100% TRUTH !! ANALOG vs DIGITAL.. PROOF !! THERE IS NO ARGUMENT !!

Dang if people did not want to make my last 2 vids about Analog vs Digital. Not at all what I was saying as my main point. I guess I have to spell it out for people stuck in the fight and not understanding there is no battle for me whatsoever. Some people just love to hate another and will absolutely not listen nor hear the message because they cant see past their own righteousness.
There is absolutely NO WAY to compare the difference between Analog and digital from a sonic standpoint, there are FAR too many variables...
There is absolutely ZERO argument, that Digital is a FAR more efficient and convenient method for audio playback. This is an absolute.
There is NO absolute in terms of which "sounds better" and that was NEVER my point. Im not that far retarded.. (Only slightly) to make such a ridiculous assertion. Problem is some of you dont like my style yet I speak TRUTH so you must find a way to make me "wrong" .... So you push your narrative as if this were Politics which is so clear and evident... Grown men brought to mice bickering in Social Media.
And you wonder why Im cynical and jaded ?? LOL.... Why I make fun of how people act on public forums ?? This is why....

[@realworldaudio]

Mikey, that's so right! For people entering audio, digital is the absolute safest way to go. For vinyl, it all depends on the record you get. It's not "vinyl" and we are done. One has to go through a number of copies, issues, re-issues, etc to find the absolute gems. You have to become a conoisseur of labels, pressings, stampers, etc.... without that it's a stab-in-the-dark process. As a beginner, one has enough difficulty to build a rig... Cheers, Janos

[@Thevikingcam]

Indeed, first CDs vere extremely poorly made. Also the DACs weren't at the level of todays DACs. I have really hefty set of 4000€ headphones and 4000€ DAC plus 1500€ headphone AMP to really make the room disappear. I took the set to friend who has 15.000€ turntable. I made him to sit down and listen to the DAC. Then we plugged in the turntable to the AMP. He just could not believe what he did hear. The sound from DAC was just so much more detailed and the instrument separation was "of the hook". And how clean the sound was to compared to the turntable. He did next day order the same DAC that i had.

[@Born2gun77]

I love your content and honesty on this issue....inferior format that needs special pressing and ungodly amounts of expensive components just to get it to the same level of clarity of digital?? Spot on my good man!!

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

Thanks !

[@theaustralianconundrum]

My father is 91 and his music source is a $100 portable DAB clock radio. LOL He loves it. @@OCDHIFiGuy

[@carlsitler9071]

I started listening to vinyl in the '60s. New dac seperates make music sound better than I have ever heard. Clarity, details, hit, decay, seperation, soundstage, low noise floor are all shockingly better today. I loved vinyl and tape in the '70s and I love digital today.

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

Rock on!

[@jonathandavis9507]

Not to mention the amount of terrible vinyl pressings these days.

[@highrantdistrict]

Love the conversation, but the last few seconds of this video is an absolute gem. Always good to let loose and have some fun! Cheers, Tom

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

Thanks Tom !!

[@derekviveiros2628]

that was great lol

[@firebladeclements]

In the 80's I had a linn sondeck and a thousand albums, now I physically have 0 albums but all available. So I'm with you Mikey 100%!

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

So much easier.... THX

[@jazzlouise]

Mickey I have had this conversation so many times with people. My brother has a recording studio with a Neve 48 channel board, mic pre amps and analog and digital outboard gear and Neuman vintage mics modified by Klaus Heyne. The recording studio is a real room with high ceilings and the control room that uses DSP to get a flat frequency response. All of this goes into Pro Tools. Practically no one goes to tape anymore, why? It's too time consuming, limiting, costly and musicians don't have any money. They all think they can do the same job in their bedroom studio with crappy microphones and bad acoustics. As you mentioned to get even close to a live performance you need a 1) a good song 2) musicianship 3) a good room with excellent microphones 4) a good recording engineer 5) someone that can mix properly 6) a good mastering engineer. This doesn't even include someone as a "producer" that bring it all together to get the best possible artistic and engineered performance. I am so over vinyl.

[@Brian-qg8dg]

Doesn't the digital gear he is talking about that is so much better than vinyl cost like $25k? At those cost levels, everything better make you smile and rejoice, but it won't. Obviously, you still cant make a bad digital master great. So having digital and analog is still certain.

[@Brian-qg8dg]

Oh yeah, some recording in a bedroom actually sounds more authentic to the live performance than when there are a bunch of people who don't play involved in every aspect of the recording and mixing. It may technincally sound better, but then it sounds similar to other produced muis and no longer sounds like what the band actually sounds like. Over production is still serious crime

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

Well there it is again... from someone with professional experience... These are interesting conversations ...

[@jazzlouise]

@@OCDHIFiGuy I would suggest that if people want to get into the live vs recorded format debate, acoustic music would be the reference point. Anything with amplification is a whole different ballgame. Acoustic recording in digital and tape at the same time would be a fair comparison.

[@ToolsAndI]

It's funny, at the beginning of this video I was thinking your point could also apply to cables and by the end of the video you touched on the subject. I recently made a comment on a video about cables where I mentioned the company who in my opinion is making the best BUDGET oriented cables out there. Immediately there were people calling their products "junk" and I turned around to use the example of recording studios using brands like Mogami or Canare among others and not those mega expensive boutique brands. Cables are important and they do make a difference but beyond certain point it simply becomes nonsense. Anyway, I totally agree with you on this subject; I never heard of Playback Designs but will certainly check them out and maybe the next improvement step I take on my system is replacing my Benchmark Dac3 for a Playback Design.

[@mikegemmati8658]

Mikey, when you and Jay listened to music together, it was summarized that he likes everything on that music file for better or worse, while you preferred the more pleasure approach to listening to music (or words to this effect). Well, listening to vinyl takes just expands on your preference. It just sounds more pleasing to the ear. Whether that’s from even order distortions or whatever, it doesn’t matter. It just sounds more pleasing to many people out there. I’ve A/B’d flac files to vinyl (albeit without the level of Dac that you have, but very respectable nonetheless ). Initially, flac sounds better as you analyze the pieces, but the longer I listened, the more I preferred vinyl. Vinyl didn’t give me listening fatigue after an hour like digital did. The sum of the parts just didn’t add to the whole when all is said and done. There’s a void in the sound somewhere in the midrange when compared that I can’t put my finger on. I don’t personally know anyone who seriously listens to vinyl and thinks that digital sounds better, LONG TERM. I have no dog in this race, but this has been my conclusion. Both sound great but vinyl brings out more emotion in me when listening to music. Yes, there’s more involved with vinyl playback, but that’s part of the charm. It involves ME. Having said all that, I have a serious headphone rig and for that, I listen to digital files for the convenience and I let my choice of headphones give me added pleasure.

[@dilbyjones]

I'm all about no listening fatigue.

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

@Mike Genmati Your post fits into my position with Jay... My DAC is like Vinyl, in that you can listen to it for days with no fatigue...

[@skularatna8136]

@@OCDHIFiGuy yeah mike but your dac costs 24k.. not many people can afford a dac of that capability. And vinyl is about the tangible experience of listening and enjoying just like folks still buy books and magazines despite them all now being online.

[@skularatna8136]

100% agreed I have a really good dac stream a lot in tidal but whenever I put on vinyl it just takes me into a different emotional experience

[@bradt.3555]

I agree, the fatigue factor nails it. I still feel something gets lost in the AD/DA process. There's something much more relaxing about something that's all analog, even if the digital is closer in sound to the original analog master. Bernie Grundman explains it pretty well. It's about the digital having trouble with the very hi freq. super lo level harmonics and transients, they get lost and it makes it feel very different.

