Recommendations for a jazz record which demonstrates vinyl superiority over digital


I have not bought a vinyl record since CDs came out, but have been exposed to numerous claims that vinyl is better.  I suspect jazz may be best placed to deliver on these claims, so I am looking for your recommendations.

I must confess that I do not like trad jazz much.  Also I was about to fork out A$145 for Miles Davis "Kind of Blue" but bought the CD for A$12 to see what the music was like.  I have kept the change!

I love the jazz in the movie Babylon, which features local Oz girl Margo Robbie (the film, not the jazz).

So what should I buy?

128x128richardbrand

If only the weight of the vinyl was proportionate to sound quality, buying LPs would be a simple matter.  Too bad it is not.

This is based on nothing more than my personal experience -- like every other personal opinion posted here -- but in the interest of full disclosure, I've been buying records, without interruption, since the mid-1960s, probably 5-10,000 sides. The recording that best demonstrates the strengths of analog playback, of the records I've owned, is the UHQR reissue of "Kind of Blue." That includes even my large collection of Living Presence and Living Stereo first pressings, AP 45s, MoFi 1Steps, you know, all the usual suspects. Among other distinguishing characteristics, the UHQR "KoB" on my system stands out in terms of physicality & reproduction of the recording space. And it's a nice remastering, too. I'm listening through Quad ESLs & Harbeths, 2024 T+A electronics, Mikey Fremer's "budget reference" The Vinyl phonostage, a George E. Merrill-built "GEM Dandy" table with 9" Sorane arm and Hana Umami Blue MC cartridge. Regardless of whether once considers this to be the "best" record in any way, it's certainly good enough IMO, to seek out if you like this genre of music. I understand that the OP does not, which is a shame, because none of my other (7 or 8) CD, LP, & SACD versions of this album come close to duplicating the exquisite experience of listening to the UHQR.

Is the UHQR reissue corrected for the speed error inherent in the original tape? I’m not sure that would be a good thing. I am conditioned to the off speed version, since that day I took the bus into downtown New Haven, owing to the fact I was too young to drive, in order to buy the original in 1958. I own several of the many reissues since then, as well, one of which I think is speed corrected. I can't recall my impression of that one version, but I have a feeling it would sound too bright. There is something dark about the music which makes it irresistible and probably has something to do with its slightly erroneous pitch.

what a bizarre premise.

There are about a million variables to consider in this experiment, and since we know nothing about your system, how do we even know if you have vinyl hardware properly set up and optimized that is capable of even remotely being able to do what you want?

Not to mention the possibility that the album picked will be mastered differently for each format and that makes 1,000,001 variables.