2. analog
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Is this the best analog has to offer?

As I have mentioned in these forums, I recently made a serious return to vinyl with a Michell Gyro, OL Silver arm, Shelter 501 cartridge and Sonic Frontiers SFP Signature phono stage and the purchase of every new jazz records from the 50's- 60's that I could still find around ( a few hundred)

I've been listening to this setup for a couple of months now with around 50 hours of burn -in on the components and while direct A/B comparisions of the same material on CD to LP lead me to the conclusion that LP is better, it is not as significant a difference as I had expected.

I'm wondering whether I still have some things to further adjust or whether there is a weak point in my system. I purchased the HIFI NEWS test record and have tweaked the cartridge adjustments as much as I think is humanly possible. The biggest complaint I have about the sound of the LP's is that they are rather "dry" "zippy" and "buzzy". Brass instruments sound more "plastic" than metal (Maybe this is the sound of the vinyl?) I know I'm not using the best audiophile terms to describe sound but it is how it sounds to me. This is not true on all records. Some are far beter than others.

On the other hand I can definitely say the LP's do have more detail and sound stage than the identical material on CD. The LP's are so much more detailed that I hear flaws in the master tapes that I never realized were there from the CD. I suspect that my disatisfactions with LP sound are really the inadequacies of recordings from this period that are masked by CD's and not flaws in the LP. The fact that some LP's are far better than others also suggests to me that the difference in original recording quality is more important final recording than medium but I'm not sure.

I would also comment that in my opinion a well recorded jazz CD made in 2003 sounds far better than an average LP recorded in the 50's or 60's. Of course, I suspect a well recorded LP from 2003 would sound the best of all but since hardly any exist it is a moot point.

Any suggestions on what to try would be appreciated!
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pbowne
75 posts
 
All of the previous comments are great!

My experience is that anytime I or any friends have done an A/B comparison between an LP and CD, the LP is superior. The vinyl always shows better soundstaging, more natural sound, much more detail and better highs (always check the cymbals!).

I have to say I myself have been surprised that there are not some instances where the CD outshines the LP, as not all LP's are good quality. Also this has been done with varying quality TT's from $700-28000 and CDP's from $150-9000.

With all the limitations of vinyl (and as so many CD lovers like to point out, there are many), I am always amazed that LP's sound as alive and dynamic as they do.
herman
2,259 posts
 
Try some Galaxy jazz recordings from the late 70's/early 80's (Johnny Griffin, Art Pepper, Hank Jones). Johnny Griffin's "Return of the Griffin" sounds like the band is in the room and they are wailing. If these sound dry and zippy then there is definitely an equipment or setup issue. The way you describe the sound of your system is nowhere near the full bodied sound I associate with vinyl.

Tubes in the phono stage OK? Some tubes do sound zippy.
Do you have a decent gauge to set tracking force?

Keep at it. Once you finally get it resolved you will be very happy.
bpwalsh
1,207 posts
 
Pbowne makes some good points. I find piano is a good thing to compare, as few CD playback systems get close to analogue, tending to sound clangy and even metallic and lacking natural warmth and air. Low level detail and microdynamics can be so much better with analogue.
kthomas
911 posts
 
Or possibly the answer is yes, you're experiencing the best you're going to get out of that setup.
newbee
4,767 posts
 
I belong to the "adjust the VTA school" of thought. You mentioned that the "dry, zippy, buzzy" sounds did not occur on all LP's. Perhaps the difference is caused by the thickness of the records and the good sound is coming from one particular thickness and the bad sound from the rest. In a perfect world, to get the best out of your LP's you should adjust the VTA for each record thickness. It really does make a substantial difference with most modern stylus.
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