[@michaelpowell4823]

Took one conversation with a Mastering Engineer for me to never touch vinyl. Being that they have to master differently for a vinyl pressing (taking away information in low/high octaves) it can never be accurate to live music. You can not take information away and call it as good as live. Completely agree that collecting physical forms is a hobby; I still go looking for used CDs (put put them on my server as soon as I get home) and will always have a CD player for the nostalgia aspect used when I want to sit and listen to an album in its whole but streaming is just way too good (and I only have an Aurender/Schiit Gungnir multi-bit); still savings for the ultimate Playback Designs MPS

[@Brian-qg8dg]

Your human ears are not perfect either. And limitations on vinyl is what makes the engineers actually do their fuckin job. Maybe that's why people like it so much. Maybe because the mastering engineer can't simply crank up the volume as loud as they want. Maybe we don't need bass that a guy with 12 subwolfers in a truck wants. Maybe we don't need to hear a soft passage being so exposed to our ears.

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

Great name ! AND you ride bikes too ? Doppelganger ???

[@michaelpowell4823]

​@@Brian-qg8dg Can see a nerve was pricked there. Mastering Engineers literally take away octaves from instruments because the needle/pre-amp of turn tables can not read them properly. They do it so you can hear what the playback mechanism is capable of producing. You can love vinyl all you want. I love music and if a conductor wants an oboe to play I want to hear what it is playing not 7/8 of what it plays, or piano/violin/bass/clarinet etc... There are many instruments which get octaves taken away when mastering for vinyl. Obviously everyone's ears are different; everyone wants different things from their systems. To each their own; I shared the reason why I (repeat I) didn't bother with vinyl. Where did I tell others do as I?

[@joesmith4443]

@@michaelpowell4823 however, modern (digital) mastering that’s really, really bad and probably the biggest problem with modern mastering and has hurt digital is over-processing, over-multitracking, dynamic compression, over-plugin, loudness wars, etc, etc, etc you name it. At least in the analog days there were limitation to the mastering and now it’s kids who grew up on MP3 player mixing and mastering on protools and clipping the 💩 out of their music to push the limiters and compression to the top of the 0 db. That’s one advantage of vinyl now is that it’s mastered “better” since the needle would skip all over the place if they over-processes and over-produced the mix and masters. This is why people today believe it “sounds” better than digital which it doesn’t but do to the crappy mastering it doesn’t sound as good. That’s my two cents anyway!

[@louissilvani1389]

I just collect originals from back in the day but what you’re saying makes a lot of sense If it’s just for the music then buy this CD with a good converter But my passion is for originals Thanks for your input

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

You are the exception to the rule Louis !

[@derekviveiros2628]

Thats what he said, if you like the collection angle then its for you

[@GBCR]

Most of the discussions revolve around playback; i.e. a performance originally recorded "anologly" and later digitized. In this way we're comparing apples to apples (but, like you say, even from the master point on there are many variables.) It has spiraled into madness, SMFH.... In reality, there isn't such think as digital sound or photography; only the storage is done digitally, but we don't hear or see numerically; the numerical information is re-converted to analog signal (sound or electromagnetic waves), so it's almost moot.

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

Very True... ;-)

[@bombers7878]

Great point. Comparisons with photography are very appropriate!

[@davebarrow9954]

spot on. I'm 56, been collecting vinyl since I had a paper route. selling it all for the May DAC (can't afford playback).

[@carmy1878]

Mike i trust you as you are a very competent in this sector though i buy what my ears say. I started with digital music using excellent DACs until i realized that a VPI prime 21 reproduced the exact same track much better than an APL DAC. I could not believe how more dynamic and liveable the music was with the turntable. I'm now starting to enter into the vinyl world without leaving the digital music of course.

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

Which APL DAC ? Plus my point is its not necessary to do both. For instance my Tape sounds best, but Id never take it serious for listening. Too much time wasted..

[@justinparkman3585]

The problem with vinyl is trying to get good quality second hand original copys that play without being worn out and full of distortion iv gave up and now trying to get the best out of cd to my budget.

[@garykarczewski6678]

Just watched a great post regarding this post. The bottom line to his point, there is more to listening to music than speed and media format. It's not about speed and technology all the time and there is no debunking of either. It is the experience of what one appreciates and enjoys. He said you and Jay have the most cold and uninviting listening rooms he has seen on KZbin. It looks like a plethora of electronic gear verses a room that says, come in and enjoy.

[@brucecrum4467]

I now watch you before I workout better than any pre workout I’ve every used

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

LOL, You win comment of the day !! ROFL...

[@MhallProductions]

Mikey, the music person in me agrees 100% in what your saying, but the audiophile hobbyists in me motivates me to enjoy the nostalgia. Vinyl which I personally can say on occasion can rival DSD played through my streamer. Reel to Reel, cassette deck, minidisc, and I even had a pioneer 8 track which I sold with a pioneer spec system. I enjoy everything about collecting or restoring a piece of vintage audio gear. I’m still collecting vinyl but I listen more to Tidal and Qubuz streaming with Audirvāna. I don’t agree with everything you say but I respect your options and “ Choose to watch you and stay subscribed. Thanks for your continued contribution in this wonderful hobby and lovers of sound

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

I totally get the vintage allure and collectability aspect and I love it for that... again, like my title states, there is NO Argument... There is NO Better way.... They are BOTH great.... One has a lot less liability time and cost involved.

[@frankpic]

I found OCD Mikey by accident when I was searching for any info on some Chinese 845 amps I own. I watched a few videos and honestly thought the guy was nuts and dismissed him almost immediately. I returned only to see if he had ever upgraded the amps in question. He never did and actually made a comment that he was not dealing with any Chinese equipment moving forward. Too bad as some of the equipment is really good and more importantly so are the people. I do find what Mikey says as being both refreshing and honest. His recent videos around the vinyl, digital, analog topics are good examples. He's spot on and paints the framework well so that each of us can define our position with more information and less nonsense. Keep up the great work and A+ for following your beliefs, and not caving for the mass-influence. Keep up the good work.

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

Thanks Frank, please for the record.....Ive got some close Chinese Clients/Friends and they HATE their government with a fury.. I back the People of China NOT the Govt, so I do not support the Communists that hurt the people and pollute the globe.. This is my contention... not anything more.. I am about UNITY between cultures, races, creeds, religions, etc... I dont support countries with Human Rights horrors... Thanks for the support !!

[@frankpic]

a@@OCDHIFiGuy We are perfectly aligned. Thanks for responding.

[@fairenoughthenwhat]

@@OCDHIFiGuy If your talking about nations with human rights horrors, go no further than the USA. I support the people of USA but not the Govt, either Dems or Republicans. They are both bought and paid for by the same organisations and have led their nation (and mine, ie. Australia) to a series of potentially catastrophic situations we really could have avoided. The mainstream media is also bought and paid for to the point where judging other (eg. Eurasian) nations is inevitable but generally misguided.

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

@@frankpic You bet Brother ! Cheers !

[@DrBroncanuus]

is it fair to say digital is more dynamic so can go higher / lower than analog as the needle can only go so high before it jumps out of the groove ?

