Pro-ject 12 xtension TT vs Meridian 808.2 CD player..and the winner is!


DISCLAIMER--This is my OPINION / IMPRESSION . I am just having some fun with this because I was so happy to be able to do it and it was an eye ( or ear ) opener for me. I never had a TT so I was surprised by the results.

Wow, this was really close.  Pro-ject 12 Xtension with Sumiko Palo Santos Presentation catridge  vs Meridian 808.2 Cd player

The TT...by a hair. They both sounded exceptional!  Almost identical.

 I had the same CD/LP running at the same time. Easy to do A/B comparison. Incredibly, I did not have to adjust the volume when I switched inputs. They sounded dynamically the same.

The judgement was not easy but after quite a while it became clear. Instead of attempting to explain why Vinyl came out on top I will give you this analogy:

Picture a beautiful shiny diamond in a case. Now picture the same beautiful shiny diamond in the same case ..resting on a velvet pad.

I went to Barnes and Nobles today. They had a great 20% off for members ( and I had coupons and gift cards.. I was fully armed! ). Plenty of 4.99 CD's with a vast variety compared to the limited amount of LP's priced all the way to $45

I came home with 6 LP's. That has got to mean something.  Happy Holidays everyone!!!

Test Equipment: martin-logan 13a,   audio research ref6,  krell duo 300,    parasound jc3+,   mit cabling

mike



128x128mikepaul
No surprise...

Nice table and cart.
 
But I'm a biased record guy. I kinda regret passing on a deal  for a 12" Extension table. Have you ever considered plugging the table into a tubed phono? Maybe a little more magic? Subjective,naturally. Maybe a wee bit noisier, but IMO, worth it.
Try the same thing over a 3-4 hour marathon and see what your brain thinks .
tablejockey...i would love to eventually have a tubed phono stage...any recommendation?

schubert....my brain might tell me never to listen to cd again...what is your guess? what is your preference?

the beauty is that it's not really about a "winner"...because WE are the winner. we can have enjoyment with streamers/dacs ( i have a bluesound with the auralic vega combo)  we can do TT and scan thru songs on CD players.....all sound great....XM radio in the car/ home...etc

in search of musical perfection at home is why we're audiophiles. there are a lot surprises along the way

and when we think we have finally achieved our goal...WE TRADE UP!