Recommendations for a jazz record which demonstrates vinyl superiority over digital

@richardbrand 

Understanding jazz has nothing to do with genres. It has to do with patience. Jazz doesn't try to be better or superior, it just tries to go deeper. Not wider. It's that minor difference of trying to wow you vs trying to slow you down and appreciate rhythm and melody Jazz is everywhere, it's a luxury for musician who can explore and not cop out or those who don't care to.

My favorite jazz musician is Paul McCartney. Favorite jazz album: Ram

@lewm

I could absolutely guarantee to find you some Vaughan Williams you would like, just because he wrote such an immense variety!  You's have to listen more than once, though.

The open-air plinths are usually based on slate or some such.  Slates are a bit like graphite, very directional with vastly different properties depending on where they are quarried.

My existing SME plinth includes springs and foam damping, though nowhere near as springy and undamped as a Linn.  If I raise my internal plinth, the springs and damping will disengage.  Each layer will start with constrained layer damping between it and the next layer.  When the springs are disengaged, I will rely on three IsoAccoustics OREA Bordeaux pucks to ameliorate vibration coming up through my Sydney sandstone blocks.

Sydney sandstone is quite soft and porous with about 4% cavity.  There's plenty of it.  It is up to 600 feet thick and started to be deposited before dinosaurs walked this planet.  Enough has washed away to form the up-side down Blue Mountains and to drift thousands of kilometers north to form the world's biggest sand island, K'gari once known as Fraser Island, which is almost 100 miles long.

I am very open to suggestions, and have a gut feeling that the Garrard is valued because of its resonances!

I cannot imagine the "open air" approach to buliding a plinth for a 301 would be efficacious, for me at least, because what you want to suppress in a 301 is vibration and motor noise. For that it seems to me you need mass. That’s just my opinion.

So I quite agree with your choice to fill the space in the hollow plinth. But in your first post where you described what you are building, it seemed at first reading that you plan to interpose springs between the chassis of the 301 and the solid plinth you are making with MDF. It think that would not be good, to put it mildly. I'd mate the chassis to the plinth as firmly and as completely as possible. As for the choice of MDF, I never want it near the sound producing elements because my bias is it sounds muffled, or it adds a muffled coloration. But again, just my opinion.

Coltrane, You wrote, "But as bebop became dominant the majority of listeners were forever lost. I don’t mind, because bebop was a natural step for new jazz. Personally, bebop was a statement by certain musicians who felt disrespected. So they created a music that many couldn’t play. Still, the advancement of the music suffered among the masses."

Yes, it's difficult to play bebop well, or any other style of jazz, for that matter, because of the need to improvise.  But why was it then, if jazz suffered among the masses due to bebop, that Miles Davis, Gillespie, here I will add Gerry Mulligan and Thelonius Monk, and your namesake Coltrane, sold more albums among them than most any jazz instrumentalists before or since?  I just don't agree that bebop alienated listeners; rather, it made jazz musicians and those who listened to their music "cool cats". It was in fashion, then it went out of fashion, like many other cultural phenomena, except for a few diehards like me and many thousands of others who pay high prices for the LPs in that genre.  Bebop probably faded on the national scene, because it became repetitious, difficult though it might be. Bebop lived right through and beyond Elvis's peak. It might be more accurate to say the Beatles took over in popularity from everything else musical in the late 60s. On the other hand, I am never caught listening to Vaughn Williams.

There's a vocalise that describes the life and times of bebop, called "Boplicity".

@richardbrand, being a fan of Classical you may relate to Wes Montgomery records from the 60’s. All of his stuff with producer Creed Taylor was done with string arrangements. Wes received criticism for abandoning his pure jazz roots, but these records were very popular with non jazz listeners and sold by the thousands. 
 

https://youtu.be/5GFkqoZSB-A?si=Khelg8vpPgH9XlUS

@coltrane1 

No worries, I never for a moment took it as an insult!

As the great, and recently late, British actress Maggie Smith said, "I have never insulted anyone, I simply describe them accurately".

