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

Why did millions of people chuck their TT's for CD players, and sell their records? It was because CD's and CD players sounded better.

After that fact, people in the "high end" said no, records sound better. They were right, their high end rigs sounded better than CD's and players, but they failed to mention the price.

Now, Michael Fremer, and his evangelistic followers, are claiming that a mid fi analog rig sounds better than CD; "What have they been smoking"?
They should never have ditched the cassette. It’s the best of all media. The most reliable, best sounding and least expensive. Everyone got hoodwinked. It’s all about the 💰💰💰💰
An artist whom I know remastered the back catalog of a life’s work. You can now hear a brushed cymbal out of a dark grey background, a vocal rasp separated from a concurrent hand clap. It’s all very quiet, and delineated. And eerie, as if there is a light blanket over your speakers. Both on 180gr (and CD.) However, just like cutting a wheel to see how it works, the whole is lost in the experiment.
It no longer sounds like musicians playing together. The essential essence is gone.
When I go back to the 70s original, with its comparitive noisy vinyl, the beauty of the music is there. Utterly. Clarity, air, exquisite detail, mesmerizing midband, black backgrounds, and clean bass not layered in murk.
This is endemic through most remasters and almost all new recordings. Give me an original analog recording with vinyl noise any day.
If you’ve never experienced this difference, you cannot understand the love of analog.
@noromance - no doubt. But there are exceptions. The Speakers Corner reissue of Herbie Hancock's Crossings is just spectacular compared to a time capsule original Warner Green label (which is not a shabby pressing by any means). It just sparkles, has more punch. Perhaps due to the kind of music- a sort of collision of hard jazz, Fender Rhodes funk, no vocal parts as I recall.
I do find a lot of "audiophile" reissues to sound more detailed, a little more 'tipped up' but lacking a certain cohesion and organic quality. I suppose that some listeners want to hear more detail. The other issue, obviously, is price and condition of original pressings (assuming the word "original" means something in the context of time and place). In some cases, the records are so expensive, mid-to high three figures or more, that a reissue makes sense. 
I think it is case by case. But, so often I do find that my go-to, particularly from the dawn of stereo til the mid'70s, is often, not always, an early pressing. (Some reissues and remasters from the period are also better sounding than first pressings in my experience, e.g., Led Zep 1, but again, it's case by case for me).
The hard part is buying a bunch of pressings to make the comparisons (costly and time consuming), or relying on others for their anecdotal views-- sometimes, it is a matter of preference, e.g. Heart of Gold, original Lee Hulko cut is just so natural sounding, but some find it congested and it is hard to find a quiet copy. The Chris Bellman recut is easy to source, has more "clarity" but loses a little of that organic quality.
This thread has turned into a Roseanne Rosannadanna skit:

"Dear Chad,
Sorry to hear about your experience with vinyl.  Unfortunately your cartridge sucks, your tonearm sucks, your phono stage is trash, your vinyl sucks, you haven't warmed up your system, you haven't broken in your system, you need to adjust VTA by ear with every record, you haven't turned down your refrigerator, your cat is sitting too close to the turntable, you're a lousy lover and your breath smells.
Sincerely,
Roseanne Rosannadanna"

The best suggestion I've seen is the lack of loading options on the phono stage.  I've used the Zu Denon on a phono stage with variable loading and it is definitely a salt to taste thing.

That said, I once built my analog rig to outshine my digital, and then turned around and did the reverse, so I wouldn't sweat it too much if you prefer your digital setup.  Nothing wrong with good digital either.  Hang in there Chad!