RE: [Leica] for sale as a result of our studio going digital

[Austin Franklin <austin@darkroom.com>]

> Digital audio ruins the fun, because it eliminates the competition
> gradient, and thereby eliminates the quest.

Actually, that's not true.  There is an art to D/A converter design (as 
there is to lense design) and packaging, and actually, digital audio 
introduces a completely new set of problems...EMI for one...which can 
easily get coupled back into the resultant analog signal and make it sound, 
well, bad.  The only thing that is digital is the source, you still need a 
D/A converter, an amplifier and speakers...unless your brain has an AES/EBU 
hookup.  If it does, I'm jealous ;-)

> Amplifiers became boring a long time ago because you could spend $1000
> and get one that was so perfect that your friends couldn't tell the
> difference between it and a $5000 amplifier

Most people who can tell the difference in high end audio have spent quite 
a bit of time training their ears.  Just the same with good photographic 
techniques.  People just don't pick up a camera and become completely 
proficient in every aspect of photography...it takes understanding and 
training (can be self training gained through experience).  Also, some 
people's ears ARE better than others, as well as some people's 'eyes' are 
better than others..

I find this really a funny thread chiding audiophiles coming from a group 
of camera polishers...  For the humor impaired, that was a joke.