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
I think it was the best comment in this thread and my personal award goes to @millercarbon

That is why, anyone tries to tell me a turntable got absolutely crushed by a CDP, all I can do is ask, from how high was it dropped?

Dyna,
"My opinion of vinyl use being mostly about nostalgia and "retro-coolness" stands."
Obviously you can have any opinion you choose. I'm just wondering what your vinyl standard was to come to this conclusion. I don't think you mentioned another table other than the zero. If you did, my apologies & I'm asking you to please reiterate...

Thanks
Boxer:

I assume that you have read my recent posts above.  I stopped listening to records in 1992...after about 32 years of my life of that being the best media around.  I do not have to spend thousands of dollars to buy turntables (again) and music (again) that I already have on digital (mostly CD) in order to be fairly certain that vinyl is merely a current fashion.

Yes, I have auditioned vinyl on modern ultra-high end equipment.  Sounds great...like well recorded records always did.  Different than digital?  You bet.  Better than digital?  To my ears, no.  Convenience?  No contest.  

My main issue with vinyl, in addition to a long list of other inconveniences, is that you are stuck with the song selection and order pressed onto the record.  And you have to flip the damn record.  As in the old days, albums (with many exceptions) are typically two or three really good tracks and seven or eight of filler.  Even if analog discs were scientifically capable of providing a better than digital playback, I could not tolerate being forced to listen to tracks I don't like to accommodate a out of date (albeit cool looking) media.  Makes zero sense to me...and I've been around a while.

To your question....it has been 27 years since I've had a turntable.  Audio memory is so perishable (a fact) it wouldn't matter what turntables I had back then...I'd be unable to compare that analog playback memory to present day digital playback of a well recorded CD or FLAC flie.

In recent memory, a number of digital "systems" failed though they were supposed to be better than CD's - DVD-Audio, Digital Tape, SACD and others.  I fell for SACD.  Was it better?  Yes it was.  But it failed because it wasn't better enough to buy all your music again.  I dumped SACD after three years but I can still play my discs on my Oppo 105. Vinyl, I suspect will eventually fade away in the same fashion.

When the absolute sole "proof" of the superiority of records comes from vinyl aficionados, who tout that system as "sounding better," I'll take my ears, experience and science any day. 

A sorta long-winded answer to your very polite question.  My apologies.






Digital is getting much better these days. no doubt about it.  I was listening to a great digital setup the other days and was floored by the quality.  its got me thinking.  there is music that was recrded years ago that I cannot get to sound good on digital.  there is digital that has never been released on vinyl.  At this point, the investment in a great transport and DAC may be a thing to consider.
Hello I haven't read all that responses but just thinking the unipivot tonearm you're using is not ideal for the 103 because of the High compliance of the cantilever a new low compliance cartridge would be more ideally suited to your turntable next get a new phono section like maybe the New Black Ice 149 f then get a nice LP like a analogue Productions 45 RPM Tea for the Tillerman