Analog v digital is one of those religious wars. People who think there's a difference will often pay extra -- a whole lot extra, by the way -- for analog capability. Some fools think there is "status" in analog, which is something I've never understood.
People who don't hear a difference will sometimes get pretty rough on those who like analog. It's easy to do that, because when stating a preference that can't be proven or quantified you open yourself up for all kinds of lampooning. To me, it's a lot like the wine tasting world. You can pay $3 for a bottle of Two-Buck Chuck (which used to be $2, just like Motel 6 charged $6 for a while), and you can pay several hundred dollars for this or that burgundy. And when you try to describe the differences, you become comedic fodder.
Or cigars. I like medium-bodied robustos, and occasionally a torpedo shape. For a smidgen over $1 each in quantities of 20, you can buy Remedio robustos at J.R. Cigars made from Nicaraguan tobacco, and they'll go 85% of the way toward a Cuban Cohiba, Partagas or Bolivar robusto at about $20 each in quantities of 25. You can pay about $4 each in quantities of 25 for Ashton Cabinet bellicosos made of Dominican tobacco, and you're 95% of the way to a Cuban Montecristo #2. But if you want a Cuban cigar you have to pay the full frieght, and there is no Cuban cigar other than a Cuban cigar.
Now are Cuban cigars better? Not all of them, that's for sure. I've been in Canadian tobacco shops and have laughed to see Americans come in and ask for "a Cuban cigar" without knowing the brand or shape; if I ran the store, I'd sell that customer a counterfeit. They'd never know the difference. You have to have a lot of experience to be able to distinguish a Cuban cigar from the rest of them. The differences are subtle, especially when you compare them to the best from the Dominican Republic, which is only 90 miles from Cuba. A new smoker should start on J.R. Robustos. They are very good cigars, and they are a tremendous value.
But at the high-end? It's true, there's nothing like the best Cuban cigars. I've been smoking dog turds since I was 21 years old, which means close to 30 years. I started on machine rolled Garcia y Vega, a buck and a quarter for a box of five. Then I went up the ladder as I came into more money. Now, I can distinguish a Cuban Cohiba, Partagas, Bolivar, Uppman or Montecristo by taste from the non-Cuban versions of the same brands, and from non-Cuban versions of similar cigars, Ashton being the closest to Cuban quality in my opinion. But no test is ever going to prove it, and if I tell you that Cuban cigars have a unique combination of mild flavor and knock-your-head off strength you might laugh. When I smoke cigars I take the ringbands off, and in any case I smoke most cigars by myself so I'm impressing no one.
Back to audio. I tend to prefer analog but not always. There are plenty of recordings where you can't tell the difference, and the system and the room have a whole lot of influence. With respect to the Eagles and Rush, well, all I can say is that the first thing you have to do is pick tolerable music for the comparison.
Incoming!!!!
p.s.: If you want to buy Cuban cigars, go to cigarsclub.com. They are located in Spain, which is the European entrepot for Cuban tobacco owing to the former colonial relationship. You specify what you want, and they arrive in a box marked "produce of the Canary Islands." Separately, they mail you an envelope full of ring bands with box seals. I found them a few years ago and ordered a box of Cohibas as a test. When they got here and I smoked them, I knew they were the real thing. Prior to that, I got my Cohibas from a Catholic priest who smuggled them to Chicago and used the proceeds to fund an orphanage in Havana. Or so he said.
