CD Got Absolutely Crushed By Vinyl

As if AAD and ADD CDs don’t sound awful enough DDD CDs sound even worse. That’s the fully Monty digital experience.

A great analog recording played on a good vinyl system will almost always win out over digital. Almost all new mastered albums sound worse than the originals.

chakster
Also the phono cartridge is the key to analog

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Its not the

1) cartridge........ it’s not the
2) table....... it’s not the
3) shelf/stand/room....... its not the
4) tonearm......... its not the
5) Litz..........its not the
6) Phono Stage and Loading of.............

The key is attained knowledge, that allows for the proper set up of all 6 areas to work together, based on each areas different design, and execution. There is a lot to get wrong. 

This is why better set up lesser perceived designs, out perform better perceived designs in places you visit like same room shows. But given one has the knowledge on setup, and that someone can do the proper set up; the better design executed well should out perform the lesser design.

@chakster 

The goal of analog is ANALOG, not a digital converted to analog. Get youself some proper original records from the 70’s to make sure you’re listening to the state of the art analog, not a digitally remastered reissue or new music recorded digitally. Original pressing from analog master tape is where the vinyl is better than CD of the same music recorded later from digital source. Also the phono cartridge is the key to analog.

Totally agree with you Chakster. The purity of the analog mixing, production and mastering process works best with analog playback. Putting digital in any of these stages introduces unnecessary a/d and d/a conversions and associated elements of distortion. 

@itsjustme

Could you start with the entire system chain so we know what you were hearing, and the material, so we know the mastering?


It’s pretty straight-forward. I listen to material recorded to LPs in the 60’s and 70’s on a completely analog (except for CD player) system. My turntable is a fully restored high-end vintage Technics SL-1700mk2 with Audio-Technica VM540ML cartridge playing through a modified NAD PP2 (external regulated power supply, Burson V6 Classic discrete op-amp and XLR connectors with Belden 1696A shielded single pair cable to the tonearm). To replicate this much with off the shelf gear, you’d have to spend the better part of $6,000.