willemjsThe reason the vinyl rig seems to produce more detail is that the dynamic range of vinyl is more limited. Therefore, both in the mastering and in the cutting the peaks have to be limited to avoid distortion and even the stylus jumping out of the groove ...This is a common misconception and completely mistaken. It's easy to see why people believe this, though, because digital certainly has a wider potential dynamic range than LP. However - in practice - that potential is often not realized. In part because of the Loudness Wars, the dynamic range of digital files is often compressed, which can make them more listenable in a noisy environment. Producers of LPs rightly assume that an LP is more likely to be heard in a quiet, domestic environment, so it can accommodate a wider dynamic range. You can prove this for yourself by purchasing a few LPs of new releases, and comparing them to the same music on other formats.
The claim that on an LP "low level signals have to be lifted above all that surface noise" is just nonsense. You can prove this to yourself by listening to the quiet bands between LP tracks at your normal listening level. Nor is it true that LF must be summed into mono, although it is a very common practice.