TOTALLY CONFUSED about analog

I took a class in freshman year in college: Sound Sense and Idea. A musicology class that is. We read the book, as well as another one I don't remember...

You should read the book. I'm pretty sure analog will start making sense to you.

From your posts I think you could benefit from getting truly emotionally involved with the music. I had my reality check which awakened me many yeas ago...that's one of the reasons I use a modded 1200 instead of a belt drive. I have made a discipline of getting involved with the music, not the equipment. I do have a cultivated ear, but the music goes first. I truly enjoy my Svetlana and Dvorjak's Columbia Classisc LP after all these years of impulse noise being accumulated. I get connected to the spirit of the music. That's what's really important. That's why I've chosen my components to be musical above any other quality. I have a friend who's into really high end stuff*, but he ALWAYS drools with my software, ¿comprende? "Where do I get all this music" is his question...

* B&W 801's, Krell Class A beast, Klyne SK-5A preamp, SOTA vacuum TT, etc.

Now I'm totally confused. Aaron Copeland was an analogue-type guy? And analogue can get me more emotionally involved with the music, but, if I understand, not with classical music, since you would not buy an LP collecton of classical music and, therefore, would go the digital/cd route for classical. Have I missed something here? Yes, perplexed and totally confused!

Read again. Then meditate about it. I'm trying to put you in the right frame of mind.

Kind of like a Lifespring exercise...

www.lifespringusa.com

FROM ONE OF THE TNT GUYS:

My front end consists of a Wadia CD player, Sota Star-SapphireTT, ET2.5 Air Bearing Arm, Grado Reference cartridge ( low output), Audio Research phono preamp. I purchased most everything second hand but believe that
the new cost of the analogue/ digital rigs to be comparable in the US$5000 range. (do I get points off for not having a DAC?) :-)

The Wadia came first (it took me six years or so to collect my set up even with used prices.) and had not had a TT in many years. I was ecstatic about the sound coming from the CD through a tube amp and electrostatic speakers and thought this must be heaven. Wanting to be transported away by the music, I put on Schwarzkopf singing the Four
Last Songs of Strauss from the Angel/EMI release. It was sweet, smooth and silky with nothing standing out or distracting evident from stereo but in the fourth verse of "Im Abendrot" the climax and resolution of the piece " O spacious, tranquil peace, so profound in the gloaming."
hits a brief major note and has in the past sent shivers through me and at times brought a tear to my eye. Much to my dismay and a blow to my pride in my new setup there was none of that. It was beautiful for sure but distant.

How could this not beat the pants off my bottom of the line BIC TT, cheapo Sure cartridge and Lafyette receiver. Perhaps because it was distant memories.

Eventually my analogue setup came around and I pulled out the original Schwarzkopf. As you can probably guess, at this point all of the involvement was there in the original LP that was lacking from the CD. I played both versions and found the difference in involvement to be eye opening and to this day is my favorite CD/LP comparison for friends
who don't know LPs.

I've thought of getting a DAC to see if that would help level the field but am waiting for something in that class to be found used. Does anyone have a suggestion? The CD has a recording chain of AAD. I have a few other CD/LP comparisons on hand that give similar results and music has
moved me on CD but just more so and more frequently on LP.

Now to really stir up trouble. The 1960 DGG pressing of the Beethoven 9 Symphonies with Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic blows the pants off, dynamically speaking, the CD reissue. In the slow movement of the 7th. I've never heard such pianissimo and such forte. It is a perception
though, I've not measured it.

The Wadia is great and it gets used often, but if I want to be moved, LP is the thing.

Regards,
Michael

psychic, have yer buddy mikey try a modded art di/o. at $200-$350, depending on who does the mods, he shouldn't have to wait for something used... may not get him all the way there, but it will likely get him a lot closer... ;~)

doug s.