CD Got Absolutely Crushed By Vinyl

@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. 

@ct0517 

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. 

 
Right, but the cartridge is first and only component that physically riding your records, so in my opinion cartridge is the key. 

chakster
Right, but the cartridge is first and only component that physically riding your records, so in my opinion cartridge is the key.

@chakster
Well then, in your own words "physically riding", shortened to "ride" for the purpose of this post.....

The Litz ............rides the tonearm/cart.
The tonearm ....rides the cartridge and TT/Shelf.
The cartridge... rides the record.
The record .......rides the platter/TT
The TT .............rides the shelf.

A lot of riding going on.

“To replicate this much with off the shelf gear, you’d have to spend the better part of $6,000.”

You left something out...what is the CD player/DAC in comparison?