[@jongriffin2608]

While a fascinating effort, and yes I listened intently, and understood the reasoning, I feel you’ve assumed that sound quality is measured objectively, rather than subjectively. To tackle this as simply as possible, when you plug a Gibson Les Paul guitar into an amp, you’ll like it for a variety of reasons that will divide people depending on what they associate with a good sound. Music played off vinyl and then through an amp of choice is, ultimately choosing a guitar and amp. I think guitars sound better through tube amps and I think music playback just works through vinyl like a les paul through a Marshall stack, its a classic combo. The second point is that I think that convenience is an overated experience. Having everything to hand, controlled from a tablet, with accessible liner notes in theory is an improvement, but in practice it simply means you spend even more time staring at a screen, when thats what we do all day long already. Analog, is as much an opportunity to feed the soul with something not digital, as it can be a sonic preference. I know young people who against our best intuitions of the pre-Spotify era, who are bored by convenience and its supposed added value. The bizarre thing is, that materialism is making a come back, and people are making an association with inconvenience with deeper satisfaction, or earned gains. Finally, as a producer of music for the last 25 years, and one who is as equally fascinated by the debate that follows plugins vs hardware for making music, I regard your analogy of performers, engineers and mix engineering making the real difference in end product sort of half true. I see it more that if the same great engineers working with the same great musicians were to use hardware, rather than digital plugins, the results would be much more satisfying. Sure, a good engineer can make anything work but unless there is some stylistic reason to use digital, I think analog hardware would sound richer, more extended and be more emotional to listen back to. If I can also add that I think interaction with analog, will steer a person in more creative directions, especially during the production phase because it seems to make more options sonically viable. Now I know you are being specific to playback but I think its just something about that analogy that I don’t feel is representative of a view that can then not be challenged. Personally, while I think that digital can sound entirely like a different beloved format, its more how the output hits emotionally, not necessarily how perfect the output is sonically.

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

OK, we can be friends... LOL. You are a level headed strong communicator. I absolutely agree.. With most of it.. For me at my age, time is precious and I love to be outside. I wish to listen to music and not spend time with the media and playback apparatus. Ill "waste" my time on a Motorcycle or on a hike, fishing, Scuba Diving, Golfing, on and on.. Plugins = Yuck.. I dont use DSP to tune my rig either.. I prefer passive analog tuning in the room. I get the Vinyl thing.. Just not for me..

[@kennethbrettell2105]

Does digital music have a complete record catalog of records? I mean there are so many rare obscure unusual unknown vinyl items out in circulation and in collections. How could everything be available? Additionally, is the new systems of reproduction a higher standard than the CD?

[@nyquist5190]

Of course the digital catalogue is not complete and never will be. Then again - starting from the 80s - there is a massive amount of recordings on cd which will never be released on vinyl. Standard cd absolutely wipes the floor with anything vinyl has to offer - when it comes to preserving the purity of the original analog signal.

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

No, theres not everything Vinyl on Digital. If this is important to you then you buy a TT and collect records. ;-)

[@kennethbrettell2105]

@@OCDHIFiGuy thank you!

[@vmpty]

Mikey, hello from Brazil! What is your personal preference for streamer and software to play music?

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

OY ! Tudo Beng ? Virgilio, Pretty much any streamer that is $4K or less will get the job done. The key is to get one with does NOT put noise on to the data line. So look for one with a USB output card, rather than USB off the motherboard (Noisy) Software, Im not so sure about. ROON is most popular, but I dont like the company. I hear Daphile is very high quality ... I still use ROON because its ease of use but its not the best sounding one. I still connect with the music however, and thats why I keep using it for now.... Hope this helps !

[@Ryan-rn3cf]

I listened to an interesting interview with mastering engineer Glen Schnick (hope I spelled that right) where he explained that the lathes used for cutting vinyl are like 70 years old. They have a copper wire that is very easy to break. When that happens it needs to be rewound and costs $12,000 to do so. There were only 2 people in the US qualified to fix this copper wire. It’s a difficult process. One of those 2 people have since passed away. Basically no one cutting vinyl is willing to take the extra steps to really make a great sounding record because of the chance of breaking this copper wire thing. Obviously I have no idea if that’s true but it would make a lot of sense.

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

I know Glen... Schick ... he bought 2 of my Amplifier designs for use in his studio and used my Silver foil cables because he "had to EQ less" for his masters in his words.. Glen moved away and Colin Leonard (his old business partner) of Sing Mastering is now my Local mastering guy.... :-)

[@Random-kq4pz]

Good damage control for you earlier video that brought so much heat.

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

Its nuts what people think Im saying .... I think many of them simply read the title and comment without watching... its pretty obvious...

[@michaelharrington75]

Was there a "mastering" process in the 60's? I don't think I've ever heard or read about George Martin sending Beatles recordings to be mastered. I think they just did the mixing, EQing, made sure the volume of each song was about the same, made some reference notes for cutting, and sent the msster tapes over to Harry or Hazel in the cutting department?

[@michaelharrington75]

I believe you answered my question in the video at around 14:30. The person cutting the album had to do their magic in that process in order to make it sound good on the vinyl record, and that was the equivalent to the mastering process today?

[@Irisda1st]

Thank the algorithm gods for letting me find your channel! Now do I buy and SACD player or go with a DSD dac?

[@elitetrader5468]

What type of music do you listen to?

[@Irisda1st]

@@elitetrader5468it’s eclectic: rap to classical and everything in between ergo I went with a DAC.

[@bikdav]

What I found personally is the difference between live verses recorded is huge. I record church audio and video. I found that recorded media CANNOT rival the actual live event. That said, I found that even “simple” digital recording is much less trouble the old analog tape.

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

There ya go.... I get that from all the recording guys..

[@derekviveiros2628]

Love your approach. I have a question. I did a very tiny version of going in and then coming out again. It was logical to see that there are so many variables in all of this. There's also the variable of our own ears! The structure, the hearing capacity etc. Here's what I've come to and I'd like your opinion on it. There's always give and take, but for me, with most of the music that is for sitting down and appreciating it deeply, I like the laid back 'smooth' 'rich' vocals, with the least amount of harshness, and the most of that 'live', 'magic' feel, like unamplified music type. I think my previous tube integrated was the best I've had so far. But what the hell do I know, I didn't compare very many things in my own space. I can't control if the recording wasn't done right, but I listen to music I like, not that was recorded well. So with that in mind and all the other variables, I try to go for all the qualities listed above. Yes, for some more hip hop/dance stuff I'll lose a bit of the speed, punch etc. But that's the sacrifice I'm willing to make. Seems to me theres two types of objectives: 1) Making your rig sound a certain way based on qualities of the sound 2) Making it sound as 'true to the original' recording as you can. Eg, I sat down in the sweet spot of a 150k rig , listened to some elvis on the newer 'audiophile' record (songs that I've heard a million times) and yes it had certain qualities that were very impressive, but overall it didn't make me feel the emotion. To my estimation it was that it was too harsh and too detailed. Lacked that smoothness that I like. What are your thoughts on this? Is there something that I'm missing with this way of thinking?

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

Derek, you have good instinct and you trust your intuition. You hit a core principal truth with your awareness. No matter gow "Good" a system sounds, if it does not connect you with the music, it has zero value to a true Music person. People are not taught to "feel" for the realism or to connect to the music on an intimate emotional level, but rather be enamored by bright lights and shiny buttons and otherwise outward displays of material acquisition. It's the De evolution of society right before our very eyes. It shuttles part of our beloved HiFi to the Whore house...as there are manufacturers that understand this digression... problem is it sells .... so it proliferates. I prefer to stand against mainstream narrative and speak and sell to the people who want thier spirits fed.. Holler and say hello anytime. I can answer any questions you may have.... Best !

[@derekviveiros2628]

@@OCDHIFiGuy Thank you, nice to hear validated in my instincts. Interesting connection you're making between the hifi world and society, I suppose that's inevitible with any industry if the people within it are part of society. Crazy, but we must stand for good! Thanks for offering to answer questions! My living room in my condo is 11 ft or so one way with walls. The other way is about 12 feet with windows on one side, and a kitchen island on the other side. I currently have Wharfdale Denton 80th bookshelves, and a Yamaha CA-1010 integrated. It needs a bit of channel work, but the aux works much better than the phono. This was a 'get me by' set up after I downgraded from primaluna dialogue tube amp and usher be-718, Rega dac. It was really nice, but it was too bloaty and made the room chaotic and I needed some cash at the time. Now I'm trying to plan my next rig. I like the idea of a SET amp considering my room and from what people and yourself say about it, sounds like it's more for people like 'us' who care more about the soul of the music. I could be romanticizing it lol, I haven't heard. Based on what you know of me and my room, what would you suggest for a $4000-5000 budget? Ok, the other thing that I've learned about my love of hifi is how I like the looks. I like it to look great in my living space. My previous setup did that for me too, which really adds to the joy of the whole experience. So looks really matter to me. It's similar to the connection to the music, I have a connection to design.

