl aren't very good...among the very worst; the popularity of vinyl today-most of which is digitally sourced "for crying out loud".
238: Funny that it is mostly certain vinyl enthusiasts who want to impose their subjective perceptions and preferences onto others and show the superiority of their tastes that should be shared by everyone.

Getting something right is not the same as perfection. There is no perfection in high-end audio. For me personally, as well as many others, digital has gotten to a point where it can provide a highly engaging and enjoyable listening experience, which in terms of believability can compete with high-quality vinyl playback.

I agree.
 
There are many different reasons to explain why HQPLAYER delivers greater sound quality from old and new recordings.
Thanks again. Less interested in MScaler vs HQPlayer here, but rather prefer to focus on WHY these solutions might sound better than “vanilla” digital as that is most relevant to the topic.
 
  • Like
Reactions: gleeds
Can HQPlayer be used to upsample and filter, then save the file so.it can be played as say native, without added processes during playback

HQPLAYER is a real time processing tool. HQPLAYER Pro is an offline tool that will do what you stated. NativeDSD uses HQPLAYER Pro to develop their high rate DSD recordings.
 
Thanks again. Less interested in MScaler vs HQPlayer here, but rather prefer to focus on WHY these solutions might sound better than “vanilla” digital as that is most relevant to the topic.
You got your answer.
 
You got your answer.
Partly. There was a description of the HOW, but am really looking to understand the technical problems with “vanilla” digital that HQPlayer is addressing…. The WHY, if you like. Is it just addressing, in its own way, the “reconstruction problem” that Rob Watts describes, and/or something else?
 
Partly. There was a description of the HOW, but am really looking to understand the technical problems with “vanilla” digital that HQPlayer is addressing…. The WHY, if you like. Is it just addressing, in its own way, the “reconstruction problem” that Rob Watts describes, and/or something else?
Why don’t you post your question directly on the HQPLAYER thread at AudiophileStyle so that Jussi, username Miska, can answer it directly?
 
Why don’t you post your question directly on the HQPLAYER thread at AudiophileStyle so that Jussi, username Miska, can answer it directly?
Thanks. Will do some digging.
 
I see there is also PGGB


Another software solution that promises better sound quality from digital.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Alrainbow
I actually pointed out how the only way of determining the degree of “realness” between two systems is by a subjective process because there are no machines that can measure such.
Sorry, I misunderstood your post.
 
I guess I should go back and read your previous entry’s to see if you too are totally biased.
Please do if you want to waste your time and investigate / play detective but I will provide the spoiler alert. I agree with your opinion. Have no bias on the A v D sound quality issue. My vote is to simply enjoy the music regardless of the media and don't get upset or take it personally if another person disagrees with your viewpoint. But I must admit that I find your (and others) useless quibbling to be very unnecessary and quite childish. And please go "argue" with someone else. Have a wonderful day.
 
Last edited:
Yes, PGGB is an offline solution. The beauty of HQPLAYER is that it does the processing in real-time.
Yes/no. My server makes noise upsampling. Its not designed for it. Most "Servers" don't have the capability to install 3rd party software. Being able to use a general use PC to upsample and store a file is a much better option for myself.
 
  • Like
Reactions: MarkusBarkus
Please do if you want to waste your time and investigate / play detective but I will provide the spoiler alert. I agree with your opinion. Have no bias on the A v D sound quality issue. My vote is to simply enjoy the music regardless of the media and don't get upset or take it personally if another person disagrees with your viewpoint. But I must admit that I find your (and others) useless quibbling to be very unnecessary and quite childish. And please go "argue" with someone else. Have a wonderful day.
Point taken
 
Oh man... The OP was simply pointing out that since lately, his TT rig & vinyl has provided more enjoyment compared to the digital rig. He just wanted to share the experience, that's all!

And now we have a conflict, arguments left & right, people slapping each other silly, bold statements and ultimatums... is this behaviour really all that necessary?
Jee wiz maties, just get along and most of all, enjoy those fine tunes!

Who cares if one fornat is better than the other, just enjoy the music. We already have plenty of wars, corporate crimes, natural disasters and all sorts of other shenanigans... it's really disappointing to see all this bickering amongst a tiny group, when we could all be far more civil and respect each other's views. After all, isn't that the purpose of this forum? To learn from other's experiences and share our very own. Very sad to see this thread going in a negative way.

In fact, getting back to the OP's experience on vinyl, I can certainly relate to that. Especially with good recordings. Same goes with digital, well recorded material is played back with highest Fidelity and that's what it's all about. Nothing else really. So no point in pulling your hair out.

Enjoy the music much as possible whiles you can. We only have one life, make the best of it!
Cheers, RJ
 

About us

  • What’s Best Forum is THE forum for high end audio, product reviews, advice and sharing experiences on the best of everything else. This is THE place where audiophiles and audio companies discuss vintage, contemporary and new audio products, music servers, music streamers, computer audio, digital-to-analog converters, turntables, phono stages, cartridges, reel-to-reel tape machines, speakers, headphones and tube and solid-state amplification. Founded in 2010 What’s Best Forum invites intelligent and courteous people of all interests and backgrounds to describe and discuss the best of everything. From beginners to life-long hobbyists to industry professionals, we enjoy learning about new things and meeting new people, and participating in spirited debates.

Quick Navigation

User Menu

Steve Williams
Site Founder | Site Owner | Administrator
Ron Resnick
Site Co-Owner | Administrator
Julian (The Fixer)
Website Build | Marketing Managersing