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Do you think something got lost the moment all studios went digital?
I always reminisce on this. I can still recall how records done in the 60s and 70s had that space, a unique substance, and weight to them. When the digital movement came around in the 80s and 90s, I felt a lot of that seemed to have disappeared. Yeah, the records sound cleaner nowadays, but somehow, it looks like something is surely missing. Do you feel a whole lot has changed or am I the only one thinking in that direction?
Re: Do you think something got lost the moment all studios went digital?
Sure, the technology changes have changed how things sound. But everything else has changed, too. The styles of pop/rock music have gone through a lot of dramatic shifts in the past decades not to mention our musical tastes often change over time. So even the music is different. And as we age our hearing changes, too. Most of my audio friends are chasing "the absolute sound" as it's defined in the audio magazines. They make remarks about my systems because they rarely conform to what the industry seems to be pushing. But getting my system listenable for long stretches of time is a priority. If I can't relax into the music then the system just isn't right. Also to their chagrin, I'll often have a system setup to sound like a classic 70's hifi. Sometimes leaning toward east coast sound and sometimes west coast. Not accurate and definitely not the absolute sound. But exactly what I wanted as a kid and couldn't afford. To really get to your question, yes things sound different than back in the day. But that just means you have to search a bit to find the right gear that can recreate the sound that makes you happy.
I certainly don't know the recording process enough to make a valid comparison. With the resurgence of tube gear. I'd imagine that some recording studios use that topology in the recording chain. Whether that translates into a better experience I don't have a clue. My issue with some recordings of reissued vinyl is that some have too much of the loudness wars with I guess compression in the recording chain or the music not being vibrant enough as I've compared with the CD original release. One aspect I like of reissued vinyl with a digital source. Is that some of the obscure and ridiculously expensive original vinyl recordings are released at a reasonable price. And most of what I have in that vein sound very nice.
Barryso wrote on Fri, 21 August 2026 08:25 Sure, the technology changes have changed how things sound. But everything else has changed, too. The styles of pop/rock music have gone through a lot of dramatic shifts in the past decades not to mention our musical tastes often change over time. So even the music is different. And as we age our hearing changes, too. Most of my audio friends are chasing "the absolute sound" as it's defined in the audio magazines. They make remarks about my systems because they rarely conform to what the industry seems to be pushing. But getting my system listenable for long stretches of time is a priority. If I can't relax into the music then the system just isn't right. Also to their chagrin, I'll often have a system setup to sound like a classic 70's hifi. Sometimes leaning toward east coast sound and sometimes west coast. Not accurate and definitely not the absolute sound. But exactly what I wanted as a kid and couldn't afford. To really get to your question, yes things sound different than back in the day. But that just means you have to search a bit to find the right gear that can recreate the sound that makes you happy. Thank you for your insight on the topic. It seems the question right now would be where do I find that which makes me happier? I mean every day, we are faced with more streaming platforms than most classic stuff. Do you recommend any website that can relate more with what we used to have back in those years.