Do you intend to use bluetooth to connect with the Sonos? If so I hope you realise that you're defeating the purpose of using vinyl because the signal will be digitised in a terribly lossy way, it will lose all the warm analogue sound that people want from vinyl.

 

Yeah, it's just basic physics you're trying to contradict.

 

Do you mean this physics? (You don't know a jack shit about it)
Comparison of analog and digital recording

 

Guys, guys, vynil? What are y'all talking about?
Don't y'all listen to music in 64bit float 384khz?
That's the only way to clearly appreciate Yoko Ono's pitch-perfect voice!

 

@Dzar, here are the DAW values from Cakewalk - SONAR X2 = 64-bit float / 384kHz.
Almost all my MP3s are in 44kHz and 256 kbps! What device are you using to listen?

 

Last edited: Feb 11, 2026 at 10:30 AM

Been there, done that. Don't remember much about the music, I was too busy laughing my ass off

So true, those were the days. Amazing coasters too

Damn, I was going to make the same joke . We're gonna get along, great winter signing for the forum

 

Hi everyone,
my Merging and RME ADDA converters can handle a maximum of DSD256 and DSD512 – that's 11.3 MHz and 22.5 MHz respectively at 1 bit, or 768 kHz at 32 bits in PCM mode. That's pretty much the maximum currently possible.

And now the mystery: High-quality pressed vinyl records, played on a Rega P10 turntable with an Aphelion cartridge, sound DIFFERENT, and I'd say, subjectively, better.
Listening was done on special custom-made monitors from Klangbau Richter, designed for classical music productions.

My comparison subjects:

Number 1 – Bruckner Symphonies, a Deutsche Grammophonic recording with Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic in the 1950s on 8-track 1-inch master tape. There are different versions of these master tapes available for listening – the records that were pressed directly back then; CDs from the 90s, Hi-Res streaming on Qobuz, and a recent pure analog remake by DG, recorded entirely analog with tube equipment and newly cut masters on high-quality vinyl (www.the-original-source.com) from the Emil Berliner Studios in Berlin.

Dramatic difference: In a comparison between CD/Hi-Res streaming and the original source vinyl, the digital formats sound flat and nowhere near as spacious as the vinyl record.
The dynamic range isn't significantly different, but the spatial resolution and projection are.

Number 2 - Satchmo plays King Oliver, original recording in MS with a Telefunken 251 on an Ampex 350 tape machine, released in 1960. Digitized versions are available on CD and Hi-Res streaming; and a pure analog remake by Analogue Productions on LP at 45 rpm.

Similar experience: The analog remake LP sounds significantly more spacious and direct than the digitized versions. Amazing.

Result of my listening experiences: I just bought a Fostex 1/2" stereo 30ips master tape machine so I can record my classical music recordings to analog tape alongside the DSD256 merging, for a direct comparison. It'll definitely be interesting...

Have any of you ever done such direct analog-digital comparisons in practice and have any experience with them? I'd be very interested to hear about it...

Peter.

 

We have several specialist magazines here, naturally funded by the industry and heavily advertised, specifically for audiophiles and people with too much money. Some people don't know what to do with their money, and their hobby is listening to music, so they own the most expensive equipment.

They themselves are more like listeners, consumers, than musicians. Then they discuss in their forums which cables sound better and other myths. Great, the industry is happy with their money, and these people also secure some jobs.

 

I am a musician (opera singer) AND a consumer. ;)

But my current question as a recording classical musician is: Does digitization result in a loss of information?

Is it better to record on analog media in principle – since you can then distribute your recordings both digitally via streaming and completely analogously via vinyl?

 

No.
Only the other way around results in a loss or at least a manipulation of information.

It is fine to say "subjectively better". It is not fine to say "objectively better".

 

Last edited: Feb 11, 2026 at 7:19 PM

This is an endless subject ...

vinyl limitations :
Less dynamic, less bandwidth, more noise, surface scratches and dust, lower longevity ... and more.

There is a loss on vinyl FROM digital, not the opposite.
Whatever snake oil sellers want you to believe.

To give you an idea, get a FLAC/APE/WAV song AND get the same song sampled from vinyl to FLAC APE WAV.
You will clearly hear the "vinyl" effect. And hear the loss is on the vinyl side, not the opposite.

 

Hi @Sarastro, welcome and thanks for your detailed listening test.

No, digitization doesn't lead to any loss of information.

What you need when recording is very good equipment, very good converters that convert the analog signal to digital.
Worth reading: https://audient.com/landing-pages/id14-quick-start/ & https://audient.com/story/

 

Okay – that's YOUR experience.
I just described my different experience...
My musician's ear perceives a loss in both directions – analog storage reduces the signal-to-noise ratio, digitization reduces the spatial imaging.
Both are audible to me.
Of course, this is subjective.
Technical specifications are objective.
But listening to music is always subjective.
I'm still interested in your personal opinions on the subject...

 

Hi PulseWave,
for recording and playback, I use ADDA converters from Merging/Neumann (Anubis and Hapi with DSD) and RME (Fireface UFX+/ADI2Pro FS) – these are standard in the classical music field – with Schoeps, AEA, and Brauner microphones, mostly in the Decca tree; and preamps from Fearn and Thermionic Culture. These are relatively high-quality devices, so that shouldn't be a problem.

However, I think I can subjectively perceive a loss in sound quality due to the digitization process – specifically in the spatial imaging.

That's why I'm asking about your experiences and opinions on this... I haven't yet been able to make any purely analog recordings myself. But I plan to... and that's why I'm also looking for an 8-track 1-inch tape machine.

 

Objectively yes, it does, by the very nature of what it is doing, essentially taking rapid snap shots, the sampling rate, which cannot capture 100%. It's like these youtube slow down videos you see stating something like '5,000 frames a second!' with the suggestion that this is in some way more information than an analogue capture when really it's just slicing the data in increments of 5,000 a second.

Subjectively it's basically outside of human ability to distinguish any difference.

 

You forgot to mention your £$€40,000 audiophile cables that have far superior electron transmission and restore all the missing transients and frequencies lost during the recording process due to the regular cables that all actual audio engineers use...

 

No – I only use special microphone cables for recording – Sommer Cable Carbokab with Neutrik EMC connectors – because they effectively prevent interference from sources like mobile phone noise into the low-level microphone signal. Have you ever experienced such interference? That's why the newer Schoeps CMC6 connectors also have built-in EMC protection...

 

Yes – and that's exactly the mystery I'm currently trying to solve.
Where do the differences I'm hearing come from?
That's why I'm asking around here to see what your experiences are...

And – it seems – no one else has had similar experiences so far.

The general consensus seems to be: Digital recording and editing doesn't result in any loss. Interesting.

 

Hi @Sarastro, I see that you already have excellent equipment. If you are more comfortable with analog, simply continue pursuing your goal and be happy with the exciting sound journey you are currently on.

(German Source): Vergleich Analog / Digital - Wahrheiten und Mythen
https://www.vinyl-fan.de/ratgeber/2393959_vergleich-analog-digital-wahrheiten-und-mythen

(English Translator) Analog/Digital Comparison - Truths and Myths
https://www-vinyl--fan-de.translate...l=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=de&_x_tr_pto=wapp