@robertwill - an interesting thread, is it all linked to the quality of how it was listened…also when was true stereo listening available for the masses?
What is interesting to me is that the digital domain is perfect yet how many plugins try and get you to saturate and emulate the sort of equipment that you’d avoid like the plague if you had to make a choice due to S/N ratios, dynamic range and frequency response. How often have you seen Neumann mics saying how old the are and how they still use tubes as they did in the ‘60’s to get (rather tenously described as Warmth, mojo and other bollocks, based on the rarity and subsequently high value equipment, that were it in YOUR studio you would spit feathers over how hot, noisey and awful it was, as Stevie wonder so gloriously demonstrated with this Arp 2600, he produced such wonderful bass lines, but he said it was one of the most unreliable pieces of shite he’d ever used, worth a fortune now…
In my humble opinion today’s technology is fantastic, and one can always make it sound analog, but it’s jolly difficult to do it the other way round without add noise of some kind, how many times have you seen famous albums remastered, ever asked why or even how? Because the technology now makes it worth it. And people aren’t listening on mono dansettes anymore, speakers are fantastic for the price.