Turntable got absolutely crushed by CD

I'm going to offer this for comparison:

The MoFi 45lp release of Dire Straits "Brothers in Arms" against both a Tidal streaming and a reissued cd version. 

Analog: VPI HW-19 Mk 4 with a Hana SH through a basic Lehmann Black Cube phono. 

Digital: Tidal lossless FLAC through an Oppo 105 and AcousticZen XLR's through the Pathos Classic One. 

That 45 pressing completely outsized any digital version. 

Some digital Versions are better than their analog counterparts, especially with a poorly pressed vinyl version. But I tend to research the best pressed vinyl version of a release and they almost always sound more complete and the digital version. 

And, then again, some inferior pressed versions of LPs can sound absolutely horrible. Like, I played REM's LP of Life's Rich Pageant, and that just sounded awful through the system. but the streaming version through TIDAL sounded incredible.

Yep, back in the day, we used to say "garbage in, garbage out".   Today, we have not only that but we also have far better equipment to hear that garbage.  

Right you are, simao. Except I would add, its not just the pressing. The MoFi Dire Straits 45 is an awful pressing. Mine skips on Walk of Life, there are pops and crackles everywhere, and the whole pressing is just depressingly noisy across all sides. Its so bad I called Acoustic Sounds and said this is the worst MoFi ever! They agreed! Set a record for returns! And yet, even so, the sound that is there is so glorious that when they said they can refund but not exchange as there are none to exchange it for I said, well then I'll keep it!

So its not just the pressing. Another example. I have a really nice reissue of Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon. Pulled it out recently. Looks and plays like new. Quiet as can be. Perfectly fine pressing. Could hardly stand it. Awful detail, congested, harsh, glaring, pretty much crap. Pulled out one of my old MoFi's from back in the 70's, probably played 40 times by now. Ahhh, sweet, pure, natural, clear, that's the ticket! 

The MoFi is of course famously made from an Original Master Recording, and comes with a two page insert documenting all the obsessive steps taken to preserve fidelity in the process. My hunch is the reissue was made from gawd knows what source tape, knocked off on whatever gear was cheap, by whoever was available, so that by the time it got to the final step in the process it really doesn't matter what vinyl they use or how its pressed. The recording was an abortion from the get-go.

I think something like that happened on the LP of The New Basement Tapes. They messed that one up so much it sounds better on YouTube.

Comparing apples to apples recording quality wise its no contest. Even the crappiest MoFi ever crushes any digital version.

No surprise to me. That model esoteric is very good  sounding....

@dynaquest4

 You covered too many bases and a response from me would just take too long. I'm glad, though, that my post got your chops churning and interested you enough to provide such a verbose reply.

I used film from 1972 to 2004. After digital reached 8mp I never looked back at film.

 
Just because i start uploading my film scan archive online recently, actually all of them are from 2004 to 2010. I see a lot of feedbacks, much more than with digital. So i assume there is still something special about analog film. This is one of my cross-processed 120mm slide film, on that picture you see a Great Canary Telescope sited on a volcanic peak 2267 metres above sea level in Atlantic Ocean. This is the world's largest single-aperture optical telescope. I can not do a picture like that with digital camera. It's a magic of the film. 

I think the lack of enthusiasm about analog film photography or vinyl records in a digital world does not affect everyone. There is and always will be something special about analog formats.