I think the myth of mold release needs to go away. This has been discussed a number of times on different forums, but someone involved with the production of LP's have stated that they have never seen anything sprayed or applied to the the press before the vinyl is injected. I'm not saying that there could not be additives in the vinyl formula that come to the surface and are best cleaned before use, but this notion of a Pam like substance being applied is not true, as least as it was explained in that way.
As far as LP vs CD playback, I find that with top notch analog playback, as ide from sound quality benefits, I simply find I am more emotionally involved with the music. In an interview with a mastering engineer in last year's TAS analog issue, he stated that there was an octave more information in an LP release of a digital master than the CD release of the same material.
Now with 96K and 192K downloads I think the gap will come much closer or perhaps be erased in all but the best analog based systems.
I have read that these high res downloads can sound better than SACD.
But to me an important aspect of reproduction (and recording) is the use of tubes (and I don't mean tube buffers in some CD players)
People who hate CD have no problem with digital in my system. And as I tweek things out, (clean tube sockets, apply tube dampers) Digital playback gets better and better. Of course LP playback is on another level, but most people can't take it to the level that some of us have.
Bottom line is that there has never been a better time to be an audiophile.
Lo end - high end, LP, digital - there is a ton of enjoyment to be had if one is armed with knowledge.
As far as LP vs CD playback, I find that with top notch analog playback, as ide from sound quality benefits, I simply find I am more emotionally involved with the music. In an interview with a mastering engineer in last year's TAS analog issue, he stated that there was an octave more information in an LP release of a digital master than the CD release of the same material.
Now with 96K and 192K downloads I think the gap will come much closer or perhaps be erased in all but the best analog based systems.
I have read that these high res downloads can sound better than SACD.
But to me an important aspect of reproduction (and recording) is the use of tubes (and I don't mean tube buffers in some CD players)
People who hate CD have no problem with digital in my system. And as I tweek things out, (clean tube sockets, apply tube dampers) Digital playback gets better and better. Of course LP playback is on another level, but most people can't take it to the level that some of us have.
Bottom line is that there has never been a better time to be an audiophile.
Lo end - high end, LP, digital - there is a ton of enjoyment to be had if one is armed with knowledge.