Records = headaches ,pops scratches,cleaning like space
sonics can be Verygood but today you can get verygood digital
stsrting at under even $1k rhe Ares2 from a Denafrips R2R dac
then better resolution and depth as you pay more .
metrum , dcs, MSB, Aqua , there are a lot of very analog sounding digital outthere one big thing a record st max can hold = to 12.5 bits of musical information on digital almost 21 true bitsMy brother has over a $20 k turn table setup and his $13 k DCS dac beats in in S/N ratio, dynamic range, Low bass and musicality
he said he just uses records for out of print and will transfer over to totally digital soon . I did that already I have non the time or patience. |
Analog.
I've been buying records since the 70's, and have always concentrated on early/first pressings, and will upgrade to better condition or earlier pressings whenever I have the opportunity.
I've got over 3000 records, and whenever the "Latest/Greatest" digital gear comes out, I demo them with the best digital copy I can find to an original/early pressing of the same recording. Invariably I prefer the analog.
Same goes with "audiophile pressings". I guess they're just fine if I can't locate an original, but they're usually not up to the original, especially if the remastering is done in the digital domain.
I have nothing really against digital. It would be nice if the convenience of digital would come with sound closer to analog. I listened to digital at work (headphones and an Onkyo
DP-X1A) before covid and in the car. Now that I'm working from home, I haven't used a digital source except in the car. |
regarding analog - i cannot express how disappointed i am with the modern, high end LP reissues
such poor quality, such high prices
we analog lovers, past or present, are being punked
shameful |
Suppose you, meaning everyone, have everything in your system the way you want it--amps, preamp, stands, power, cables, speakers, subs, the room. But, you need a source, a front end---don’t have one at all, have to start fresh, don’t even have albums or CDs. Let’s say you have an amount worthy of your system to spend--say $35K to allow for various levels of gear, but you have to buy everything that is needed to play music, minus the albums, CDs, streamers, etc. You have a separate allowance for music, let’s say. Would you go with vinyl or digital?
This is a great question! Assuming I had my current knowledge of what both media are capable of, I would find another hobby to put that 35K into and just stream digital through my phone over my HT systems. Not that you can't build a satisfying analog hardware system for 35K, the problem is the software. A lot of the current issues/reissues are digital masters or are digital remasters, which kind of defeats the purpose of using them to cut records. |
Of course top-line analog rigs will sound amazing... they better! But if I'm starting out in this hobby and my choice is having easy access to 80 billion digital albums overnight vs owning zero records at home, the decision is made for me. This is today and is not going to change.
Once the turntable/vinyl aficianados start moving to assisted living facilities, it's over. In ten years, good luck trying to sell a turntable rig on the used market, along with Elvis memorabilia, classic cars, and pianos. Kids today use TikTok, YouTube, and Spotify, and they don't have ANY nostalgia for vinyl. |
