Thoughts About Turntable Upgrades

boostedis asked

"If the master was originally recorded digitally and later converted to analog, how could the analog version possibly sound better than the original recording?! "

Well I’ve wondered a lot about this also and have done some research. I think that it is at least partly due to this............

The master digital file used to cut the lacquer is at a higher bit rate/resolution than virtually any easily sourced digital. CD redbook bit depth and sample rate yields 65,536 possible values.

The digital masters for vinyl vary but mostly their bit depth and rates yield 16,777,216 possible values.

And at the lacquer cutting room they have a top end DAC op amps etc that inscribe all this information directly onto the disc. Now it’s analog, boom, done.

Yes db dynamic range is less than CD. Doesn’t matter much. And yes vinyl has noise, but it is additive to the information inscribed. Not subtractive.

Add in possible things like mechanical 2nd order harmonic feedbacks etc of vinyl and bingo.

And ...Paul of PS Audio has said that they have compared the sound of the digital masters they use to cut their vinyl to the vinyl, and as he put it....many people will prefer the sound of the vinyl.

I don't think a good vinyl set up has to be very expensive.   Mine cost about 2K and sounds amazing.  I listen to digital for convenience and discovery only.  

But these days, the very limited quality of RBCD is hardly a criterion for judging the potential of digital when hi Res streaming is readily available to most audiophiles.

the quality of my analog source is not on par with my digital source. 

@rblondeau - exactly.  As spending increases, the analog generally sounds noticeably better. After that, one must spend significantly more on the DAC to reach a sonically competitive level.

Some reviewed turntables here
 

@lewm 

I just opened a Qobuz account. I use it to check out new music, but I have compared high res (24/96) files to the same file stored on my hard drive and there is no question the hard drive sounds better. It shouldn't, it is just numbers, so there is something else going on here. Perhaps the Qobuz files are being intentionally corrupted? They do not sound bad, just not as good as they should. Both are going through the same DAC. 

As for vinyl, I record records to my hard drive all the time and they sound just like vinyl. Nobody can tell the difference. So, whatever is happening in the vinyl process can be captured digitally. You could even create algorithms to do it artificially. That said, a good high res file is superior to vinyl in every way. I do have some audiophile records that come close.  

@rblondeau 

The solution is easy. You electrocute the old turntable (break it) and go hat in hand to the wife and explain that the old girl is beyond repair and we will have to get a new one. 

@mijostyn

About the streaming vs harddrive/CD quality.   From Paul McGowan of PS audio. He hears the same thing.    

https://youtu.be/zeHxHaqtKOg