Vinyl vs. CD

You have to spend a little more than 500.00 to get into a good Analog sound.I suggest about 1k+ on a good used Turntable with something like a Benz Micro Glider.I have an Anthem CD 1 1700.00 when New CD player.I have a used Well Tempered Classic With Glider Cartridge.I play the CD and the LP at the same time and switch from one to another.On any LP that i have which is in ggod shpe the Lp sound better.If you hear noise and cracle and pops the LP is no good.Even a good leaner wont fix a defective LP.Compare your 500.00 LP rig to a 500.00 cd player.Thats a fair comparison.Remember life is analog everthing around you is analog.Life does not unfold in on off on off 01010101 sequences.

ya, i bought my turntable & fono-stage used. but, i have only ~$2k invested in it, & i'd put it up against *any* cd set-up at *any* price. so, yes, mar00, $500 mebbe ain't enuff $$$ to better your nice cd set-up, but ya don't have to drop a huge wad-o-cash to better it. doug

Doug; seems we've been here before. And I post the following respectfully. I really like my digital system too and would be willing to "put it up against any comparably priced analog system", but in reality, how do we make this bold comparison. Have you ever actually put together an excellent digital system in your own home? Or just listened at audio stores? My best audio friend is into vinyl, and I've listened to his system many times: Well Tempered TT and CJ pre-amp w/phono, Levinson amp into MG 3.6 speakers. His system sounds totally different than mine, and I don't particularly care for it-- no weight, no body, no substance, very airy, soft mushy bass etc. But I think I'm mainly hearing his speakers character and room acoustics, and not so much his LPs-- of course, he loves it. I've also played MY LPs on his system with the same results. My system OTOH is more dynamic, more rich, more lush, with strong, deep, taut, quick bass; just overall more weight, and IMO more musical. Our music tastes are also quite different. I have treated room acoustics, vibration(s), dedicated AC and ground, HQ wire througout including AC cords. I have carefully, over several years, put this system together TO SOUND GREAT WITH CDs. If I had vinyl as a source, chances are I would have chosen different audio components and wires to complement the sound of LPs. Just because you say your $2K analog system is better than any digital system at any price, does not mean that I or anyone else has to believe it, and in fact, I don't. But I do respectfully agree to disagree. And BTW, I'm glad you've spent time in Oregon-- we agree that it's beautifl. Cheers. Craig.

Craig, I question whether your system has been optimized for CDs. More likely its optimized for you ML components. Assuming a reasonable level of neutrality, your system should not be particularly sensitive to whether the source is analog or digital. Personally, I love the convenience of the CD format, but sonically I've never found it better than "good". I can go for days listening to CDs and not feel I'm missing anything, but the minute I put on a record -- it's a night and day difference (nearly as dramatic as some posters attribute to swapping power cords (just kiddin')). I'm using a Wadia 850 for digital and a RPM table/are, MB Ruby into a Pass phono pre. There's nothing magical about vinyl. Digital clearly does deep bass and pitch definition much better. One thing to remember, vinyl may have an edge over digital, but both pale in comparison to analog tape. Hopefully, the higher bit/sampling rate digital formats will eliminate the gap. Whatever, ya' got, enjoy it!

I recently visited a friends house who had a rega turntable and a naim cd player. Both high quality pieces. We played 'The trinity Session' on vinyl, and I have to agree it sounded better than the CD version. It just sounded more 'natural'. There was also a little more background information. I would guess the turntable was in the 1000-1500 range. I'll probably try a turntable. More to have access to all the great old jazz/blues albums I see at used record stores than anything. BTW, when you buy used vinyl at record stores, what are the chances of getting a worn out/bad record?