Records and CDs

In the classical field that I mostly listen to the vast majority of titles released or not on vinyl but on CD. Those that are on LP are twice the price, and despite claims, don’t sound as good as the originals.

Like you, I like the rituals of analog, although I’m not sure it has better sound than digital on my set.

I played a recent SACD of Brahms 4th Symphony on Reference Recordings (Honeck, Pittsburgh Symphony)a highly touted audiophile label, then played a recording of the same symphony on an LP recorded in the mid fifties (Van Beinum Concertgebouw Orchestra) The orchestral sound from the record was infinitely more realistic.

just saying…

RV, FWIW, I bought several RR CD’s of the Pittsburgh Symphony/Honeck performances. based on reviews. I listened to them once. Sound v performance? Who cares. Frankly I’ve not been overly happy with recent RR’s. Last liked them when it was with Oue and the Minnesota Orchestra. But I kept on trying. Now I’ve given up. :-(

This is all 100% personal preference and I still much prefer my records over streaming. I should probably go separate DAC/streamer to compete with my analog but the Aurender A20 is so easy to own and use. My analog is a Rega P10/Koetsu Rosewood Signature/ARC Ref 3 Phono. On newly produced music, I often find there isn’t much of a difference, but on older recordings the vinyl just sounds better. I still enjoy getting up every 8-20 minutes....I mean that’s a good thing, right??

Even though I’m somewhat physically challenged in my walking and it’s painful to get up and down, I still enjoy the experience of playing records.  They do have a unique sound even if they don’t always sound great.  It’s worth the effort.