it all sounds good, but.....


So, I've been building up my system...(theta miles, art audio px25, cain-cain single horn bens). it sound great, but it doesnt sound real. every upgrade I've made makes small differences. the only time ive heard a dramatic difference is when an LP was playing.

i've heard plenty of sub $20k systems, but they dont sound real, unless an LP is playing. i really dont think its the amp or the speakers... Im thinking its the digital/redbook source.

are there any digital sources that sound real? or do I have to get into LPs?
dennislee
Scott Nixon DAC through a tube pre-amp or a Tube Dac will warm up the CD sound. Being old enough to remember when CD didn't exist, I also remember what a pain in the rear vinyl was.
Dennis, you can make vinyl sounding like digital and the other way around. A good LP copy sounds more like CD to me. Some CD's are also better sounding than LP's, some are not. But you shouldn't get the illusion that digital and vinyl could sound the same, because these are inherently different media.

Chris
Try to get something that sounds good and enjoy it for what it is, while vinyl does sound better, a well recorded CD is great aswell. I think any true music lover cant do without digital even if it is flawed, there is simply too many tittles that will never be pressed on vinyl. Just like I listen around vinyl's pop's tick's and flaws I try to listen around digital's flaws by fucusing on the music, sometimes it is harder then others but I have many CD's I truely enjoy. Even as much as I prefer vinyl sometimes I play digital so I dont have to clean and change the record every 25 minutes. I also think burning disc's to a black CDR makes them sound better.
My system sounds real to me ;). You have to put together something that you
feel good about. It DOES NOT have to cost a lot of money. My current system
costs about 1/4 of what it did a year ago, and sounds much better as well.

The sooner you let "reality" go and realize that every component in the hi-fi
chain, including the recording--is an interpretation, a step closer to
happiness you will be.