CD v Streamed

Right now, my analog rig has a slight edge over CD with some records. I guess I will not be able to post my comparison of streaming to vinyl here since this post is titled CD vs Streaming. What an exciting time for audio.

Of course you can post it up, I’ve done the comparison, and yes while analog is good, it’s maximum of 30db channel separation at 1khz and falls off to almost 10db (mono) in the bass, and around 15db in the highs, it can’t match the 120db channel separation of CD top to bottom.
The sound stage imagining and depth perspective with CD because of that channel separation, is sooo much more precise, wider, and has far better imaging on the outside the speakers too when it’s called for when "anti phase" notes have been deliberately recorded to put them there.

Cheers George

I know all the technical data and comparison between vinyl and analog.  Similar to the SS and Tube amp discussions in the 1980s, SS amps looked great on paper with their great S/N and low distortion but tubes still had the advantage in listening.  With my previous CD player, which was quite good, vinyl still had a clear lead in sound.  With this new DAC/Transport combo and music server I see quite a bit of overlap between Digital songs and records.  Hi res files have the holographic imaging of vinyl w/o the noise so hi res is tops to me now but some records still beat out CD to me with a larger stage and more body to the voices and instruments.  A lot of CDs, and this is not the player's fault since this is not always the case now, make the voices and instruments seem like cardboard cutouts.  I grew up on records, so I can tolerate some background noise in the music.  In fact, for a long time CD was too clean sounding if you get what I mean.  Better turntables and cartridges eliminate a lot of groove noise too.  Speed control of turntable platters is also critical to compete with digital, I think.  Overall, it takes more dollars, more effort and perseverance to get vinyl to a level to compete with good digital.

Part of the fun of vinyl is that it shouldn't work so well.  It's just not possible, it would seem, for vinyl to sound so good.  The stereo 33 1/3 LP concept was sketched out by two engineers on a cocktail napkin.  With those auspicious beginnings, I think it is a testament to the ingenuity of not just manufacturers but also the contributions of hobbyists alike that made the LP what it is.  The same goes for CDs too.  

I see hi end or hifi streaming as still a cottage industry.  I imagine a lot of people have and will continue to make contributions to this technology.  For now, this technology at least for hi end hifi is still very much in development without a lot of clear paths to all of the hardware needed.  I hung onto my previous CD player for 15 years because hi res digital and streaming- at least something beyond iTunes was bewildering.  I spent about 4 months last winter studying and trying to learn and understand hi end streaming technology.  I visited some shops and listened to various digital rigs.  I finally settled on a DAC and Transport that just blew me away with the sound upgrade from my old CD player.  But I had a few setbacks with my attempts at streaming.  Where I am today I have learned a lot and I can look back and think, "Gee, I could almost live without a record player and CD transport with how good my music server and streamer sound today."  (Not that I'm ready to give up my analog rig).