As a general rule, in the modern era in which we live we consider that analog is already outdated and obsolete and we tend to always opt for digital. However, regarding the world of audio, reality can be very different, and in this article we are going to tell you what the difference is between using analog and digital audio on your PC and why you should choose one or the other.
Nowadays, all the motherboards for PC already integrate the sound card and generally it is the one that we use; Among them, the vast majority give us the possibility to choose between analog audio with the usual 3.5 mm minijack connectors and digital audio with the S / PDIF connector, although it is true that not all audio systems incorporate digital input . In any case and having both options, which of the two is better? Let’s see it.
Analog and digital audio, what is the difference?
In any area that you can imagine, digital differs from analog by continuity; in digital systems the changes are drastic because it is based on the ones and zeros of the binary system, on or off, white or black, let the current pass or cut the current. However, in the analog field the changes occur progressively and gradually, maintaining continuity at all times.
A very graphic way of understanding it, even if we momentarily depart from the audio, is taking photography as an example. A photograph taken the old-fashioned way, with a film and an analog camera that is developed in a dark room, can be magnified almost infinitely even when viewed through a thread counter, maintaining an uninterrupted progression at all times.
In contrast, a photograph taken with a digital camera – or a digitized image – is made up of pixels; for this reason, when we see it on a screen and it is enlarged, we see the “little squares” that correspond to these pixels and that stagger the image, deforming it and presenting a discontinuous result, although viewed at the appropriate resolution “they deceive” the human eye and it seems that it is not so.
If we extrapolate this to the world of audio, something very similar happens. The interpolation of a live audio track is an analog process because the human being and the environment are, asking to be faithfully collected on analog media such as vinyl or cassette tapes. To transfer it to digital media such as a CD or MP3 files or even FLAC, the analog signal is sampled, that is, various samples of the analog audio are taken and converted to ones and zeros to create a sequence that is as similar as possible to the original. The problem is that it is not possible to take infinite samples, and therefore the changes will always be more abrupt than when listening to an analog recording.
Advantages and disadvantages of one and the other
Obviously, every choice has its advantages and disadvantages, and choosing between analog or digital audio on your PC is no exception. The most obvious has to do with the connection, since a digital audio connection works or does not work, without middle terms, while an analog connection can present interference, electrical noise or other problems related to the wear of the connector, a bad connection or environmental conditions such as static electricity, humidity, or nearby magnetic devices.
On the contrary, an analog connector is much more durable and resistant than a digital one even if you connect and disconnect it thousands of times. After all, the S / PDIF connection to the PC uses an optical signal, and that means that if the connector is stained, scratched or broken at one end, it will stop working; Likewise, although the cable does not receive interference of any kind, it is also less durable and prone to problems if it is bent excessively, and can even break if it is bent too much.
Keep one thing in mind (as an example): in the professional field, digital audio is completely dispensed with, but this is so because the highest possible fidelity of the sound is always sought and one always works with raw audio, although later it is later process and digitize. However, professionals also use professional grade equipment to avoid the problems that we have discussed with analog connectors, but they cost a lot of money.
So is it better to use analog audio on PC?
As we have explained, analog audio is more progressive and therefore richer in detail than digital, which is nothing more than a sampled conversion of analog audio. When we talk about the PC, this has its advantages and disadvantages, especially due to the connector and the wiring, and we are not going to go there and leave it to the assessment of what each user wants or looks for for their audio system.
However, it must also be taken into account that there are certain limits to hearing and even those who do not want to remain “tied” to analog and prefer digital audio on their PC, can make the sound sound as if it were analog as long as they have the right components to solve the shortcomings of digital audio.
The first of these requirements is obviously having good quality audio, which is known as HD audio. The higher the sample rate of the audio, the better the result and the audio experience you receive; This frequency is measured in Hertz (Hz) and it is considered that the minimum to be able to say that the audio is HD is 44,100 Hz, that is to say, 44.1 KHz.
An essential device to make digital audio sound like analog is a DAC, say “Digital to Analogue Converter” or in Spanish, digital to analog converter. What DACs do is that the process of transforming analog audio into the binary code necessary for digital audio is much more fluid than in systems that come standard with players, such as the one built into your speakers.
There are DACs suitable for all kinds of needs, from the small and light ones designed for mobile devices to professional devices that cost thousands of euros; If you are an audiophile, our recommendation is that you get a DAC and you will notice the difference, but which one to buy will depend on your budget and needs.