[@issadad]

Ok then, as a newbie, I'd like to use an SACD player as my source. Is there one you can recommend for $3k or less? Is there a Playback Designs unit I could use? Thanks.

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

Thats a very low price... Look for used Esoteric or TEAC

[@issadad]

@@OCDHIFiGuy Thanks, Mikey. Any particular models? The ones I see around used are from 2009-2012 -- are those still better than, say, a brand new, Marantz 30N or McIntosh 350?

[@lesarnolfinis6775]

Has there never been a live performance recorded with the aim or producing a high end digital master and separately a high end analog master and played back in top digital and analog system for comparison?

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

Not that I know of. The worlds top Recording engineers no longer record in Analog. At all....

[@shingdaz]

concept> mixing and mastering a modern track does not take into account the analogue PRINCIPLES that make audio sound non fatigueing to the ears, when these mixing mastering principles are removed, then the final digital master will not sound good. In order to bring vynil qualty princples to digital> they have to master it with analogue principles. The main problem is that once a mixing mastering engineer start to use those analogue princples…the mix can sound weak without much density to it, especially for electronic music etc…this results in the track sounding small on certain gear…to alleviate this they need to use digital tools to make it sound more aggressive (esoecially at low volumes), once they use this technique, that agressiveness is what can introduce distortions that can be percieved as louder to the listener…thus making it sound less analogue. Analgue has large headroom peaks, that dont fatigue the ears, digital can reduces those peaks and squeeze them down shorter, with the benefit of louder at lower volumes. thats the tradeoff…louder at the expense of loss of headroom, which is oercieved as non fatigiing to the ears. Another issue is the actuall SHAPE of the audio signal…anything flat…is piezo electric domain for high freq’s , that is short headroom comoared to loger wave high freqs of analue etc. those very fine voltages can sound good on a pair of 20k barefoor monitors where they can interoret thise piezo freq’s and translate them with reverb eq comoressiin etc…but kess flexible amos and tweeters cannot interpret them as well.

[@xaviborrell9078]

Good content. So streaming is better tant CDs?

[@stephenfleschler9682]

Also, 40% of my 28,500 LPs, 35% of my 7,000 CDs and 50% of my 7,000 78s will not be found in any other form, digital or otherwise. Especially my ethnic recordings. So, if someone wants to hear great former performances in alternative formats, one has to acquire those with associated equipment to play them back. Digital is simple to use and amply good (depending on source/mastering), I agree but someone will be missing out on a ton of music without analog. Those 35% of my CDs are never to be found streamed. Also, unless downloaded, those streams could be removed/gone.

[@natanunorthodox]

Damned right brother 🌗

[@gil3green]

Hilarious stuff, haven’t heard of playback designs have to take a look. Thanks!

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

Glad it was helpful!

[@spandel100]

Good argument Mike my man.I have a friend who owns an audio outlet.He swears by streaming and uses that in his outlet to demo his equipment.He has the vinyl thing but only for requests from the hardcore "vinylists".

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

The proof is in peoples actions, not the blabber, right ?? THX for the feedback..

[@cirenosnor5768]

@@OCDHIFiGuy Many people’s actions is to prefer vinyl. If someone like Paul does a DSD comparison to vinyl and prefers vinyl can we call their opinion bullshit?

[@martinhuesler3410]

Hello Mikey I'm a "old" hifi fan and enjoy and watch interested your videos. Now I did the decission to switch to digital. As you told, it makes no sence to buy new music as records and that makes sence to me as well. For this I have buyed the musician pegasus dac and I'm happy so far. Next step would be to switch to DSD. But now I'm a little bit on the limit. Maybe you could tel in which way you enjoy DSD. As DSD or as DXD file? With which sampling rate you convert 16/44 pcm / flac audio. DSD 64 or 128 or... And maybe you have as well some other hints and tricks to get the best sound. For example the benefit of reclocker etc Many thanks and thanks for your good videos

[@380stroker]

So how does your DAC differ from PS Audio perfect wave?

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

It sounds more "real"... more lucid. Better presence. Wider seemingly limitless Soundstage. Shimmer on cymbals that sounds like brass not just a splashy sound. Ability to play very busy, complex musical pieces and delineate every instrument individually with no smear. Hope this helps... I've had Perfect Wave in here....

[@380stroker]

@OCD HI-Fi Guy Man, I really want to get into the dsd dac world, but it's so damn expensive. All I have is my phone and my blue-ray player that play dsd. But I'd like dedicated stuff one day.

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

@@380stroker Sell one of them kick ass Chevys brother !!

[@380stroker]

@@OCDHIFiGuy lol

[@LetThereBeSound1]

I get you main point, I really do, which; In your opinion, you do not feel that anyone getting into the audiophile game TODAY would be well served to consider getting any analog. Any analog. Period. The knowledge base they'd have to possess, the patience, the physical space to store the media. All fair points. BUT... I have to call you out on the level of absolutely shoddy research you've put into the subject matter of all things turntables & vinyl. Allow me to expand. Your "prime example" goes like this: @ minute 10:20 you ask a yet "unnamed" dealer about this MPD-8 (mind you, we don't know if this is a trusted industry acquaintance or some random dude you happened to call to ask a question): • OCD Mikey asks: "So tell me about this MPD-8 thing. How good is it? What do you think?" • Unnamed dealer after thinking about it for a second: "Mike, let me put it to you this way, it's better than my Kronos rig" • After which OCD Mikey concludes: "At that point I swore off vinyl" & "If the MPD-8 is better than the $150,000 Kronos, I don't need any vinyl WAIT, WHAT??? 🤣😂😳 Well then! Wow. Just wow! You go one someone else's SAY SO and then it becomes GOSPEL? You don't even bother to fly out to this dealer so he can prove his claim with your own ears? Is that how it goes? I'd like to know who this Kronos dealer "Jeff" is -- as I am sure Kronos principal Louis Desjardins because this guys needs BIG TIME training on how to setup a turntable of this caliber. What a bone head. So I guess you could say you've earned a mix review from me (as if you care!) 🤔 While I agree with your main first point - when you start flinging shit at the turntable/analog thing, a topic which you readily admit you possess NO EXPERIENCE WHATSOEVER, then you lose a pile of credibility with me and I am sure many others. Sad but true. All my best, Oz Let There Be Sound

