2. analog
  3. 140184-113812

Turntable got absolutely crushed by CD

Long story short, i've just brought home a VPI classic 1 mounted with a Zu-Denon DL103 on JMW Memorial 10.5 with the appropriate heavier counterweight. Had everything dialed in..perfect azimuth, VTF, overhang, with only a slightly higher than perfect VTA. Levelling checked. All good. 

I did a comparison between the VPI and my Esoteric X03SE and it's not even close. The Esoteric completely crushes the VPI in all regards. The level of treble refinement, air, decay, soundstage depth and width, seperation, tonality, overall coherence is just a simply a league above from what I'm hearing from the VPI. The only area the VPI seems to be better at is bass weight, but not by much. 

I'm honestly quite dumbfounded here. I've always believed that analogue should be superior to digital. I know the Esoteric is a much pricier item but the VPI classic is supposed to be a very good turntable and shouldn't be a slouch either. At this point I feel like I should give up on analogue playback and invest further in digital. 

Has anyone had a similar experience comparing the best of digital to a very good analogue setup?

Equipment:
Esoteric X03SE 
VPI Classic, JMW Memorial 10.5, Zu-DL103
Accuphase C200L
Accuphase P600
AR 90 speakers

Test Record/CD:
Sarah McLachlan - Surfacing (Redbook vs MOV 180g reissue)



chadsort
photon46
1,085 posts
 
+1 to above comments. Some people love the DL103 and its various iterations but to my ears they're far from the best. 
brf
1,715 posts
 
If you bought the table combination used, the cartridge could be worn out. I could never get the Denon 103 to sound good on a VPI arm. 
noromance's avatar
noromance
9,827 posts
 
And then there is the phono amp...


wlutke
727 posts
 
I'm skeptical when I hear a cartridge is aligned perfectly in all parameters.  I read this post as azimuth parallel to the record, mid VTF,  VTA is admittedly off and, since no break-in is mentioned, a used - maybe very used - lower end cart.  The main bearing could have a flat spot increasing the noise floor.  On top of that VPI regularly sends out a table with the P2S way off, meaning the supplied jig will produce improper overhang.  The quality of the integral phono pre is suspect too.
Yes, digital is much easier and takes less devotion.  You're in the trenches with analog.
rodman99999
6,158 posts
 
"Had everything dialed in.......... All good." You forgot to say, "Trust me". No mention of stylus condition(if purchased used). Too many variables! ie: The C-200L preamp was released over 30 years ago(1984). There’s an excellent chance, that the electolytics in it’s phono section, have dried up. All it takes is one bad cap, to ruin/degrade sound from any component.
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