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CD has laid back and uninvolving sound

Hi folks, yesterday I listened again to vinyl. I conducted also a comparison between vinyl and CD. The most peculiar thing with CD is that the sound seems to be more laid back, distant and uninvolving. With vinyl the sound has more bloom, is less laid back and has more PRaT. To me this laid back and distant sonic character of CD is the most significant finding and bothers me quite a lot. How can I improve this? Btw, my digital front end: MBL 1621 transport + Accustic Arts Tube DAC. Would Wadia DAC (the old Wadia 9 or another classic Wadia) be better in rendering a more upfront and engaging sound (more PRaT)?

Chris
dazzdax

Showing 5 responses by mapman

mapman's avatar
mapman
21,865 posts
 
I don't think that this is necessarily the case in general, though it is certainly not uncommon for various reasons.

I have albums that sound great and better than CD versions and vice versa.
mapman's avatar
mapman
21,865 posts
 
Dazzdax,

You have good stuff so its surprising to me.

I'm assuming your CD is working properly as designed.

First I'd like to know more about the rest of your system: amp, speakers, ICs, etc.

I think a common problem with CD playback is that often the amp or pre-amp cannot handle the dynamics, both large scale and micro, as well with digital sources as they can with phono analog sources. The result may be an uninvolving or less interesting sound.

Or if the dynamics including fine detail sounds pretty good but the tonal balance is off, perhaps a different DAC might offer a solution.
mapman's avatar
mapman
21,865 posts
 
Shadorne,

As is often the case, I think you are on to something.

I've found that when I record vinyl albums to CD, the the CD sounds almost identical to the original album and nothing like the commercial CD copies I compare with.

I do not think I can tell that my albums recorded to CD when played back are in fact CDs and not the original vinyl.

How is that possible if CD format is so inferior to vinyl? I think the answer is that it is not. More likely the musical ingredients that go into the CD mastering is different from that that went into the vinyl.
mapman's avatar
mapman
21,865 posts
 
"If the capacity or resolution of CD is indeed inferior to the vinyl, there is no way that a CDR of vinyl will sound the same as vinyl. I think you have just proved the exact opposite."

I haven't proven anything...just stating an observation.

The sampling frequency or resolution of CD is beyond the range of human hearing.

There is no equivalent measurable resolution with analog that can be compared apples and apples as far as I know. It's a completely different beast.
mapman's avatar
mapman
21,865 posts
 
The tube used makes a huge difference even in my modest DAC.
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