2. misc-audio
  3. 162740-122613

Does Anyone Think CD is Better Than Vinyl/Analog?

I am curious to know if anyone thinks the CD format (and I suppose that could include digital altogether) sounds better than vinyl and other analog formats. Who here has gone really far down both paths and can make a valid comparison? So far, I have only gone very far down the CD path and I just keep getting blown away by what the medium is capable of! I haven’t hit a wall yet. It is extremely dependent on proper setup, synergy and source material. Once you start getting those things right, the equipment gets out of the way and it can sound more fantastic than you can imagine! It’s led me to start developing a philosophy that goes something like this: Digital IS “perfect sound forever”; it’s what we do to the signal between the surface of the CD and the speaker cone that compromises it.” 
So I suppose what I’m asking for is stories from people who have explored both mediums in depth and came to the conclusion that CD has the most potential (or vice versa - that’s helpful too). And I don’t simply mean you’ve spent a lot of money on a CD player. I mean you’ve tinkered and tweaked and done actual “research in the lab,” and came back with a deep understanding of the medium and can share those experiences with others.

In my experience, the three most important things to get right are to find a good CD player (and good rarely means most expensive in my experience) and then give it clean power. In my case, I have modified my CD player to run off battery power with DC-DC regulators. The last thing that must be done right is the preamp. It’s the difference between “sounds pretty good” and “sounds dynamic and realistic.”
128x128mkgus
tom2015
102 posts
 
With equal amounts invested in vinyl and CD in my setup CD actually sounds often better compared to Vinyl. Vinyl only comes out ahead with audiophile pressing i.e Mofi. Some CDs sound fantastic, others are terrible.

It all comes back to the mastering when the gear is roughly on equal footing.

Analog rig is Kuzma Ref 2 + 4 point 11+ car 50 cartridge + Herron VTPH2 

CD is Esoteric K01x

both wired with Cerious. 
tom2015
102 posts
 
And CD sounds better compared to streaming through the K01x.
mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn
8,570 posts
 
Teo, I believe the "fundamental flaw" you are talking about is Quantization Error. This is the error that occurs when a voltage falls in between the smallest digital values. The ADC then has to round the voltage off to the nearest value. These errors are dithered into noise. The signal to noise ratio of a 24 bit ADC is 120dB! That is seriously quieter than any signal you are going to get off a record, by at least a factor of 2. In other words, vinyl's "fundimental flaws" are a lot worse than digital's. Brick wall to what? Once any information is recorded permanently in any format it is "Brick Walled." You can not add or subtract anything from either format. You have to repeat the performance.

If you like the sound of vinyl better then just say it. Nothing to be ashamed of. But coming up with absurd explanations just does not cut it.  

I have an old copy of the Byrd's Turn Turn Turn. It is a bit noisy to say the least. I digitized it and put a copy on my hard drive. I make like I'm playing the record but in reality the input selector is on the hard drive which I surreptitiously cue up at the same time as the record. One friend in particular was floored when he discovered it was the computer. With volumes matched nobody can tell the difference reliably. 

It is not the format which determines sound quality. It is the way the recording and mastering were managed. If you love music throwing all your eggs in one basket is cutting off your nose to spite your face. 
oregonpapa's avatar
oregonpapa
4,867 posts
 
Last night I listened to a Steve Hoffman transfer of "The Best of Ray Charles" on a DCC compact disc. Ray Charles was in the room. I could see down his throat. Then I switched over to vinyl and put on the Impex Records reissue of Duke Ellington's "Indigos." The Duke Ellington Orchestra was in the room and the solo instruments just hung there between the speakers in all of their tonally correct glory. Then, I switched back to CDs and put on  Yusef Lateef's "Live at Pepe's." I swear I was sitting at a table at Pepe's amid the audience. So, which format was better last night? Who cares?? It's the music, the performance, and the emotional impact that really counts. 

Frank
edcyn
1,876 posts
 
For me it all depends on the quality of the original recording, and the quality of the remasterings into the different formats.  The skill of the dudes/dudettes in the control room conquers all.  I have some superb sounding compact discs.  More often than not, I thoroughly enjoy the remastering sleights-of-hand that Qobuz works on stuff I have on vinyl and CDs.  It's not that I don't love vinyl.  I'm also pretty tolerant when it comes to clicks n' pops, if not crunches.  The only thing that really pushes my buttons the wrong way concerning vinyl are off-center pressings.
More to discover