"Audioengr: outperforming vinyl?"
You bet, here is an exerpt from a review posted on one of the forums:
"Specifically, there are three areas where the XXXX is superior to my vinyl playback: vocal presentation, drum sound and bass articulation.
The bass that the XXXX delivers is stunning. Bass lines are clear and articulate. Kick drums nearly have the thump of standing next to a parade when a marching band goes by. Vocals, as well, are nothing short of amazing. The vocal inflections and nuances that are suddenly audible make the singers eerily present. Drums literally come to life. Play some latin/carribean music with a busy percussion section  youÂll be blown away by what you hear."
I also have my share of Sinatra, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald and Count Basie. It's fantastic sounding, even CD rips. Maybe not quite as good as some newer remastered tracks, but no ticks and very dynamic and live. Some of the Verve Ella is wonderful. I have even used it at shows. The Count Basie from highdeftapetransfers.com is remarkable in 24/96. This is a R-R tape transfer.
There are certainly poorly transferred CD's from the early days of the CD, but more and more of them are being remastered and sound amazing. The Let it Bleed from the Stones on HDTracks at 24/176.4 is amazing. So is the remastered Led Zeppelin box set. Sounds like a modern recording. It takes a Computer Audio system with low jitter, noise and distortion to deliver this, and many dont qualify. One must choose the right ripper and playback software too, not just WMP or iTunes.
Steve N.
Empirical Audio
You bet, here is an exerpt from a review posted on one of the forums:
"Specifically, there are three areas where the XXXX is superior to my vinyl playback: vocal presentation, drum sound and bass articulation.
The bass that the XXXX delivers is stunning. Bass lines are clear and articulate. Kick drums nearly have the thump of standing next to a parade when a marching band goes by. Vocals, as well, are nothing short of amazing. The vocal inflections and nuances that are suddenly audible make the singers eerily present. Drums literally come to life. Play some latin/carribean music with a busy percussion section  youÂll be blown away by what you hear."
I also have my share of Sinatra, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald and Count Basie. It's fantastic sounding, even CD rips. Maybe not quite as good as some newer remastered tracks, but no ticks and very dynamic and live. Some of the Verve Ella is wonderful. I have even used it at shows. The Count Basie from highdeftapetransfers.com is remarkable in 24/96. This is a R-R tape transfer.
There are certainly poorly transferred CD's from the early days of the CD, but more and more of them are being remastered and sound amazing. The Let it Bleed from the Stones on HDTracks at 24/176.4 is amazing. So is the remastered Led Zeppelin box set. Sounds like a modern recording. It takes a Computer Audio system with low jitter, noise and distortion to deliver this, and many dont qualify. One must choose the right ripper and playback software too, not just WMP or iTunes.
Steve N.
Empirical Audio