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

Showing 2 responses by almarg

almarg's avatar
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almarg
8,673 posts
 
P.S. to my previous post: I see also that the specified nominal impedance of the cartridge is 45 ohms. Applying a 100 ohm load to a 45 ohm signal source will result in a loss of nearly 1/3 of the signal voltage, in addition to numerous other kinds of adverse interactions that can occur when the source is a phono cartridge.

Also, I'm of course assuming that you are using the 100 ohm setting.  If by any chance you are using 10 ohms or 30 ohms, look no further for the major contributor to the problem.

Regards,
-- Al
almarg's avatar
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almarg
8,673 posts
 
I took a look at the very detailed brochure on the C-200L that can be found at hifiengine.com if one is registered there. It appears that for low output cartridges the only loading choices are 10 ohms, 30 ohms, and 100 ohms. While the recommended load for the Zu/DL103, at least in its MkII version, is stated to be "200 to 300 ohms, or as needed to get the phono preamp to mate well and make you happy."

Several of the sonic characteristics you referred to as being crushed by CD seem to me to be consistent with excessive loading of the cartridge (i.e., load impedance that is too low).

Probably other factors are also contributing to the issue, such as those that have been mentioned by the others. But I wouldn’t be surprised if excessive loading is a major factor.

Regards,
-- Al
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