@richardbrand, I didn’t mean it as an insult. We’re a similar age, that simply walked different paths. I enjoy Classical too. But my collection is mainly jazz and popular music from the 60’s, 70’s. Each of us had different influences. Wes Montgomery was one of mine. So was Freddie Hubbard and early George Benson. I play Trumpet, piano, and guitar. My father was hugely into jazz. So yeah, it rubbed off. 

@lewm, not in the least. I know where jazz’ bread is buttered. But as bebop became dominant the majority of listeners were forever lost. I don’t mind, because bebop was a natural step for new jazz. Personally, bebop was a statement by certain musicians who felt disrespected. So they created a music that many couldn’t play. Still, the advancement of the music suffered among the masses. And then there came Elvis. But I’d be the last to suggest the 50’s and 60’s music was inferior to what had come before. In some regards it was even better to my ears

@coltrane1 

"But saying you don’t like jazz, is akin to stating you don’t understand jazz"

If that is directed at me, then I resemble the remark!  I like some jazz, I don't like some.  I know so little about jazz, I cannot name the sub-genres.  This thread is helping!

Now if it were about classical, I'd be on home ground.  But even there, I dislike more than I like.  My desert island disks would be late-romantic large-scale orchestral with a dash of opera and piano!  No lute music or harpsicord, which Beecham described as sounding like two skeletons copulating on a tin roof.

@lewm That's why I should open a new thread!  There seem to be two broad approaches to 301 plinth design.  One is an open-air skeleton to let the noise out, the other is to fill the voids as much as possible.  I am experimenting with the second approach.

The SME mounting board is 18-mm chipboard, and I am infilling with 27-mm Medium Density Fibreboard (MDF) because I have it lying around.  MDF is used in many speaker cabinets because it is an excellent absorber of sound.  Garrard originally supplied springs and mountings to suspend whatever mounting board one chose. They also supplied four rubber washers to slightly de-couple the chassis from the mounting board.

My approach differs from others I have read about.  I don't have to consider the look of the internal plinth because it will be hidden inside the SME one.  The original SME dust cover will stay in place to mitigate airborne vibrations.  I can experiment by removing the Garrard-supplied suspension components, and the rubber washers.  The mounting board and every layer will simply lift out, so if need be I can experiment with different materials, including Baltic birch and the huge range of Australian hardwoods, such as red ironbark, and my favourite black-heart sassafras.  I would like to experiment with Corian for the mounting board!  I think Corian and engineered stone has just been banned in Australia because of silicosis!  Mind you there is a lot of silica in sassafras too.

I would suggest Blood Sweat and Tears. It's so vanilla, relatable yet so beautifully written and produced and high quality in every sense. 

Also, I don't think vinyl is about superior quality. It's a superior experience IF vinyl is for you. If not, if you only care about sound quality, vinyl is a rabbit hole. 

Richard, I’m not sure what you’re doing with that plinth, but 301 plinth building is a vast subject. One common solution is to build a plinth out of layers of Baltic birch cut precisely to embrace the working bits as snugly as possible. I am sure you can find videos on YouTube which demonstrate the process, and you can even find the patterns for the many layers with precise measurements also on line. The chassis is not suspended over the base because the object is to soak up energy and noise from the motor and idler wheel. Food for your thought. What you describe seems not the best approach.

Coltrane, perhaps you didn’t mean to infer that bebop is anything other than “jazz”. But if you did, I must protest. Bebop IS and was jazz after WW2, pioneered by Charley Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, and many others. By the mid-50s, bebop was dominant. One of the important reasons why KOB was so noteworthy at that time (1958) was that it represented an experimental departure. But jazz musicians still play bebop style and structure to this day, just not exclusively.

Before there was a thing called Rock n Roll, there was jazz. At one time in America it was jazz that was the popular music of the younger generation. Who cares it got side tracked by a thing called bebop. The musicians desired, and deserved, to be respected. 

You like what you like. But saying you don’t like jazz, is akin to stating you don’t understand jazz. You don’t have to be a jazz musician to understand jazz. That’s part of why you’re asking the question where should I start? Well, KOB is about as easy as it gets. But then again, there’s always Spira Gyra. 

