From: utzoo!decvax!harpo!npoiv!alice!rabbit!jj
Newsgroups: net.audio
Title: Re: Digital vs. analog
Article-I.D.: rabbit.655
Posted: Wed Aug  4 11:43:16 1982
Received: Thu Aug  5 04:19:15 1982
References: tekcrd.364 hplabs.607

	The different articles posted to the net about digital audio
demonstrate a very interesting phenominon, i.e. that of complaining about
(I lack the vocabulary to use the proper word here) various
alleged problems that exist in digital audio, without either a correct
statement of the so-called problem or a reasonable comparison with the
performance of the current analog systems.  The complaints about the phase
response of digital systems are just plain WRONG!  I can't attack
the argument on technical grounds because it doesn't have any basis
in either theory or practice.  There have been hardware problems that
have, in the past, led to such problems, but I do not consider
that a problem with even a set of the most well known hardware constitutes a
flaw in the concept.  

	
	The problem alluded to in the article that this responds to alludes
to phase problems.  The correspondant does not mention whether this is a
fixed, random, or time varying phase problem.  Neither is the magnitude of
the "phase problem" compared with the phase response of a tape deck
such as that used to master a disc.  
	To clear things up a bit..  
	If the "phase problem" is random, it will cause the system
to have a total snr of about 10dB, regardless of the number of
bits, etc.  Since this is clearly not the case, I dispose of this case.
	If the phase is time varying (at a fast rate--) it will cause
modulation effects that have similar results (no snr).
	If the phase varies very slowly, it has the same effect as
a tape deck.
	If the phase is non-tracking, but fixed, it doesn't matter, since
it's like a perfectly aligned tape deck with NO head skew.(Fat chance)

	I am becoming tired of defending digital audio systems against
people who have complaints which are either wrong or taken out of
context.  Is there someone else out there with an interest in digital
audio?  If so, and your are interested in continuing the debate,
mail me.  If no, I will abandon this group to the uninformed digit haters
who seem to think that any new technology should be perfect,and who disregard
the performance of current systems in their haste to tear down a new idea.
I guess that new ideas will always suffer from conservatives who
fear that they will become obsolete. (Very likely, if they refuse to become informed.)