CDs Vs LPs


Just wondering how many prefer CDs over LPs  or LPs over CDs for the best sound quality. Assuming that both turntable and CDP are same high end quality. 
128x128Ag insider logo xs@2xtattooedtrackman
"Confirmation bias" is not a "strawman argument," Elizabeth, it is a psychological reality.  When you spend a lot of money on an audio upgrade, you disconnect the old crap and hook up the new stuff.  You typically have neither the time, interest, equipment or capability to leave the old crap hooked up so that you can do instantaneous A/B comparisons with the new stuff.  Additionally, because audio memory is so extremely perishable, without an instantaneous comparison, a high end upgrade could sound like anything....marginally better or worse but you couldn't tell....couldn't remember.

But know this.  If you spend enough money, the new stuff will sound better.  Guaranteed...pretty much.  Not a bad thing if, in the end, it makes you feel good.

Also know that confirmation bias can lead to the experimenter interpreting results incorrectly because of the tendency to look for information that conforms to their hypothesis, and overlook information that argues against it.  It is a significant threat to a study's internal validity, and is therefore typically controlled using a double-blind experimental design.

No REAL audiophile does, nor will he believe the results of, contradictory double-blind experimentation.This is why Joe Nobody hooks up a $2000 power cord to his Oppo disc player and reports that the new playback is now "Jaw Dropping!"


Clearly LPs over CDs.
Well then, my LP gears (phono preamp, stylus, arm, turntable) are much more expensive than my CD player, costing about $7K vs $2K.
The most expensive stylus I have had is Ortofon SPU Gold Reference, which is about the same price as the most expensive CD Player I've ever had, Arcam FMJ CD23.
I wonder if $5000+ CD player would come close to my LP gears, but so far, I have not tried any CD players that cost that much.
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In my case, SS or tube amps don't matter much in determining which source is better. Both clearly showed LPs are far better than CDs.
I've had BAT tube power/pre amps and now have Plinius SS power/pre amps. In both cases, LPs sound much better. The cartridge does not need to cost so much. $100+ cartridges like Grado Gold, Shure M97xe would be enough to reveal the difference. I've used those, and also Denon 103R, Audio Technica 150MLX, and low output Ortofon cartridges like MC20, SL15e, and SPUs. Of course, the preamp should be good. I am using a hand built Magi phonomenal tube preamp. A phono card on BAT preamp and phono section on Plinius M16P preamp were all enough to show the better sound than CDs. 
On my mediocre amps and receivers, however, there is not much difference.
Same thing on my mediocre speakers. My Apogee Diva and Tyler Lynbrook reveal a big difference between LP and CD if paired with good amps and phono section, while there is virtually no difference on my $100~$200 speakers. 
One more thing is, the difference is only for well recorded HiFi LPs. LPs with poor recording quality does not sound any better than CDs.
Sad thing is, even some new artists produce LPs these days, but most of them don't sound any better than their CDs or streaming sound. 
I have a few albums with both CDs and LPs: among others a few of them on top of my had are LA4's Just Friends, Nora Jones' Come Away With Me, Bill Evans' Waltz for Derby, and Janos Starker's Bach cello suites. Even somebody remotely interested in audio quality can readily tell the difference of the sound in just a couple of seconds.
With Magi phono ($1000), Grado Gold ($260), Clear Audio turntable with arm ($1200), the total is under $2500 which is close to Arcam FMJ 23CD player ($2000). This setup is much less expensive than my more expensive setup (Grado 301 + Ortofon RMG 309 + SPU Gold Reference), and its sound is not as good, but still sounds noticeably better than CDs.
Again, my comparison is on well recorded HiFi LPs vs their counterpart CDs. The thing is, not all LPs are recorded really good. Most of them, especially those produced in early 70s+ are actually pretty bad, and I doubt that they are any better than CDs.
Things may differ though with SACDs and good SACD players, which I have not tried on my system yet. 
dyna says " "Confirmation bias" is not a "strawman argument," Elizabeth, it is a psychological reality" 

"Reality" is a bit strong here, but I guess that could be true if one has a problem being honest with him/her self. Not everything I try in my system stays there. If it isn't an improvement, it's removed plain & simple.

And another from dyna:
"Additionally, because audio memory is so extremely perishable, without an instantaneous comparison, a high end upgrade could sound like anything....marginally better or worse but you couldn't tell....couldn't remember"

That is not my experience. Without audio memory there would be no standard at all to judge sound quality by.