I have only read the first page of this thread, so apologies if someone has already said what I am about to. I wonder if it comes down to the way someone hears. We know everyone's hearing is different to lesser or greater degrees. Perhaps some hear a problem with digital that others are simply unable to hear. Perhaps the same applies with vinyl. I haven't heard r2r in decades and even then, not on a good system, so I obviously can't speak to that format. My own system is nice but a very long way from state of the art and, for my hearing, the recording is the deciding factor. Bad recordings sound bad on digital and vinyl. Good recordings sound good on both. To the OP, I would say ask yourself why you might want to try analog. If it is because you are dissatisfied with digital (which doesn't appear to be the case) then go ahead. However, if you receive consistent pleasure from digital, then I wouldn't suggest going down that path. Perfection doesn't exist and you can drive yourself crazy trying to find it. I once had a professor who was an enthusiastic fan of classical music. He once said to me that he often thought he should explore rock and jazz more, that he might be missing something. My response was life is too short. You can spend a lifetime listening to one genre of music and not have the quality of your life diminished in any way. I would say the same about digital vs. analog.
Does Anyone Think CD is Better Than Vinyl/Analog?
I am curious to know if anyone thinks the CD format (and I suppose that could include digital altogether) sounds better than vinyl and other analog formats. Who here has gone really far down both paths and can make a valid comparison? So far, I have only gone very far down the CD path and I just keep getting blown away by what the medium is capable of! I haven’t hit a wall yet. It is extremely dependent on proper setup, synergy and source material. Once you start getting those things right, the equipment gets out of the way and it can sound more fantastic than you can imagine! It’s led me to start developing a philosophy that goes something like this: Digital IS “perfect sound forever”; it’s what we do to the signal between the surface of the CD and the speaker cone that compromises it.”
So I suppose what I’m asking for is stories from people who have explored both mediums in depth and came to the conclusion that CD has the most potential (or vice versa - that’s helpful too). And I don’t simply mean you’ve spent a lot of money on a CD player. I mean you’ve tinkered and tweaked and done actual “research in the lab,” and came back with a deep understanding of the medium and can share those experiences with others.
In my experience, the three most important things to get right are to find a good CD player (and good rarely means most expensive in my experience) and then give it clean power. In my case, I have modified my CD player to run off battery power with DC-DC regulators. The last thing that must be done right is the preamp. It’s the difference between “sounds pretty good” and “sounds dynamic and realistic.”
So I suppose what I’m asking for is stories from people who have explored both mediums in depth and came to the conclusion that CD has the most potential (or vice versa - that’s helpful too). And I don’t simply mean you’ve spent a lot of money on a CD player. I mean you’ve tinkered and tweaked and done actual “research in the lab,” and came back with a deep understanding of the medium and can share those experiences with others.
In my experience, the three most important things to get right are to find a good CD player (and good rarely means most expensive in my experience) and then give it clean power. In my case, I have modified my CD player to run off battery power with DC-DC regulators. The last thing that must be done right is the preamp. It’s the difference between “sounds pretty good” and “sounds dynamic and realistic.”