The very best sound: Direct to Disc

@rauliruegas  Interesting post that you said about the Opus 3 LP's not being in the 'same league' as the well recorded D to D's. Maybe you could elaborate on why you think that. Owning a large number of both D to D's and Opus 3's, I think that the best Opus 3's are competitive with the average to better D toD...not quite as dynamic as the very best D to D's...but I certainly would NOT state the Opus 3's are 'not in the same league'. 
For instance, I was recently listening to the excellent M&K LP 'Flamenco Fever' which is IMO one of the best D to D's that I own...I then compared it to my copy of Opus 3 Yuyachifca. The M&K is more dynamic and has a slightly deeper soundstage, but the recording SQ of the Opus 3 is extraordinary...and is certainly close to the M&K!  

Dear @daveyf  : I think you have the answer but let me explain a little.

First I named the Opus 3 label as one of the great tape recordered labels ever but that does not puts the label at the Flamenco Fever D2D levels and is very easy to know why.

The Flamenco Fever recording just does not touched a tape recorder and I think that I don't need to explain you all the degradation to the signal that any tape recorder makes.

Now if in your system you can't detect that big difference in between then could be maybe because your room/system has not yet the resolution to be aware of.

Unfortunatelly does not exist the tape recorder version of Flamenco Fever as in the Sheffield D2D Dave Grusin sample.

As I posted before the only tape recorder LP I experienced that can be along the well recorded D2D LPs is The Power and the Majesty but even this can't compete with the top D2D LPs as Flamenco Fever.

I posted too that the only LPs that can compete bis a bis with the best D2D ones are some very well recorded digital LPs where the tape recorder just does not can degrades the 0,1 information in there.
One very good example of those digital recordings is the one I posted Paramita ( 24/96 ): astonoshing with MUSIC compositions using instruments that we normally are not accustom to other than female voice and some of the kind of drums used there.


R.

OPUS3 is recorded with a single point Blumlein microphone. they will not have the hyped dynamics of many D2D recordings which may have been multi-miked through a mixer with the microphone right at the instrument. They do convey IMHO the sound of real instruments in a real space often better than most D2D. The notes for the set up discs explain the space in which they were recording, details about the instruments, and what you should hear. I have found them to be very useful tools in evaluating changes in my system. They are now very difficult to find as LPs, but as they were recorded to tape, most of them have been reissued as CDs, and a few SACDs. Again the quality is very good, and I highly recommend them.BTW the microphones and placement by Doc Johnson make the RR recordings, for me often more realistic and enjoyable than all but a few D2Ds, and again, since recorded to tape they are available digitally. The 45 RPM LPs are really good.

@rauliruegas I totally agree with oldears, the Opus 3 Lp’s are superb on many levels. They do NOT have a hyped up sound that a lot of D to D’s do.
I think my system is perfectly capable of hearing the differences between the two formats, which is why I stated how great the Opus 3 LP’s are, and how slightly more dynamic the Flamenco Fever is...BUT I am certainly NOT saying, as you did that the two are " in a different league". Now OTOH IF you think that a digital recording can compete with these labels and formats, well that may say something about your posts. IMHO.

Dear @daveyf : Do you think that Bottas or Verstappen are in the same league than Hamilton, Vettel or Senna?

Both are excellent drivers but till today in different league than the others named. Yes close but not down there: yet.


Btw, even that I have good memory I will listen some digital recordings and will post my findings.


R.