when the vinyl playback tools and the vinyl pressings are top notch the vinyl classical music reproduction experience is unsurpassed. of my approximately 3000 Classical Lps, this magic happens maybe 60% of the time. my best sounding 45rpm classical vinyl is a force of nature and pinch me level of musical involvement. digital does not come close to this.
that said; my overall listening is about 60% digital classical since it is very very good to great and so accessible. i love exploring new classical titles with Tidal and Quboz, or listening to my high rez classical files. i have many dxd and quad dsd classical files. i could be completely happy just with the high rez classical.
if i were starting over i would not do the vinyl classical as acquiring the best pressings is not only expensive but takes considerable effort and patience. and for great classical vinyl the investment for the tt, arm, cart is not trivial. Jazz or rock can be very fine on more modest levels of investment. classical music will really expose any warts.
finally it does come down to what level of expectations you have for the performance. which only you can determine. my expectations are very high, and i have devoted considerable resources to high level classical vinyl playback. i have 4 turntables, one of which is my ’go-to’ for classical music. |
Is the "Paris" LP an all analog recording? |
I listen to a lot of classical. My classical LP albums are primarily/mostly ‘vintage’ (pre 80’s), albeit I have some newer LP’s as well, but very few. I also have many classical CD’s, many of those of ‘vintage’ performances as well. Some of my CD’s sound pretty good too. In that regards, no matter what format, it really comes down to the quality of the recording and engineering, and I find that incredibly important with classical (especially) regardless of the source.
But
I almost always play vinyl. To me it just sounds more organic, natural, proper timber, etc. there is a natural ‘flow’ of the music vinyl provides that is hard to beat, and when we are talking about classical, with acoustic instruments, that just sounds better and correct. To me.
Now, to compare digital to vinyl is very dependent on your rig, both vinyl and digital. There is little doubt that if you invest in a better vinyl system, the nuances that only vinyl can offer will be better realized, no matter the genre. Does that mean you have to spend a fortune? No, not in my opinion. But there are some improvements you receive by spending more. There is no way around it.
I just purchased Hilary Hahn’s new ‘Paris’ LP. I didn’t even consider the CD version. That LP is stunning in its recording, engineering, and the performance too. There is no doubt newer recordings can sound quite good, again, regardless of the source. But that new album on vinyl is amazing, to me.
There is no ‘right or wrong’ answer here. Just what you prefer and get the most enjoyment from. I know what I prefer, and quite honestly wish all my classical selections were on vinyl.
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Give it a rest.
Get off my lawn.
Meh.
It IS an idiotic question. What sounds best to one has little bearing on what sounds best to others. The goal is musical enjoyment, not grade school uniforms.
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As phrased, this is kind of a non-sensical question. What matters is the quality of the front end components on both sides of the issue.
To create a more specific comparison, I believe a well chosen $5000 digital front end can now clearly outperform a well chosen $10,000 analog front end. This can be shown easily even using well chosen 44/16 files from analog sources available also as vinyl. |
My take, based on MY priorities, of course.
For me, there is a fundamental difference in the sound of digital vs the sound of analog and this difference can be heard, to one degree or another, no matter how expensive or close to SOTA your equipment is. Before anyone goes off the deep end, please understand that I am in no way saying that streaming cannot sound good. It most definitely can, but the sound will always have some degree of a certain character that can be attributed to the process of digitization. Analog recordings and playback may have some of this character as well depending on whether there any digitization was employed in the mastering process. Streaming is a digital process, so some degree of that character will be there even with pure analog recordings. A pure analog recording played back on LP will not have digital artifacts; it will have other artifacts, but that is another story. Why is this important to your question?
IMO, the less processing or amplification that the sound of musical instruments is put through, the more that any digital artifacts added along the way will be audible. Acoustic instruments are, by definition, not amplified nor their sounds processed. What music uses acoustic instruments just about exclusively? Classical music.
The issue then becomes familiarity with the sound of live acoustic instruments. The more one is familiar with the sound of live acoustic instruments, the more sensitive one may be to the effects of digitization. Whether those effects or artifacts are more egregious to a given listener than LP surface noise or lack of absolute pitch stability is a personal call and dependent, in part, on the quality of your analog setup.
For me, a well set up turntable/arm/cart of good (not necessarily great) quality playing a decent pressing of an analog recording (and some digital recordings) will beat any streaming that I have heard, hands down. This, based on MY priorities of fidelity to the timbre/texture of acoustic instruments, natural acoustic warmth and very subtle dynamic nuance. It will sound closer to the sound of live acoustic instruments enough to obviate any possible advantages of streaming. Ever notice how different good analog recordings on LP tend to sound due to the different recording venues? Those differences are a really good thing in my book, and they often get homogenized to some degree by digitization/streaming.
So, as usual, the short answer is, it depends. For me, it’s a no brainer.
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You have part of your answer in type of cartridge used but it is not the whole story. How sensitive are your ears in pitch and speed variations?
How good is the recording? How good is your cartridge alignment? How quiet is your vinyl and phono set up? But even if solving these out you may still find that SACD, Hi-res, and CD can sound really good too. |
The LP is basically 1899 technology! Emile Berliner invents the flat disk with a spiral groove read by a stylus! In 1948 groove size is reduced along with rotational speed (CBS Labs in Stamford, CT). The modern LP is born!
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There is far more repertoire on CD and HD, which to those deeply interested in music is often important. Also, if you are interested in what's happening in classical music today -- modern interpretations and/or compositions -- LP won't have that. A major point for me is that digital recording and playback has much better pitch stability. The piano sounds completely different on CD -- much more like a piano!
LP is better for listening to old performances that were mastered for LP. Many were poorly transferred to digital and can sound shrill.
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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. |
Anyone thinks any digital anything sounds better with classical than vinyl is trying to put legs on a snake. https://youtu.be/NelBNtNm8l0?t=3 Notice the kid in the back has his hands up. He knows when he's licked. More sense than the rest. |
Bottom line the recording quality of the CD or vinyl is the driver if both analog and digital systems are of high quality. My Esoteric CD player can easily beat mediocre vinyl recordings. If everything is perfect vinyl will edge out CD/SACD. I have not spend much on streaming so that comes in consistently last.
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@millercarbon we can file that one in the " get off my lawn" box. You need to try alot harder dude.
@rok2id thanks! |
Since you seem able to endure digital, what is the problem? Count yourself lucky. Anyone can push a button. Vinyl takes a lot more effort and skill. If you can stand digital, why bother?
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I think CD / SACD was made for Classical. Dynamic range, freq response and low noise floor. The choice seems clear to me.
The main thing is to keep listening.
Cheers |
