2. analog
  3. 140184-113812

Turntable got absolutely crushed by CD

Long story short, i've just brought home a VPI classic 1 mounted with a Zu-Denon DL103 on JMW Memorial 10.5 with the appropriate heavier counterweight. Had everything dialed in..perfect azimuth, VTF, overhang, with only a slightly higher than perfect VTA. Levelling checked. All good. 

I did a comparison between the VPI and my Esoteric X03SE and it's not even close. The Esoteric completely crushes the VPI in all regards. The level of treble refinement, air, decay, soundstage depth and width, seperation, tonality, overall coherence is just a simply a league above from what I'm hearing from the VPI. The only area the VPI seems to be better at is bass weight, but not by much. 

I'm honestly quite dumbfounded here. I've always believed that analogue should be superior to digital. I know the Esoteric is a much pricier item but the VPI classic is supposed to be a very good turntable and shouldn't be a slouch either. At this point I feel like I should give up on analogue playback and invest further in digital. 

Has anyone had a similar experience comparing the best of digital to a very good analogue setup?

Equipment:
Esoteric X03SE 
VPI Classic, JMW Memorial 10.5, Zu-DL103
Accuphase C200L
Accuphase P600
AR 90 speakers

Test Record/CD:
Sarah McLachlan - Surfacing (Redbook vs MOV 180g reissue)



chadsort
audioman58's avatar
audioman58
1,219 posts
 
A great Turntable has a very palpable presentation very deep soundstage and a vibrant presentation .that being said 
is you have a top quality Dac , especially a SE model or modified 
using top quality Capacitors and like the Lascala , or lampizader
tube  Dacs can give great Sonics the Esoteric se is a Very goodSS 
unit CD player myself like everything-on a Solid State Harddrive, no moving parts on a seperate dac .look at DCS if you can afford it
surpasses anything out there. I would like to mention Bybee has a 
internal4x 2 purifier  doublesided tape you put one in your digital, 
preamp,amp  incredibly good improvement just put on underthe top cover for under $150 each  makes digital  more analog or warmer and more depth.i was skeptical , No more !!
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davidtlai's avatar
davidtlai
11 posts
 
You are assuming that your CD and LP pressings are equal.  LP Reissues are lots of time inferior to original CD releases.  In any case, you’d be surprised how all over the place the qualities are.  I suggest using a wider range of recordings for comparison.
islandmandan
848 posts
 

When you finally get your analog right, there is a satisfaction to be had there that just doesn't come with merely pushing a button. It's an endeavor that is rewarded by the knowledge that with your own hands, and due diligence, you have achieved something that is very worth doing.

You already have a start on a pretty nice vinyl rig. By the way, I find my Zu Denon 103R works best at between 500ohms-1000ohms.

My advice would be to stick with it a bit longer before you give it up. JMHO

Regards,
Dan
gammajo's avatar
gammajo
798 posts
 
Answering your initial question. I am very happy with my Ayon CD35 CD player which has a tubed power supply and and tubed PreAmp. This got me close enough to vinyl on the things that vinyl does well, particularly emotional engagement, and a musical rightness, plus gave me the best of digital - so much so that I gave up my vinyl. The Esoteric, DCS stacks etc. that I heard were exceptionally clean but were missing this engagement for me. I felt that to take vinyl to the same degree of satisfaction would have been a huge investment in time, money and tinkering. Personally for me the case for vinyl was worsened in that most of my hundreds of records were collected starting in college (now I am 68) and were ruined by play on prior equipment, so I would have to start my collection over. Both mediums nowadays have a lot to offer when tuned to your tastes. There are plenty of crappy recordings in both mediums and fortunately many gems as well.
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