Next DSD firmware update in 2020 or 2021?

Neat! A complex machine.

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Although not a technology, this statement regarding health still trumps any modern protocol or patented medicine based approach to obtaining optimal health.

"Let food be thy medicine, and let medicine be thy food.”

Hippocrates

Of course this excludes mass produced highly processed GMO “foods” grown on depleted soil.

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Just remember, vinyl in the US has overtaken CDs in sales in 2020, and up 46% from 2019, and sold 27.5M units. Vinyl also saw its biggest sales week EVER the week ending 12/24/20. Still niche?? It all depends on someone’s definition.

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Not at all alike. But, I never said they were the same. What IS the same it that they are both vintage technologies stat are still being embraced. In no way does that imply that the technologies are the same.

She is the Ted Smith of Fiber???

The market for mechanical watches, vintage, used and new is much bigger than you might imagine.

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Remember vinyl’s ability to compete head to head with its modern technological counterpart. This is critical in my positing vinyl occupies a unique spot. I cannot think of a similar old technology which does this.

To your separate point, vinyl remains niche in terms of how we listen to music. Streaming has taken over. But vinyl occupies a relatively broad niche encompassing both enthusiasts as well as the hip.

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Again, the critical distinction between vinyl and mechanical watches is mechanical analog watches cannot compete with modern technology in their primary role as timekeepers. Vinyl can compete with its most modern counterpart. Amazing actually.

And while there is continuing interest in mechanical watches, this interest pales in comparison to vinyl.

Vinyl appears to be a singular unicorn.

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Pretty much. Then add cultivating orchids.

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Your point is understood and not disputed. Mechanical watch enthusiasts will place particular value on a watch’s movement if it’s acknowledged as superior. But I’ve never heard or been engaged in conversations about timekeeping accuracy as a measure of value.
For track events or making a soufflĂ©, I’ll use my iphone or Apple watch.
All that said, I do agree about vinyl.

I can’t comment on the newest generation of digital watches, but when I sold them, they could be less accurate that the best mechanical ones. The best mechanicals are accurate to 4-5 seconds a day. I remember when I was selling then, digital watched were sometimes off several times that. I’d take the back off, put it on a machine that registered the oscillator’s frequency, use a special tool that let me adjust the trim for the oscillator, then put the back on. I was very good at that. Now, my eyesight up close is crappy, and my hands are worse due to my neuromyopathy and dupuytren’s disease. But Hallelujah, my hearing is doing great. Whoo-hoo!!

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those were my mom’s favorite flower.

I agree with the watch example (“example,” not “analogy” just for Al). Elk gotta take a wider view. Vinyl cannot compete on noise floor with digital but that is only one small aspect of sound quality. Similarly, nobody who wears mechanical watches cares if they lose/gain one (or five or ten) second per day, even if the Casio won’t lose a second over a month. That is missing the point of mechanical watches, just as focusing only on measurement or noise floor is far from the end all in vinyl judging

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My impression is a watch’s movement can be superior in a number of ways; accuracy, aesthetics/appearance of the components, layout, action transmitted to the hands, sound, etc. I have been shown some watches which were fascinating.

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So, who among you is into 8-track? :sweat_smile: :rofl:

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The thing with vinyl is in order for it to compete with modern day digital
the playback system its played upon has to be up to the task of making it sound as good as it can also. So it really can’t stand on its own without modern technology being involved in the analogy given. The vinyl part alone does not make the medium whole without other parts being involved in the process. Any album played on an archaic system is not high end by any stretch of the imagination.

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Very true.

I noted in the past how recording technology greatly surpassed the playback equipment of the day. While the gap is narrowing, we are still better at recording than playback.

Yeah, I realize there’s an unusual relationship with PSA relying on one person who isn’t even a regular employee. But that’s up to PSA and customers shouldn’t need to worry about an internal detail like that.
Btw Ted, you are amazing. I briefly looking into FGPA programming out of curiosity and can’t imagine dealing with that.

I sincerely hope that all goes well over weekend at PSAudio so that we all can get the now long-awaited new firmware. It would be kind of
 nice!

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I would say quality related your statement is correct (you need a high quality turntable). Time related I’d say you can take the right and best 30 year old turntable and arm, maybe a little later cartridge, and you can have 80-90% of the quality of the best of today’s turntables up to 50-100k.

That’s why vinyl folks never understood the CD hype and those who thought it’s better by then
because those vinyl folks know more or less today’s vinyl sound since decades.

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