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
ebm
9,311 posts
 
I have Esoteric 3xs its amazing but my TW ACUSTIC AC1 with TW 10.5 tonearm Transfiguration Proteus cartridge sounds better.
glupson
7,842 posts
 
"...when somebody walks in the room and makes the record  player skip......in the long run to replace your records because they’re scratched......Been there done that."
You are so right. I had a deja vu recently while copying some records to digital format. Telling everyone to walk lighter and be careful when closing the door. It was nostalgic, though, although not in the best possible way. And in the end, some records were noisy enough that I bought them again and am redoing it again. No walking, no door closing. Inconvenient for sure. Been there, done that, as you said.
Ag insider logo xs@2x
mem2112
20 posts
 
CD format is garbage. Extract the information off of them and stream to 
get the best possible sound reproduction. That being said, whether or not the LP version sounds better or worse depends on the particular recording. Most cases LP reproduction is superior. If you have pops and hisses you are not doing it correctly. The OP didn't set himself up for a proper comparison with an unfortunate turntable tonearm-cartridge-phono stage combo.
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dynaquest4's avatar
dynaquest4
445 posts
 
The OP said:

"At this point I feel like I should give up on analogue playback and invest further in digital."   
Smart move, I did that 27 years ago in 1991.  Analog is not better musically...but it is an interesting experience for those who still can get by the limitations and are entranced by the visual experience.
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