@herman

Ok, time to confess.  I am restoring / upgrading my dad's Garrard 301 grease bearing model.  So far I have upgraded the main bearing, pulley, idler and its bearings, new springs, etc.  It is in an SME plinth which is mainly hollow and has springs for the mounting board.  I am working to fill the plinth with layers of mdf separated by constrained layer damping, held together by gravity.  I will be able to bypass the mounting board springs, so the table is not directly connected to the SME plinth, or leave the board suspended.  The look of the plinth won't change, and it will keep its dust cover.  The whole thing sits on blocks of good old Sydney sandstone. One day I might even open a new topic!

So far I have spent ten of the best KoBs on it ...

And idler drives… Old coveted Garrard. 

Since the majority of idler drives are rim drives, like the well known Garrard, I went with that rather than Idler. Others like Lenco are not rim so you are technically correct since rim drive is a subset of idler drive. So yes... idler, belt, and direct is more correct.

Bob James Touchdown

Grover Washington Jr Winelight

Grober Washington Jr Badest

Lary Conklin Dolphin Grace

Eric Gale Ginseng Woman

You can find them all reasonably priced

 

The quality of the pressing makes a big difference with vinyl I'm 71 so these are original pressings.

There is no record player that has as good of a signal to noise ratio as a good digital recording. Yes there is warm distortion and rumble but records are not in the same category as digital when it comes to accuracy. 

As said, when mounted in certain plinth designs, in my assessment, struggles to get out of the way and has the potential to become quite noticeable to the point of being fatiguing after a period of listening. 

Has not there been an endless period of time known off, where Plinths for ID TT's is the main talking point.

Is there not an Cottage Industry out there where the Plinth for ID TT's are the main product being manufactured.

A recent thread on the Gon, that covers this very subject makes references to the Plinth having been the cause of the listeners discontentedness. Especially after having invested Monies into a Bespoke Design Plinth, from a Cottage Industry Plinth Production Service. 

Very Very few get the ID TT to function satisfactory as a right of the bat encounter. It takes quite a lot of investment in learning about the interfaces that optimise the design to produce a ID TT, that will stand out for being a strong contender when demonstrated in the Company of other TT Designs. 

Many Many listeners of Audio Equipment, especially using the Vinyl Source, are today a lone listener. Who do not create opportunities to listen to other set ups, or have their Source used in other Systems, or are having the Source from other Systems used in their own system. These type of individuals usually only know what they know, and again many many of these types of user of Audio Equipment are a listener that is not willing to learn how to find a betterment for the set up they have produced. Occasionally an inquisitive individual comes forward, listens to proposed ideas, finds their own way to produce something bespoke and creates something quite special for their needs.      

And idler drives… Old coveted Garrard. 

Just figure out what you want to listen to and dump most of the money into one of the two or achieve lesser performance and have both. If you have unlimited funds, build two state of the art front ends.

very astute observation.

regarding turntables, you have rim drive, belt drive, and direct drive. They all have their strong points and inherent problems, but unless you are into megabuck tables that have overcome or mitigated the problems inherent to each, by far the best choice is rim drive of the Garrard 301 variety. There are others but that is the one you hear about most often. Not sure what information the previous poster thinks they are masking or how they are fatiguing. My experience is the polar opposite. They make music, it is marvelous.

The holy grail for many is a Commonwealth from Australia. Long discontinued but very desirable. I have one coming in the next few weeks to probably replace my 301. My 301 has been updated including a heavy stainless steel platter and platter bearing which I think is essential, The stock Garrard platter has issues, but it is as old as I am (1955) and sounds superb.

Regarding the UHQR KOB there are many sealed and NM copies available on Discogs.com. I don’t know how much shipping to Australia increases the price but many are below what Acoustic Sounds asks for a new copy.

https://www.discogs.com/release/18884065-Miles-Davis-Kind-Of-Blue

https://www.discogs.com/sell/release/24373778

I don’t want to turn this into a debate on how to set up your table, but get some decent set up tools, protractors, etc, and some way to set azimuth other than by ear, too deep a subject for here but google it. If you have the funds and the patience, I’ve found Analog Magik to be indispensable.

good luck on your journey

My experiences had, off any audio device is that it is at its best when it does not make its presence too known.

