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Vinyl vs. top-notch digital

I have never had an analogy rig. My CD player is a Meridian 800, supposedly one of the very best digital players out there. From what I've read, it appears there is a consensus in our community that a high-quality analog rig playing a good pressing will beat a top notch digital system playing a well-recorded and mastered CD. So here are my questions:

1) How much would one have to invest in analog to easily top the sound quality of the Meridian 800 (or similar quality digital player)? (Include in this the cost of a phono-capable preamp; my "preamp" right now is a Meridian 861 digital surround processor.)

2) How variable is the quality of LPs? Are even "bad" LPs still better than CD counterparts?

Thank you for any comments and guidance you can provide.
jeff_arrington
mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn
8,480 posts
 
Thank Mike. Very interesting. How many titles do you think are available in 1/2" 15 or 30 ips? 
mikelavigne
2,194 posts
 
there are a few labels that disclose a choice of 1/2". and those sometimes disclose the source tape’s details. so you have to dig a little to find this information. the cost of 1/2" is typically 66% to 100% more. it’s not just more expensive tape stock, it’s also setting up the 1/2" machine.

with grey market tapes this is a ’grey’ subject. how do you know the exact source tape? was it 1/2" or 30 ips? again; hard to know.

i have maybe a dozen 1/2" albums i know are 1/2" sourced, then another 10 i don’t really know. a 1/2" dub of a 1/4" tape will sound better than a 1/4" dub.

read Lp jacket covers and many times you will see a 1/2" tape source.

how many legit 1/2" tapes are out there to buy? can’t say, but would guess a few dozen. a separate question would be how great is the music?


sdrsdrsdr
196 posts
 
@mikelavigne 
Wow. That’ sounds  like an impressive sounding  vinyl setup you have now. I heard tape at your place many years ago and was very impressed. That was my only real experience with hearing tape. I always thought 1/4” tape was regarded as superior to vinyl. Very cool. I stand corrected.
Steve.
Vancouver, B.C.
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cleeds
5,919 posts
 
mikelavigne

... if digital people think it can compete with 1/2" tape, i have to laugh, that is just ignorant ...
It’s not clear what you’re saying here. Are you claiming that the best analog tape is technically superior to even first-class digital recorders?
mikelavigne
2,194 posts
 
the phrase ’technically superior’ is a misnomer relative to our listening to music. on paper digital recorders do all sorts of magic tricks as far as dynamic range and bandwidth. and data on analog recorders misses the fact that analog recorders record data into the noise floor, whereas digital recorders have hard limits that cannot be really approached.

i claim that no digital recordings i’ve heard capture music like 1/2" tape and if you throw 30ips into it the delta is even greater.

here is a link to an interview with a well known recording engineer that talks to this issue and it’s real world consequences. scroll down toward the bottom;

https://www.stereophile.com/content/hdcd-keith-johnson-pflash-pflaumer-michael-ritter

this subject has been beat to death, stomped on and kicked dozens of times.

i have the highest level digital playback gear and daily compare the highest rez digital to vinyl and tape. the results are easily heard.
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