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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.”
mkgus

Showing 4 responses by fleschler

fleschler
2,046 posts
 
@unreceivedogma  Yeah, that was my CD sound in the 1990s.  I hated it.  It all changed in 2006 with a superior analog sounding tube output EAR Acute CD player.  Last year, the new COS DAC changed it to no competition between formats-all depends on the mastering.
fleschler
2,046 posts
 
@gone  Your response coincides with mine (except for 78s).  I listen to 3,000 ethnic music 78s and LPs, most never to be seen in any future format.  I have 25,000 LPs, 7,000 78s and 7,000 CDs, mostly CDs being accumulated in the past decade.  The reason is that there are bargains in well remastered classical and jazz that I did not appreciate until I purchased my EAR Acute and last year, the COS Engineering D2v DAC.  About 30% of my CD collection never was and probably never will be issued in any other format (Marston, Biddulph, Romophone) 78s of opera, vocal, violin and piano 78s expertly remastered from rare recordings.  I have a moderately high end analog rig for LPs (VPI TNT VI mod./SME IV mod./Benz Ruby3 and appropriate high end electronics).  

To all those who just state that CD is unlistenable and cannot hold their attention, it's probably your equipment or you just listen to post 1995, compressed and poorly mastered pop and rock.  There is some poorly remastered classical as well (RCA opera mono series from last decade had hyped up mids, shrill compressed dynamics, bass-less lows-totally inferior to the early CD remasterings which sounded like the original LPs, not quite as good but certainly clean).  I prefer rock LPs to CDs because the rock remasterings are generally inferior.   

As to listening to 78s on a victrola, nope.  I use a Grado elliptical cartridge on a Ultracraft 400 arm on a VPI 19-4 turntable feeding a Marantz 7 in 78 setting through my main system.  Especially post 1925 78s sound dynamic and tonally rich.  My system is very dynamic so I don't miss not having horns.  Pre-1925 78s require different stylus sizes and speeds (my VPI SDS adjusts for speeds).  So, I'm not wearing out the 78s or the stylii compared to a victrola and get very superior sound.

I will not give up any of these formats.  I only have about 100 R2R tapes with a Technics 1500 R2R.  It would be nice to have half track 15 ips tapes, but I don't.  I don't plan to stream.  Also, the booklets that accompany many of my historic 78s CDs are magnificent, better than the backsides of an LP.  
fleschler
2,046 posts
 
With my higher end system, I have yet to discover the differences in sound quality via different CD transports.   After I purchased my COS D2v DAC, I use my old EAR Acute as a transport and it sounds great!   

Can someone with a modestly higher end system tell me how much I will gain if any, improvement in sound using a more recent, potentially better transport?  
fleschler
2,046 posts
 
@noble100  Thank you for your informed response.  About 2,500 of my 7,000 CD collection consists of music not seen (and probably never will be available) on streaming or any other format.  They consist of ethnic, proprietary (my own orchestral, chamber and choral recordings of the past 35 years, 20+ years digital) and remasterings of 78 rpm records with esoteric/subsription labels Marston, Romophone and Biddulph for instance.  Another 2,500 CDs of the analog LP era are not currently available on streaming and some of the other 2,500 CDs that are available for streaming used inferior masterings/versions of the CDs.  So, perhaps 1,000 of my CDs would or could sound better on streaming.  

Knowing that upgrading to a Esoteric, Jay's Audio or Denafrips transport won't make much difference in my CD sound quality is very helpful.  I'll use the savings for another cartridge or tweaks to my system.  
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