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CD vs. Vinyl

I've personally had to opportunity to listen to identical music on vinyl and CD on an extremely high end system, possibly a seven figure system, and certainly recognized the stark difference between the vinyl sound and a CD.

What makes this difference? Here are three situation to consider assuming the same piece of music:

(1) An original analogue recording on a vinyl vs. an A/D CD

(2) An original analogue recording on vinyl vs. an original digital recording on CD

(3) An original digial recording on CD vs. a D/A recording on vinyl

I wonder if the sound of vinyl is in some ways similar to the "color" of speakers? It's not so much of an information difference, just the sound of the medium?

Any thoughts?
mceljo
orpheus10
8,668 posts
 
Rudy Van Gelder said "Linear digital has no attributes, it's just a medium for storage. Digital is cold, has to do with writings in consumer magazines. They got to write about something"
lewhite
156 posts
 
There is some screwed logic in the wilson experiment. All one has to do is substute the word digital for analog and the word analog for digital. To take a hi rez digital rechording resample it with only the best equiptment to red book. VS taking the same feed to an analogue storage medium (of your choice) then a2d back to red book. If my postulation makes sense then so does wilsons
handymann
383 posts
 
Looks like there hasn't been any activity on this for eight years.  I still play CD's occasionally.  I put on my CD of Abbey Road. It sounded so bright and brittle I had to get up and put the LP on.  I know-should have known better.  I'm using a Theta Miles, which I dearly love, all going through tubes, then a SS power amp.  Nothing wrong with my playback equipment.  Sometimes I just get lazy.  
audioengr
3,282 posts
 

I took the CD player out of my rack years ago, when my computer audio crushed it. There is no way I would go back to vinyl.  I sold that decades ago.

It is very difficult to do apples-to-apples comparison of these.  You must have the best digital source and DAC compared to the best phono preamp, turntable, tonearm and cartridge. Selection of the test track is critical too.  If the A/D was poorly done or with a jittery clock in the track, all bets are off.

My prediction is that the vinyl might sound a tiny bit smoother on vocals, but the digital dynamics, depth of image and HF extension will outclass it.

Steve N.

Empirical Audio

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