A audio device can make its presence known in a way that is for myself and my unique preferences for hearing sound, that is too overwhelming. This is not limited to one end of the Frequency Spectrum.

When learning about Transparency and hearing systems that are only describable as being Transparent, my own reaction to the experience after a short period of time was the sound was becoming unpleasant.

The same can be said for hearing systems with an overwhelming, very loose Bass Note. For myself the Bass Hanging around for extended periods, becomes a very noticeable distraction.

In a nutshell, I like a Colour to be detectable in music I Listen to through audio equipment. How much colour has been the learning curve for many years, and in fairness will most probably be the ongoing endeavour for the rest of my time with a reasonable listening capability. Honing the Colour and Fine Tuning the Distortions produced will be the endless task. For the meantime I remain very contented, but do have a few items of interest on a shortlist.

As for the statement  "  rim drive adds “drive” to the music ". As a long term user of Idler Drive TT's and a SME IV Tonearm. I can easily describe the "Drive" referred to as a Colouration that is detectable. My experiences of the ID TT when mounted in certain plinth designs, in my assessment, struggles to get out of the way and has the potential to become quite noticeable to the point of being fatiguing after a period of listening.

Today I own a ID TT for nostalgia reasons and only really use the fully operational retained one mainly for demo's, to introduce others to Idler Drive TT's.

Usually when my ID TT is offered as a demo' along side other TT's, there is positive responses from others. Typically those who are New to the ID TT, do like the price the ID TT can be bought for, but the ID TT, is not usually a TT to convince an individual who I have witnessed experience one in use make a Beeline for. 

Individuals who are much more familiar with the ID TT, and hear it used in comparisons are quick to share, how the ID TT, is masking info, that is being presented by other Drive TT's in use.

Note:  Demo's being referred to are not using the same support structure - same tonearm - same cartridge on all TT's being used.    

  

@kennyc - I confess that I don't understand what adding "drive" actually means.  They do have a big motor and stylus drag may be less of an issue.  Not having rubber bands pulling the platter may help.

Tonearms - yes, an SME V costs more than the entire Holbo set up. My partner expects anything that expensive to have more than one diamond, and to be wearable.

@richardbrand - the Garrand 301 is popular because it’s rim drive adds “drive” to the music.  More modern turntables the platter, plinth, and motor is designed to lower the noise floor and/or work better sonically with cartridges.  Tonearms also matter.

@richardbrand

Yes, the brain works in mysterious ways.  I think we could have a long conversation offline or in another thread about psychoacoustics. 

@cundare2 

I have many "RCA Living Stereo, London ffrr, Mercury Living Presence, any of the early Telarcs" on record and CD / SACD, but sadly not the "Great Organ of Methuen Memorial Music Hall."

A lot of my Telarc records are digitally mastered.  My go-to test piece is a London aka Decca ffrr.

In general, I usually prefer the first recording I hear to subsequent ones.  Weird how the brain works ...

@ketchup 

Thanks for the advice.  Fortunately for my wallet, I don't have much more life to live. In reality, I am at the stage where I "just like to learn about and play with TTs, carts., and phonostages (which is a totally valid reason to have a TT in my opinion)".

I am particularly curious about the high regard given to Garrard 301 spinners, and the prices they command.  Is it because they are inherently "neutral" or because they resonate harmoniously?  Or the beautiful engineering, and feel?  Or just that they start and stop almost instantaneously?

Another vinyl benefit is that my having to get up every few minutes to change a side lets my partner check whether I have croaked yet!

@lewm

The UHQR version I have found in Sydney does indeed have the speed corrected.

Other details:

 Mastered by Bernie Grundman from the Original 3-Track Master Tapes
 Pressed at Quality Record Pressings using Clarity Vinyl®

@richardbrand

You may be able to tell that my last response was posted before I’d finished editing. There was a lot more there, which would take me too long to reproduce.

But the gist of it was that you can find outstanding recordings used if you shop by known good labels: RCA Living Stereo, London ffrr, Mercury Living Presence, any of the early Telarcs, especially that label’s first release, the direct-to-disc "Great Organ of Methuen Memorial Music Hall."