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

Oswaldo, Thanks for your reply.. Jay just sent me a link to his vid and I watched one where I take it you are a turntable dealer that knows his shit according to Jay. This is great and you get my total respect for what you have done. In common form here on YT, you are assuming many things. Let me clarify for you. By the time I swore off Vinyl, It was after several years of asking people in the industry at shows. Both people I exhibited with (VPI was one) as well as other exhibitors. Remember, I can buy at accommodation pricing and I also have clients that would sell me stuff for a song. Ive had many opportunities to trade for extreme Turntables over the years but I know its a deep hole and I was always leery to go down that path. I share this Audio hobby with several others and I love to be outdoors, so my listening time is precious and I want the listening time for time spent to be high. In other words, little to no time consuming ritual. I also have Vinyl sellers that are clients and friends. In several countries. Not only could I have a sick TT setup, I could get "proprietors stash" of the best rare pressings, etc. This is from guys that make a living selling records. I asked every and each one of them, "If I dont own ONE piece of vinyl and Im about to start this Vinyl thing, can you recommend it to me. The answer was unanimous for several years and many professionals. "If you havent started, I would probably NOT recommend you start. " I heard this for years and had not decided. GEOFF POOR of GLEN POORs Audio in IL, who is a second generation dealer who is a very well respected gentleman in this industry, who sells both KRONOS and Playback Designs and was OWNER of Balanced Audio Technology told me MPD-8 beat the KRONOS. This was the straw that broke the back of my decision to stop considering Vinyl altogether. Your comment about this takes me for an idiot bro.. Im farther ahead than you think... I did not get this far from being a bozo just bumping my gums. Give respect where its due. So if "shoddy" research is 5 years of asking industry pros from recording guys, to tracking engineers, to my nutty Vinyl customers telling me of broken needles and the chore of cleaning, to professional vinyl sellers telling me to get the best pressing, I buy 5 of the same album, keep the best pressing then sell the others , to Turntable manufacturers going in to all the variables between arms and carts, to industry moguls like Mark Levinson laughing at Analog as a current format, finally culminating to a High level well respected decades long dealer of BOTH Brands telling me Playback sounded better than his Kronos..... my decision was final... Screw Vinyl.. Not for me.. YOU keep it.... Next off, my talk here threatens your income stream, so its no wonder you would try to cast shade. If you truly thought this would worsen my cred, you would rejoice as it would drive people your way. Instead you are here trying to denounce my credibility which is far greater than you know yet. I understand this and I dont hold it against you OZ. Just because we stand for different ideas in HiFi does not mean we cant be civil.. I cant see myself ever selling analog and Ill have to send my clients somewhere if they want it .. Perhaps Ill pick up an entry level TT brand, just to cover it for people that want to play back the family records or whatever.. But I personally think the money for the expensive stuff is better spent on digital... Analog to me is like collecting vintage HiFi gear... cool but Id never want it as my daily choice.

[@LetThereBeSound1]

@@OCDHIFiGuy Hey dude! All well put and I am not offended at all! Also, I did not mean to offend or discredit you. I was merely suggesting that the most effective or conclusive way you can write off vinyl as a viable format if is YOU yourself had a great turntable in your arsenal and YOU conducted your own shootouts against your digital. That is all. Getting data from all manners of audio acquaintances, industry insiders and even audio dealers and/or manufacturers is all well in good. But nothing, I repeat NOTHING will beat doing your OWN research by owning the actual gear yourself and using your OWN ears. That is all. Cheers mate. Glad we can keep it civil. I really did not mean to offend you even if it sounded that way. I totally respect why you will not embrace it however. It is not for everyone and I even admitted that I agreed with your main point: vinyl playback is NOT a smart investment for getting into the audiophile game in 2022 as a newbie. Peace! Oz LTBS

[@LetThereBeSound1]

​@@OCDHIFiGuy UPDATE: Your audio acquaintance Geoff (of Glenn Poor's Audio Video) is not currently a Kronos dealer, nor it appears he ever was 🤔 I am being told he sold a Kronos turntable but that was 10 years ago(!) but that he never officially became an authorized Kronos dealer. So there's that, if you will, in the interest of offering full transparency. So this begs the question... Is this a case of your buddy Geoff arriving to his conclusion based on "a remembrance" of what that one Kronos turntable (from a decade ago) sounded like vs. what current Playback Designs MPD-8 sounds to him today? Hmmm interesting! Oh and I am not asking you to push the issue and get me more facts. Please don't. We're best letting this dog lie. No one else cares except ODC people like you and me 🤣

[@Error2username]

I am sorry for your loss of interest in turntables, i still have my turny, after upgrades i find more problems with differences from vinyl too vinyl compared to cd's. Is this bad recordings or mastering? The vinyl looks mint, but no bueno sound😯

[@thomasward00]

Vinyl is a waste of time.... CD's beat Vinyl and Cassettes back in the 80's

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

They are cool to me, just like vintage cars or motorcycles... I love to look, listen (and smell in some cases) these old masterpieces of technology... I skipped Vinyl after asking several people in the industry for their recommendation. It was unanimous .... If you have not started, probably better just not to...

[@thomasward00]

@@davewin1792 Well if CD quality doesn't do it for you, 24/192 will cover it.

[@AllboroLCD]

I will always go vinyl when purchasing a hard copy of a record I desire! That being said, doesnt mean Ill listen to my physical copy always when I wanna hear it. Ill often default to digital/streaming for the most part, and the physical copy will get some rotation when demo-ing my rig for guests, or mid-winter boredom late night personal listening.

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

There you go !

[@jochvomberg5541]

The German Stockfish label sell specific DSD to Vinyl records, at about 30 $.

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

Thats great, probably really nice pieces im sure... lets compare.. so for $3K you get 100 records... thats 10 years of Hi Res streaming service with a million records at your disposal..

[@jazzbass6246]

Hi Mike, you are the guy I trust the most in this hobbby. I bought my AGD Audion because of you but can't unfortunately be your client because I am in Europe. Anyway I'm planning to buy a Playback Design DAC but don't know which one to go for. If you can be of any help, Thank you and carry on the way you do

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

Can you Whats app me ?

[@jazzbass6246]

@@OCDHIFiGuy Sorry I can't

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

@@jazzbass6246 then call me. There are questions to ask you first. But they are $15K USD entry level...

[@jazzbass6246]

@@OCDHIFiGuy My room: 15 S/M dedicated to music My rig: dac: Denafrips Ares II + Iris Streamer: HifiRose RS 150B Amp: AGD the Audion Speakers: Unison Research Max Mini In France the MPD-6 is at 17000 euros and the MPD-8 at 27000 euros As the Edelweiss is new we cannot find any review so far

[@jaakanshorter]

What is the patent number for the one you're referencing? I found a Sony one for direct digital to digital filed in 1982 granted in 1984 based on work from 1981. Didn't see his name in 4460890, I'm still reading through it. Are you talking about a different one?

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

Ill ask...

[@AllboroLCD]

Are there any Record fair people here? Ive always done the WFMU record fair here on the east coast, and its an absolute hoot every time I go! Its comradery/culture of Vinyl as well is what im saying ; )

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

That sounds like a blast.. I would attend even though I dont do Vinyl...

[@AllboroLCD]

@@OCDHIFiGuy Theres others that are held throughout the country, you may have one happening closer than you think.

[@saurchasm]

The only way you could ever do a truly fair comparison would be to record the exact same tracks to DSD and tape at the same time, mix them the exact same way in both domains (which is probably impossible) and then compare the final theoretically identical mixes with the only difference being the medium itself (DSD vs tape). I doubt anyone has ever done this but who knows. Thanks for the vid Mike.

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

There it is .... U bet my friend !

[@damonsbest]

PS audio do something very similar but with DSD & Vinyl at Octave Records. They record in DSD & create vinyl from that recording. Paul McGowan has stated that for some unknown reason the vinyl always sounds better.

[@saurchasm]

@@damonsbest vinyl wouldn't even be part of the equation in the theoretical experiment I'm talking about :) Octave would be a cool place to do it though!

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

@@damonsbest LOL, I call BULLSHIT on Paul..

[@damonsbest]

@@OCDHIFiGuy maybe, but who knows. One thing, he doesn’t sell turntables, he sells digital. Yet still responds that vinyl sounds better doing that comparison.

[@lachlanc.3509]

Mikey, what is your take on high end headphones (planar/electrostatic) for people in small spaces where speakers are not practical?

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

Great idea... 👍 I would if I had those circumstances...

[@rewind9536]

Where do you find DSD music?

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

Its available online from Audiophile music companies.

[@JingoLoBa57]

I can understand and appreciate why some of my younger nephews own a simple record player and collect vinyl. They are acculturating to the collection and playback of media that we grew up with. Nice for them. A wonderful legitimate market. That’s cool. Getting these guys into music and Hi-Fi by any means is good. Multiple paths for multiple entry points. All good. I haven’t played vinyl for a couple of years already… and my tt remains wrapped. Enjoy Mikey…

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

True, any path to the hobby is great..

