Parity
I’ve finally achieved parity between my digital and analog sides.
With the acquisition of a new turntable ((Feickert Volare,) I’m at last enjoying both formats equally.
An observation between the two: They are definitely different in character and each has its own sonic signature. Analog is more spacious and for lack of a better word, mellow. Digital is more finely etched. Each has a very well defined sound stage.
Both are a pleasure to listen to now.
@bdp24 : Well said. Spot on! But…. It is what it is. @rvpiano : I am not surprised with your findings. From my (failed) experience with vinyl a few years back, I realized pretty quick I had to spend a lot more money on my vinyl gig to match the performance of my digital rig. Money I don’t possess. So I abandoned my vinyl project completely. Now I only have a digital system, that’s where I focused. And I don’t regret it one bit. Now… if one is “digital is just zeroes and ones” type, then analog will most certainly sound better than the lowly digital “system” put together based on that concept |
@abnerjack , I have a Sota Cosmos Vacuum and I use a Schroder CB tonearm which fits and works perfectly. I am extremely happy with the combination. With the right program source (LP), the turntable, with an MSL Platinum Signature installed, will outperform any digital source I have used in the system. This is extremely impressive. The issue with LPs is that they are extremely variable, performance ranging from insanely good to awful. Digital sources are more consistent. Digital also costs much less. Analog is much more fun.
|
What’s so damned maddening about this hobby is the inevitable marriage of music and sound which becomes so intrinsically entwined that we lose track of the beauty of the music itself. As bdp24 so knowingly prodded: “Remember when you loved music you heard, long before you became obsessed with sound quality?” That’s what we must never forget. |
@thyname and @rvpiano: Audiogon member @slaw---whose opinions I greatly respect---having worked long and hard at optimizing his LP player and the system it feeds, decided he didn’t want to do the same for digital sources, so eschews CD’s/SACD’s/etc. altogether. Though I understand and respect that decision and stance, in my case there are just too many albums I absolutely love---both Pop and Classical---that have been made available only on CD for me to not have a disc spinner. I don’t expect the two formats to sound the same, but then we all know sound quality amongst LP’s varies greatly too. There are plenty of CD’s that sound better than some LP’s, but even if they didn’t I need and listen to them because of the music they contain. I’m a music lover first, an audiophile second. I don’t use my recordings to make my system sound good, I use my system to make my recordings sound good, or at least as good as they can. That applies equally to LP’s and CD’s/SACD’s. It is Steve’s position that a system optimized for one will inherently be less than optimum for the other. Comments and/or opinions on that position? Are the two formats so inherently different that each needs a playback system optimized for itself?
|