Just be aware that it’s not only pressings that matter with these legacy LPs. Stampers, plants, and the # of impressions made by a stamper can make a huge difference. In my lost message, I detailed a hands-on experiment I conducted after reading Michael Fremer’s lengthy postings on this topic. THe album was "Bridge Over Troubled Water" by Simon & Garfunkel. I bought a half-dozen used first pressings, all from different stampers and countries of origin, and compared them to my MoFi 1-Step version. Although the 45RPM MoFi was somewhat better in terms of dynamics and surface noise, in blind comparisions, my 1971 pressing from an early stamper had them all beat in terms of realism and (hate to use the term) "musicality." No comparison, even to other first pressing from later stampers.  When Art’s voice comes in on the title track, it’s breathtaking in a way that not even the pricey 1-Step could duplicate. And I paid only $8 for my NM copy on eBay!

Anyway, nice to chat with you, Richard.

Ultimately, I want to be able to judge whether it is worth spending any more on my vinyl hardware, or stick with digital.

You can play leapfrog with you vinyl and digital front ends for the rest of your life.  Upgrade your vinyl system and it will outperform your digital.  Then upgrade your digital front end and it will outperform your vinyl rig that you just upgraded, etc., etc.  You get the idea. 

Just figure out what you want to listen to and dump most of the money into one of the two or achieve lesser performance and have both.  If you have unlimited funds, build two state of the art front ends.

If you like records that aren't available in digital formats or if you listen to a lot of albums where the vinyl mastering is much better than the digital versions, then you kind of need a good analog front end.  If neither of those cases apply to you, then it probably doesn't make sense to mess with vinyl unless you just like to learn about and play with TTs, carts., and phonostages (which is a totally valid reason to have a TT in my opinion).

@cundare2 

Thanks for the clarification on the ESL!  As it happens I was looking for a pair of substitute speakers while repairing my Quad 2905 ones.  First thought was KEF LS50 but I saw a video (cannot remember whether it was TAS or Stereophile) where an ESL-2905 owner was impressed by the stand-mount KEF Reference 1, which is almost ten times the price of the LS50.  I bought a pair, and in many ways prefer them to the big Quads.

Harbeth and KEF both came out of BBC engineering (thanks, taxpayers) but KEF concentrates on apparent point-source coincident drivers.

Yep, I now live down-under in Oz, having once been a ten-pound pom!

@herman 

When I re-started down the vinyl path, I took a few records I know very well to my favourite dealer to play on a deck I had previously heard, when it was used as the source for a speaker demonstration evening.  That experience has not put me off.  In simpler words, I liked what I heard.  The dealer now wants a copy of one of my records, so it was a win-win.

Yes, it is hard to do a tangential arm properly, but that just means money has to be spent on precision engineering.  The Holbo happens to be something of a bargain although it is certainly not cheap, at least in my book.

Regardless of what you think of my current (deliberately undisclosed) set-up, I will be taking my new records to play on quite high-end systems. Some for example with the A$300,000 speakers which I listened to a couple of days ago.

I hope this concept has not gone over your head ...

@richardbrand

D:\Gr - Vid\QUADRichard: As I’m sure you know, "KoB" is one of the most highly respected releases in that particular genre, and it’s a good entry point if you’re not already a fan. But I can understand your reaction. I remember many years ago, as a callow youth, I had the same response. After many playings, however, I grew to appreciate and love the album. But everybody’s mileage varies, and I wanted to at least point out the terrific job that AP did on this release. Not even other UHQRs in my collection compare.

You’re in Australia? If you were truly interested in this album, maybe it’s worth lurking on eBay for a while and in case a cheaper copy will pop up. But really, $300 AUD is not totally outrageous, at least IMHO, and at least for this particular release. That’s about $200 US, and the record was $125 new, I think. And who knows, maybe somebody reading this message might be willing to part with a copy at a reasonable price.

You guessed correctly re: my Quads. My understanding is that "ESL-57" was never the correct, "official" model name and that the 1957 model is still referred to at IAG as the original "ESL." Sorry for any confusion. I restored my copper-grill model to factory spec, even installing NOS panels, and powered it with factory-restored 1950s Quad 2 Class A monoblocks. I was forced to sell my units when downsizing in retirement (it still churns my stomach to think about it), but my relatively small, easier-to-manage Harbeths may be as close as you can get to Quad electrostatic sound from dynamic drivers, at least in the sub-$40,000 price range!

