digital vs vinyl thoughts


i suspect i have been comparing apples and oranges. i just bought a project debut 111 with a shure m97x and after a month have been less than overwhelmed. when i go back to my emotiva cd/musical fidelity v-dac the performance just blows the table away. i have checked everything several times. i have concluded that due to using power cords and ics[all morrow audio] on my set up that each equals the price of the table i was expecting too much from an entry level table. the vinyl reproduction is not distorted, seems to be tracking ok, is set up with good isolation, and after a month of use...broke in. but the fact that the project has a hard wired ac cord and less than stellar phono wires and a inexpensive cartridge must be the reason. the rest of the system is emotiva usp-1 pre and xpa-2 power with mmgs. any ideas? thanks john
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The difference is $$$$$$$$$. I have LP's stacked to the ceiling, I'm a dinosaur; all dinosaurs have LP's stacked to the ceiling. Evidently other dinosaurs want young people to get into this very expensive, extremely complex "Dinosaur game".

When comparing ultra high end digital with vinyl, I can not hear one iota of difference, if they both have top software. When I compared the best LP with the best CD, any difference was "illusionary" in regard to the music. When you know you're listening to a top "Koetsu", and everything that goes with it, that makes you hear things.

That's a slight exaggeration, when you listen to a top "Koetsu" and everything that goes with it, you will hear music reserved for the angels; but can you afford it.
i agree. as a enthusiast i just had to buy a table so i can scour the flea markets for 25 cent records and have more audio gear. i sold my luxman pd444 with a grace 707 and a signet phono cart 30 years ago amd should have remembered it would take more than a 400 dollar[in 2012 dollars] turntable to get to "elevated" performance levels. if i lived in a city with a dealer i would probably be returning/exchanging the project but it's a one way street here in the ozarks. audio gear comes in by ups and never leaves.....just shuffled to another system in another room.
Well I'm going to have to disagree and say that (to me) vinyl just sounds more real, you are there. I just can't seem to get "involved" with CD sound like I can with vinyl. I do have more $$$$ in my analog system than the OP though. That could be the reason. But my Ayon CD1 is no slouch either. To each his own I guess.
Regretably, others have pointed out to "experience vinyl" you have to spend a minimum threshold to begin to know what the exciement is all about. Entry-level turntables aren't going to get you there. Even with a "modest" turntable (and cartridge) you'll still need a quality phono-preamp. It took me a tube preamp and $300 range phono preamp before my modest resurrected B&O turntable caught my attention. (I hit vinyl nirvana after a VPI turntable and mono block tube amps!) An alternative: One major change over the last 25 years has been the improvements in DACs for CDs. I started several years ago with a used Cal Audio Lab tube DAC for $150 and moved along until I plateaued at the PS Audio DAC III which gives me about 85-90% of my analog/vinyl experience. Depending on how many CDs you have, this might be a less expensive option to hear better sound. The dirty secret that's emerging here is decent vinyl playback requires an investment before you can enjoy $1 record bargain finds at Good Will and Garage Sales. Happy listening.