[@mrtim6479]

The only reason to have Vinyl is you have a substantial collection and don't have the titles in digital format.

[@glazzarus]

Arguments are personal and often based on one parameter that we have some level of understanding. My first conversion of my vinyl collection was long ago over sound card 24bit 48kHz. It sound same as vinyl on my system at that time. But when I got MC cartridge that can pick up to 50kHz sound from vinyl over speaker that can play up to 50kHz I needed better sound card and better CPU. So my collection was moved to 24/96 FLAC files and again on 32/192 FLAC. But in 2019 I play again all my vinyl and convert them in DSD256. I keep all versions and improvements in digital bit my vinyl from second conversion onward. So my precious turntable still stand in a room but just as decorative element. As your tape machines , it look nice and classy, but music is coming from NAS place in a rack in my garage.

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

There it is from Another guy with professional Audiophile experience... Thank you !

[@Licoricedisc]

2022 and don't get into vinyl? What the hell are you talking about? This is the best time for vinyl in the past many decades! It is the BEST time to get into vinyl! New turntables, records etc.

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

To each his own... I dont agree. Too much liability, lost time and cost involved IMHO. Fun if you have time to shop, collect, try different pressings, clean records, flatten them, set up a TT, Flip Records, clean records, dont bounce the needle, did I say clean records ?

[@tonydeniro284]

My God, it ain't that hard.....I'm astonished how good some vinyl sounds, and I'm talking playing it on a 2k turntable. The record dr is the only record cleaner u need, 300 bucks. A relatively cheap cartridge on a good turntable is the way to go. The ortofon bronze, Hana el, and denon dl103, all terrific. My freaking thrift store records, once cleaned, sound awesome . It's really not all that difficult to achieve great sound with vinyl, not as tough as you make it sound. And you actually OWN the music.

[@tonydeniro284]

Thorens Is putting out some killer turntables today. The td 1500 sounds fantastic.

[@tonydeniro284]

Tom port will give you a good argument on virtues of vinyl.

[@tonydeniro284]

Digital is the lazy man format of listening to music.

[@meowhsu]

You convert your CD wav file to dsd? Or you mean all the digital files you havd are dsd?

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

I mean all Playback Designs DACs including mine, convert incoming PCM to DSD. DSD is played natively (no DoP)

[@arthurwatts1680]

I don't 'hammer at it'. The zealots will NEVER change their minds and the collector urge will never be sated with files or even CDs - they need those foldout covers more than they need 'Everest' sound quality. They NEED the nostalgia and the tactile experience of playing a record. Whether newbies need to be dragged into that world is debatable, but its clear that the hipster community wants vinyl. Mikey, you will always rub someone up the wrong way - veteran or newbie - but I think you've made your stance crystal clear. The rest is just starting to sound like a rant.

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

I'm a Scrapper bro.... lol. You haven't figured that out ?? I built this channel on my rant. I'm mellowing out now. But yes, it's not about sound, it's about WAY more and I applaud vinyl enthusiasts for that.

[@dsmdarryl]

There's no way!! Lol Love the vids! Lots of knowledge and experience!

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

Thanks for watching!

[@fredflintstone8048]

As usual, great explanation. I wonder how many people who are in the debates over analog vs digital really understand the argument. As Mikey clearly points out, the first attempts at digital were poorly done due to the limitations of the sampling of the analog and conversion to digital format. Not only were the electronics not precise (often done with a lot of varying discreet components) but also the sampling rate and data storage resolution caused losses to the original analog signal. That's the ADC process. No matter how good the DAC process was it was always limited to the quality and resolution of the data produced by the ADC process. But, all that said, there was no loss in the digital data once created and stored, and that benefit is at that core of why we do it. It really is nothing more than ones and zeros. Those ones and zeros make up numerical data which represent the analog signal. It's 100% reliably reproduced where all methods (some worse than others) of trying to store analog signals. The quality of analog signal (always the beginning of the music) sampling, and resolution today are so good that no one can hear the difference. Those sample and resolution qualities used today are far beyond the listening range of the human. It's purpose of course is to be able to store and also transmit what represents analog information in a 'non-lossy' format. The data that leaves the source is the data that ends up at the destination. If you hooked up a data analyzer and watched the data go by you would see packets of data made up of numeric values which are made of literal square waves representing ones and zeros. Of course the quality of DACS will vary because they're turning the same digital data back into analog and how well they do that will affect the quality of the sound.

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

Sums it all up... THX FF !

[@danijelsan81]

Great thoughts and definitely a different angle for me. I’m a vinyl guy, but found your commentary useful.

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

Awesome, thank you!

[@falconquest2068]

Mikey, just keepin' it real!

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

Dude ! What a chore its become !

[@falconquest2068]

@@OCDHIFiGuy 😆 But you're just the guy for the job!

[@patrickmcgee283]

I think you might have missed a large population of younger generations that are finding vinyl for the first time. It’s good for the industry they start with a cheap turntable and start upgrading. I think it’s cheaper to get better sound from analog vs digital and if turntables get people listening it’s all good!

[@jonathandavis9507]

If you were a teenager in the 90s, everyone had a discman. Then mp3 and loudness wars came and more or less stained digital for that generation for perhaps 20 years. It shouldn’t be a surprise that people believe vinyl is superior which has plenty of its own issues, but none of them were as egregious as the digital problems during that time.

[@danielesbordone1871]

Gave up on vinyl in 1988 , haven't looked back ever since.

[@scarmenl]

There is always an argument! We are silly people and that means we will have other opinions!

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

For sure, its what makes conversations so great ... I think we need to stop making it about right or wrong however.. If people didnt have varying opinion, think how boring it would be...

[@bradleycraig7328]

Well that's not what Mr. Futzbutter says!! Love what you do Mikey!!!!

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

LOL... Dont make me bring "The Dude" back.... :-)

[@Venus_Isle]

Insightful video, thank you. Clearly less inflammatory than your first video on this subject,...

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

Glad it was helpful!

[@nyquist5190]

I started buying records in the end of the 70s. Stopped buying them when cd arrived with superior sound quality. Never looked back. However comparing recordings to live performances is misguided IMHO. This is because recordings are the work of art, not the performances behind them.

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

That was my point. There is no comparison. ;-)

[@martybousum1010]

Esoteric has some appeal but not always practical. Like a Shaolin priest trying for a mechanics job with no previous experience. I'm a CD & streaming guy with $7500 rig. At 68, that's all I need.

[@igorkrajnc5915]

Does APL dsd dac use single bit ?

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

YES

[@MrEvhel83]

i have only used digital the last 24 years, and i have been happy all the way :)

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

Thats all thet matters !

[@202One]

Live music since the early 70's..! I agree, stream your own CD's.. ✌🍾

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

Better yet, lets go see a show !

[@202One]

@@OCDHIFiGuy 🍾

[@hificave]

As long as you dont put ketchup on your steak….. ;-) the dance at the end… worth the whole rant.

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

GOD FORBID !!! The Cardinal sin !! Glad you enjoyed the Ride the Sketti dance

[@fairenoughthenwhat]

I really like LPs because I grew up with it and it makes me feel good. Given that I'm quite poor, but love music, it's quite a pain in the ass. I have spent too much on vinyl, but still love listening to the albums (especially some of the old ones). For a person in my shoes that is just now getting hifi stuff, Id have to go along with Mikey. Get a streamer or even use your PC, grab a DAC, pay for Qobuz, maybe biuld a collection with some kind of hard drive. It just sounds better than vinyl, on average, unless you have a tonne of cash to drop. Even then.... At one point, about 20 years ago, I had 1000 albums stolen (uninsured). That broke my heart and moved me away from hifi for many years. Any collection on digital is far less likely to go missing or get ruined, because you can take better precautions..

