WARMTH OF ANALOG SOUND vs. DIGITAL: MYTH or REALITY?
The availability to the general public of digital sound (audio CD - 1982) has made it possible to discover a purity of sound never experienced before, through the absence of background noise, very low crosstalk, and excellent linearity of a wide bandwidth (20 Hz-20KHz).
Then, about 20 to 30 years later - these acquired qualitative benefits - music lovers and professional musicians gradually evoked the "coldness" of Digital as opposed to the "warmth" of Analog. Some of them even went so far as to reacquire second-hand electronic audio racks from those days in order to recover these lost sounds. Identically, new brands are now offering "re-editions" of mythical devices to meet the demand for "rare » vintage collectors.
This quest for "warmth" is even the stronger as many current mastering and compressed sources (mp3) tend to voluntarily generate clipping (clipping) of the signal which makes the sound extremely aggressive and tiring to listen to (I will write a post about this subject).
Comfortable in these 2 worlds, my question is : what is the part between "affective memory", "relation to the real object" (in relation to digital dematerialization) and auditory perception ?
As a happy owner of "old audio stuff", I am familiar with the impact of electronic component technology on sound, its color, non-linearity, defects and charm.
So I recalled from my memory and know-how and past experiences to develop a software emulation of a generic "vintage" preamplifier, with some adjustments to simulate its "age" (nature and wear of components, ...).
The next step is to compare very good quality mixes (digital source) with their analog sound avatar via this virtual "vintage" preamplifier, in order to enable a listening experience disconnected from any brand or marketing aspect, and to judge only the perception and the emotion felt.
Subconsciously, I may not be 100% objective, but for my part I find that the "analog" warm emulation delivered here is "addictive": … difficult to return to the "digital source" sound afterwards !
Obviously we are loosing something pleasant !
... now, if you prefer digital sound, we totally respect your choice and your sensitivity.
In the same way, about the increase of low frequencies ...