Recommendations for a jazz record which demonstrates vinyl superiority over digital


I have not bought a vinyl record since CDs came out, but have been exposed to numerous claims that vinyl is better.  I suspect jazz may be best placed to deliver on these claims, so I am looking for your recommendations.

I must confess that I do not like trad jazz much.  Also I was about to fork out A$145 for Miles Davis "Kind of Blue" but bought the CD for A$12 to see what the music was like.  I have kept the change!

I love the jazz in the movie Babylon, which features local Oz girl Margo Robbie (the film, not the jazz).

So what should I buy?

128x128richardbrand

I have a modest stereo hifi (under 15k) using Harbeth P3esr speakers. I have a reasonably treated room with controlled reflections. I listen to mostly classical and jazz at reasonable volumes.

Digital music sounds great. I suspect the mastering of the specific media makes the biggest difference. I have multiple digital sources that I run through the same preamp > speakers, and it's obvious some are better than others. I have learned to identify publishers who take care in the mastering process, and tend to choose those sources.

Analog music sounds great. Mastering (and the quality of the pressing) makes the biggest difference.  All of my vinyl (well, most of it anyway) sounds good; some of it sounds fantastic. I can play around with different cartridges and get different presentations (I use a Technics 1200 GR with a removable head). It is deeply satisfying to change carts and enjoy the differences (differences is the operative word, not "better").

In my system, at least, I prefer vinyl for immersive listening, and digital for convenience. At the risk of sounding absurd, there is a "presence" in the vinyl presentation that I find compelling (like the music just jumps out of the speakers). My guess is that it is due to distortion coming from the vinyl processing. I dunno. Might be all in my head!

For starters, I'd suggest most of the Rudy Van Gelder-engineered Blue Note albums. My personal favorite is Herbie Hancock's "Maiden Voyage." The Miles Davis albums on Columbia sound very rich and dynamic. "Sorcerer" is a personal favorite, and Wynton Marsalis's "Black Codes (from the Underground)", mixed at Columbia's 52nd Street "Monolith" studio in NYC, is a fantastic vinyl reference. It won two Grammys.

If only the weight of the vinyl was proportionate to sound quality, buying LPs would be a simple matter.  Too bad it is not.

This is based on nothing more than my personal experience -- like every other personal opinion posted here -- but in the interest of full disclosure, I've been buying records, without interruption, since the mid-1960s, probably 5-10,000 sides. The recording that best demonstrates the strengths of analog playback, of the records I've owned, is the UHQR reissue of "Kind of Blue." That includes even my large collection of Living Presence and Living Stereo first pressings, AP 45s, MoFi 1Steps, you know, all the usual suspects. Among other distinguishing characteristics, the UHQR "KoB" on my system stands out in terms of physicality & reproduction of the recording space. And it's a nice remastering, too. I'm listening through Quad ESLs & Harbeths, 2024 T+A electronics, Mikey Fremer's "budget reference" The Vinyl phonostage, a George E. Merrill-built "GEM Dandy" table with 9" Sorane arm and Hana Umami Blue MC cartridge. Regardless of whether once considers this to be the "best" record in any way, it's certainly good enough IMO, to seek out if you like this genre of music. I understand that the OP does not, which is a shame, because none of my other (7 or 8) CD, LP, & SACD versions of this album come close to duplicating the exquisite experience of listening to the UHQR.