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

THX Pete, I had over 1000 CD's get stolen at one point. Plus my stereo system. I stopped listening for many years after that ....

[@skularatna8136]

Actually your digital files can get corrupted if you take good care of your vinyl the information on it can never be lost. One corrupt block on your disk or a power failure etc can render all your stored music useless. Happened to me before terabytes of music corrupted during a sudden power cut.

[@derreckgilmore9422]

I'm hearing a Joe Walsh song: 'Rocky Mikey Way'.

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

Couldn't get much Higher !

[@JohnSmithisnotme]

I really appreciate my Sony WM1AM2 DSD Remastering (PCM to DSD256) feature after watching this video.

[@slippinjimmy4455]

It´s a question of money. If you have 10k to spend than go for vinyl. Without limits you will probably succeed with digital.

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

There's mote than just money. There's pain in the ass factor... Burning valuable listening time factor. How much of the 10K is allotted for records ? There's lack of unlimited content factor.. on and on... No absolutes in this hobby... except digital is far more efficient and comprehensive

[@NickP333]

Bravo! 👏👏👏👏 Encore! lol Good stuff, Mikey

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

Rock on Nick !!

[@danielmiller469]

One thing I would add I don’t know if you sent anything about it and I guess I’ll figure it out after I finish the video that me and said speaking of digital Bluetooth has come along way as well actually starting to sound decent

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

Thats great Daniel, I hope it keeps developing !

[@divadgnol67]

When comparing digital-to-analog why do we say it's as "good as". I have heard digital that sounds like music and I have heard analog that sounds like music. The method in which that music gets to me is irrelevant. But when we make statements like today's dac's sounds like analog that would lead me to question why not just have analog. Today's dac'sdon't sound like analog, they sound like music and the record players and tube amps of old don't sound like digital, they sound like music. Love you bro As a side note, I only listen to cd's and streaming

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

EXACTLY ..... You got to the root TRUTH.... THX David !

[@ivelinivanov3521]

In order not to sound insulting... I'll just say that I couldn't disagree more with what you said. I felt the same shock when I saw the video that the preamplifier was not needed because modern streamers had volume control. I understand that the sales trend is going in the direction of streamers and maybe such videos make the sales stronger...however, I sincerely hope that someone who really loves music and the best possible playback does not take this as true. Firstly the preamplifier has a key role in how the music is played and how it will sound and most of all in getting a real realistic deep soundstage. If someone says that it's simply gain control, then either they don't understand what it's all about or they're doing it for a commercial purpose. Second, the real high end is the realistic reproduction of the music. And this is not only possible, but also completely achievable. Of course I'm not talking about exact reproduction of real sound...I'm talking about reproduction of sound that gives the FEELING of real sound which is more than enough. I am a living example of years of searching for realistic reproduction that I have achieved this to a very large extent. And it's not just me. So realistic reproduction is possible, streaming despite many advantages is the worst possible source of sound. Vinyl and quality things in the field of digital sound are indispensable for anyone who is serious in this field. Many high end streamers have passed through me and my final opinion is that there is a magic in the vinyl and in the CD player that cannot be ignored. So if you just want to listen to something decent...ok...the streamer is ok...but if you're serious about this hobby...my advice is to avoid the streamer as nice as it is to have for $15 a month with all the music in the world.

[@robertbyington7715]

Couldn’t agree more

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

Then Your DAC was NOT up to the task clearly. YES, its TOTALLY possible to build an analog output stage better then a preamp box. Theres only 3 DACs Ive ever heard that can do it.. Preamps are needed with the lesser DACs absolutely... You need to come listen here at my place and youll never make a statement like this again.. I understand your point though.. Most people have NOT heard top World Class level digital.. so you have no idea whats possible ...

[@matthewbarrow3727]

To me, things are a bit more complex. I have a Legacy Audio Valor system, which includes a digital pre-amp (includes room correction, tone controls, driver channel gain controls, active cross-over done the in digital domain, with 4 channels per speaker). It is my sense that the room can mess up the sound, so such processing can make a big difference. The speaker drivers also have more distortion than any of the electronics. For the high frequency (above 800Hz), I have a 20 watt tube integrated amp (rather than a tube power amp). The sound characteristic comes more from the pre-amp NOS tubes than the power amp tubes. I have both a Linn Sondek LP12 turntable as well as U1 streamer. When it comes to modern day electronic music, everything is done digitally, and sounds absolutely fantastic (totally holographic with very realistic sound characteristics) via a streaming service. In fact, there may be no such thing as being "live" in such cases. However, with the older recordings (e.g. Prince, Depeche Mode), I have found that vinyl sounds great, but Qobuz streaming feels lacking. To me, it's in the ADC digital transfer that made things problematic. However, I think that the statement "Ignorance is Bliss" is very applicable to this hobby. What is considered perfection is also difficult as all the hyper-expensive stuff all sounds different. If there was such a thing as perfection, they should also sound the same.

[@robertbyington7715]

@Phile - Audio - Welcome To A Serious Audio System We are just going to have to disagree digital audio just doesn’t have the soundstage that records due based on the compression of most digital music services. The services have to pay for storage space so they need to compress as much music on as little storage as possible. Now using digital as a filler for certain recordings as MO FI has done to me isn’t that big of a deal as some people are saying based on the finished product.

[@ivelinivanov3521]

@Phile - Audio - Welcome To A Serious Audio System everything is very good ... until you hear better. That's how this hobby is...you can spend many years doing it, thinking you know everything...until you realize you don't know anything. This applies to everyone and also to me.

[@FOH3663]

Some early digital was fine.. some, not all. Technical proficiency uber alles... I like to point out; a well executed recording, fastidious attn to signal path, details, ideal gain structure, etc., within the platform at hand. Making Nightfly, is one great example. Fagan and others A/B'd analog to digital. The best, freshly aligned analog Studer, vis-à-vis brand new 3M Digital, both referenced against the line signal. 3M first gen digital won out... 40yrs ago! A well executed recording and playback is just that, well executed. It serves one well to pay less dogmatic attention to the approach, when the result is what's vital. I'm guessing you're well aware, just sharing for everyone's benefit. Preach Mikey preach...

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

Thanks Man ! I appreciate your feedback !

[@MrGfunk215]

It’s 2023, I don’t get people who use turntables. Get a high end streamer and you’ll have WAY more fidelity

[@johnsonadekunle7675]

I get your points. Vinyl is vintage but some people still love it. Tube amp is an old tech but a lot of people still prefer it. One thing I don't get is when a digital setup sounds really good, people say it sounds like analog but when an analog setup sounds really good no one says it sounds like digital. Analog is still the gold standard that digital is measured against. But I agree with you, you don't need an analog setup to enjoy your music. If you have enough dough though, then go for it.

[@HASHEAVEN]

No one says it sound like digital because they are full of prejudgment about it, "It sounds like analog" its just a catch phrase people first read in hifi mags. And just because first digital recs werent as nice as people were used to with analog. But this doesnt apply now although catch phrases like these still used...

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

@Johnson Adekunle, "Analog" IS the reference because there is no actual sound of Digital other than hisssssssssss. Sounds like "analog" is actually a silly thing to say because we can only hear in Analog.. What people are trying to say is it sounds like real life..

[@stephenfleschler9682]

One can hear a system that recreates the recorded event. One CAN obtain live event performance recreation in one's home. Everything else does not pale. Try a Von Schweikert Ultra speaker VAC electronics (maybe some other brand-his favorite AGD), Kronos turntable, MasterBuilt cables, etc. $1 million system-that recreates the recorded event. Playback Designs MPD 6 and 8 DACs can bring reality to digital.

