Classical music listening... what is a better source High Rez or Vinyl?


For many of us who really enjoy classical music, for me it is Baroque and opera, what is the better and more consistent for source high fidelity listening?

I am a mid hifi guy and have a Pro-ject Classic SB turntable with a high output MC Sumiko Blue Point No. 2 cartridge.. I am using a Jolida JD 9II Tube phone stage, with a vintage Telefunkin tube upgrade.

I have a Rogue Sphinx 3 integrated amplifier, with a vintage Mozada tube upgrade. My digital source DAC/SACD/CD is a Yamaha CD-2100 player.

I have refurbished Ohm H's loud speakers.

I have been picking up many vintage classical albums recently, mainly 1980’s releases in excellent condition too, at my local transfer station, and it has been mixed bag in comparison to my high resolution music files and SACD collection.

I was expecting much more when it came to vinyl and classical but I have not been as won over, as I have been with rock and jazz on vinyl.

My experience with SACD and high resolution, 96/24 or higher, has been very rewarding with a wide variety of classical music. Opera really shines in digital IMHO. Strong and full on classical piece are quite stunning on many a SACD releases I own. Rachel Podger’s Vivaldi: L’estro armonico - 12 concerti, Op. 3 on SACD is an excellent example of the audio quality I demand, as this recording is exceptional! Plus there are are very few new remastered vinyl releases for classical, particularly for opera, these days. A perfect example of this is Shubert’s Winterreise featuring Joyce DiDanato and pianist Yannick Nezet-Sequin, which I saw performed at Carnegie Hall for this recording and which sounds phenomenal in 96/24, and was release recently.

That would seem counter intuitive but that is clearly what the market is showing.

On one of these threads I recall someone posting how strings of violins, and the intensity that they are played at, can lead to degraded sound quality depending on the type of cartridge used.

I want to hear back from the classical music posse here to help me get to that higher level of listening with classical vinyl.

Is it the cartridge?

Or should I just stay with my digital sources?


idigmusic64

Showing 5 responses by edcyn

For me, the recording quality of the source material generally rules the day, not the medium through which it is delivered.  But if I had to make a distinction, LPs might sound more luxurious while streaming & digital might sound more punctilious. 
I have to admit that many of my London and Angel/EMI LPs, especially the operas, do sound better than anything I get either via CD or streaming. Then again, I have to reiterate that it's the original recording that ultimately counts, not the format with which the music wends its way to my ears.
What rvpiano sez... Putting it another way, when it comes to music, streaming is the proverbial Aladdin’s Cave. Admittedly, the classical selection will never be quite as luxurious as the one I had access to when I worked at Tower Classical Records in Hollywood, so many decades ago. But I must also say the sound quality from the streaming sites is more than good enough for me to stop worrying and love the bomb.
simonmoon -- I have lots and lots of Nonesuch LPs in my collection.  Pressings can be iffy and not every release sounds good (most do, though!), but all in all it is it is one of my favorite labels.  Always interesting. Always just a bit offbeat. A true labor of love by its creators.
@idigmusic64

True vintage 45 rpm classical discs have got to be as rare as hen’s teeth. My sense of it is that Thirty-Three-and-a-Third 10" and 12" High-Fi LP discs essentially directly replaced the bulky, low-fi 78 rpm zillion disc classical record albums of the previous era. Yeah, I inherited a few classical 45 rpm singles from my dad. But I’m pretty sure that the idea of putting classical music onto 12" 45’s is an audiophile affectation that only came into existence in the modern era.