From: utzoo!decvax!cca!hplabs!menlo70!sytek!zehntel!teklabs!tekcrd!kimr@sri-unix
Newsgroups: net.audio
Title: Digital vs. analog
Article-I.D.: tekcrd.364
Posted: Fri Jul 16 16:06:57 1982
Received: Sun Jul 18 05:15:58 1982

For you digital audio fans, I have a thought question.

There best current information on "audible differences" (admittedly
reported by golden-ears, but incorporated in products by manufacturers
such as NAD and Cotter) is that the fastest signal rise time the ear
is sensitive to is in the 9 to 14 microsecond range.

A digital signal recorded at 50kHz has a maximum possible rise time of
20 microseconds.

Admittedly, analog recordings have their problems, but rise time limitations
are not among them.  Why isn't our technology capable of supporting, say
100kHz sampling frequencies?  My favorite solution for the digital disk
(assuming the 100kHz a-to-d's are the limiting factor) is to record the
program using analog technology and then "half speed master" the digital
disk at 50kHz and play it back at 100kHz.

I, for one, will never purchase a digital recording, disk, or disk player
until the sampling rates are improved.

                                              Kim Rochat