[@VIDSTORAGE]

I like vinyl ,I am not giving it up but I don't spend boat loads for extra accessories ... I have an SR 525 Sansui table Grado and Precept cartridge, the stuff is old and works great ..I even have a BIC table and it is pretty good also I have Denon CD Deck, I Iove it,, I have a Revox cassette deck, it sounds awesome and records super great .. I think the vinyl comeback is nice ,if people like it GREAT ,but as you say ,we all can get advised to get too much for the hobby .. I do think Analog Tape Recording and Mastering has a great natural better sound than digital .Back in the 90s people liked the sound of recording their CDs on the cassette decks because the sound came our better ..Digital is great also but does it go back to a warmer analog sound when it is transferred to vinyl and tape ? I assume it does and that is why the MOFI DSD transfers sound great but according to reviews ....Analog and digital works very well together

[@rickyblair8802]

Ok,Ok, I agree, you do not have to have a turntable and records, your right. You don’t have to have digital either.

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

Totally correct, thank you for getting it...

[@derreckgilmore9422]

Confucius say: "Man who chase variables become infinitely variable".

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

And man who fart in church sit in his own Pew... 😆

[@derreckgilmore9422]

@@OCDHIFiGuy ...not if he wear Charcoal Filter Briefs.

[@barthrop]

You brought me into HiFi Mikey! All digital DSD4 FTW!

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

Rock on B !!

[@vikingbirkman8574]

Hi Hi-Fi Guy! The truth should be out. I saw the last video about tbis topic. There is a reason for music lovers to have fancy analogue stuff. Most of us had already a big vinyl collection. When the CD:s came out we had no choice but compare the titles with our old turntables. I was good, already had a Rega RB-300 with a Goldring Electro II (vdh 1 shape needle) attached to a Thorens TD-160 B Mk2. That led to I had to rebuilt another TD-160 for a SME-3012, mostly for the inner tracking. So - what you need is a very good PU to enjoy the vinyl. It don't have to costly at all. You can still enjoy the old vinyl but also listen to the CD:s. But most important is the speakers. I use PI-60 from Sweden for the formidable sound. For the fun of it I bought a Technics SL-110 just for the spectacular look. But I normally use a couple of Systemdek II-S with Rega arms and vdh-1 needles for pleasure. Thank you so much for the time you to educate newbies. They should experience the comparison btw mastertapes and the CD. A big thanks from Stockholm in a sunny spring. CD rules...

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

Yes, you said it. you had a record collection when CD's came out... Makes perfect sense !! ;-) Its a great thing !

[@RJ_Chicago]

Hi Mike. Agree agree agree & agree! Now let’s move on…

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

The slow folks bug me, Im going to stop trying to make things clear for people..

[@robertbyington7715]

It’s not about if you need records; record collecting is a HOBBY so to say that there not needed is just not true. What you say about the engineers is absolutely true and that’s why MO/FI still puts out some of the best products out there even if some of the stuff is digital.

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

Yes, I see your point. You are saying if someone chooses Vinyl as a hobby, then records are very much needed. This is very true... THX for your feedback..

[@robertbyington7715]

@@OCDHIFiGuy I wasn’t disagreeing with your overall concept just there is something about owning a record that’s different than any other medium; although I own a TON of CDs That’s why I think this Mo/Fi controversy is somewhat over blown specifically is it digital or analog tape. Were they disingenuous regarding the printed material they put out absolutely but it wasn’t the engineers fault it was the marketing department and did people over pay in some instances absolutely but the engineers were still trying to put out the best product they could and that’s all I want as a consumer . I’m only buying one steps for groups and albums I absolutely love. Going back to the album it’s very much like reading a book on kindle it’s cheaper faster and easier to manipulate but I still love the feel of a book in my hands lol

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

@@robertbyington7715 more than anything my message was it's not necessary for the best sound so much as it used to be. For collectibility and a tactile experience, of course physical media dominates. ;-)

[@bdmcn]

Agree on DSD … I convert all my Qobuz streams DoP with Audirvana to DSD256. Not a reference DAC on your level, but my Denafrips Venus II is good enough for my situation/room.

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

A client has been recommending Daphile as a player... Im going to check it out ..... Id love to bail on ROON..

[@amankarwa1305]

@@OCDHIFiGuy Check out Euphony Stylus also

[@nathanbell6962]

@@OCDHIFiGuy roon sucks, the search function is appalling.

[@bdmcn]

I just use a mac mini with Audirvana and 16GB RAM … USB from ifi zen streamer into a reclocker, then I2S into Venus II. Does anyone out there think a cool $2-4K streamer is going to give me better sound? I just can’t imagine it …

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

@@bdmcn well the Philosophy is this. Computers have noisy motherboards because they are not made for audio specifically. Neither is MAC OS nor Windows. So a purpose built computer designed for music duty, using an OS designed ground up for music duty ONLY, using a seperate USB output OFF the motherboard on a high end Audio Card powered by an outboard, low noise power supply will yield better results. This is confirmed in all my tests. HOWEVER, if I was using a Denon receiver as DAC/Pre/amplifier, it may not yield great results...

[@allardvanderstarre5238]

you can't beat 50+ years of experience, period

[@bombers7878]

There is massive room for misunderstanding what Mike is saying and maybe he hasn’t been very clear in other videos. But strictly speaking, yes- you can START in proper hifi and progress with digital ie. Analogue is not a prerequisite

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

Truth is however someone wants to enter the hobby is great !!

[@orgy7orgy7]

Your dancing to Old school Colombian cumbia. Nice!!

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

Yes buddy ! Soy Latino !

[@dimitrismanolakos8967]

I want to support new artists. I buy their vinyl. Some of my money goes to them. If I stream money goes to providers. A record is an art. Do you know 23 envelope;

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

This makes sense... I buy tickets to their shows. Dont know 23 envelope.. Ill look.

[@theaustralianconundrum]

I never get into the audio "delivery" methods. Each to their own. I know what I like and I'm the frigging customer and end user and listener.

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

That's all that matters. Many people absolutely love McDonalds... not saying it's you. You get my drift. I'm teaching about the organic ground chuck and short rib.

[@theaustralianconundrum]

Oh I get you from Australia! I like your honesty and brevity. @@OCDHIFiGuy

[@scootergants]

What's the definition of "hifi"

[@nyquist5190]

Preserving the sonic qualities of the preceding step in the recording and reproduction chain as accurately as possible. This is why vinyl is not hifi but cd is.

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

@Vick Its different for everyone.. the definition is "High Fidelity" meaning above average sonic qualities. I simply cant stand the terms "HIgh End Audio", So I use HiFi instead. I started doing this 15 years ago. HiFi is an OLD term from like the 1950's I believe

[@chuckmoore5382]

I have the MPT8/MPD8 and I think it is better than any vinyl rig but can't tell the vinyl guys that, they don't want to hear it, they just insist it can't be as good so why bother. My favorite YT on this is Audio Analyst #58. I really like my Reed 3C/3P vinyl rig, but don't use it a lot.

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

Tough to beat , right Chuck ?.... and youve got BOTH... and you still prefer the PBD ....

[@Montreal_Audio_Systems]

I like vinyl records because they are original! with digital you never know what your gonna get. Digital is good although but records direct to the analog source master tapes will be hard to beat cause you just can't find the digital file identical to it. If you can somehow find it well then it will probably be better

[@derreckgilmore9422]

Went down the Rabbit Hole, & found myself in a Monty Python Holy Grail sketch.

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

What is the unladen weight of a Swallow ?

[@derreckgilmore9422]

Weight of European swallow 20 grams, airspeed velocity 9 metres/second...sans coconut.

[@marcoesquandolez4737]

CD’s for the win! Vinyl is a pain in the ass! I wish I could sell my records but don’t have time or a place to sell them

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

Go to 11stereo forums .. I allow members to sell thier stuff there..

[@derreckgilmore9422]

Been chasing my tail for decades...it's cheaper than a Peloton.

[@OCDHIFiGuy]

Right ?