Re: your original question, you might want to seek out J. Gordon Holt's famous organ LP

@cundare2 Thanks for your thoughtful and explicit reply! I hit on Kind of Blue as a likely candidate after doing a bit of research. But when I first played it, I had the same reaction as most people have when they are confronted with their first classical piece. I like it more (loathe it less) each time I play it, and even find myself humming bits in my head.

My partner, who has much wider tastes in music, is still in the loathe it camp.

You mention Quad ESL speakers, without specifying the model. Usually Quad ESL on its own means the first model, which is sideways on three legs. Now known as the ESL 57 for the year it was introduced. I have a pair of Quad ESL 2905 which use completely different principles, and are a development of the ESL 63.

The UHQR recording of Kind of Blue is in-stock in Sydney for A$300. Deep breath! But only a bit more than twice the price of the Original Master Recording I mentioned. I am tempted ...

 

I want to be able to judge whether it is worth spending any more on my vinyl hardware, or stick with digital".

that makes no difference to my point, which has completely gone over your head. 

It doesn't matter what record you try if your current vinyl playback system sucks, or not set up properly so it effectively sucks,  then any record you try on it will suck. I'm not saying your system sucks, I have no idea what it is, but again, not the point.

The point is, you need to listen on the system you are thinking about upgrading to. Not the system you have because obviously you think it is lacking in some way or you wouldn't consider upgrading it. 

regarding tangential arms, yes they have theoretical advantages, but if they are the panacea you describe.... why are they so rare? Very simple,they present engineering challenges which are extremely difficult to deal with. They rarely outperform conventional arms proven by the fact they are so rare. 

 

@herman In my reply to you I clarified that "Ultimately, I want to be able to judge whether it is worth spending any more on my vinyl hardware, or stick with digital".

Unfortunately my original title for this thread had to be truncated, and did not properly convey this intent.

If I do upgrade, most likely it will be to a Holbo deck with tangential air-bearing arm, and an air-bearing platter.  Not much to adjust apart from getting the deck level, the tracking force right and the stylus rake angle set correctly.  My favourite dealer, rated in the world's top five, should have installed the cartridge correctly.  Much easier with a tangential arm!

@wanders Thanks! I am glad to report that I can hear the difference between DSD64 and CD. I bought a Reavon universal player and could immediately tell, using the SACD I mention above, that its analogue output fell way short of my previous Marantz universal player.

I emailed Reavon and it transpired that they down convert DSD to CD quality, both for multi-channel DSD and two-channel DSD, when the output is set to analogue. Interestingly, no review I have read has picked this up!

Maybe my question should have been "What half-a-dozen beautifully produced jazz recordings currently available on new vinyl records should I buy"? I don’t think replay hardware has any bearing on the answer to this question?

???? It is at the very heart of what you want to determine. To paraphrase, You stated you wanted to determine if vinyl was better than digital.

Listen to a recording on a DCS Vivaldi stack and then compare it to a vinyl version on a Kenner Close N’ Play and pretty sure you will say digital is better than vinyl. I know, an extreme example to make a point, but if you are trying to determine which is better, you need somewhat of a level playing field.

Play a vinyl record that is superbly recorded on a cheap turntable with a worn out cartridge that wasn’t set up right in the first place and you will say vinyl sucks. So contrary to what you just said, hardware has everything to do with it.

I suggest trying a Groove Note record. If it doesn't sound excellent something is wrong with your set up.

 

@herman How do I know if I have "vinyl hardware properly set up and optimized" without something worthwhile to play on it?

Yes, there are a lot of variables but I want to eliminate poor recordings (your variable 1,000,001) as a source.

Maybe my question should have been "What half-a-dozen beautifully produced jazz recordings currently available on new vinyl records should I buy"?  I don't think replay hardware has any bearing on the answer to this question?

Ultimately, I want to be able to judge whether it is worth spending any more on my vinyl hardware, or stick with digital.

As luck would have it, Hyperion has just released vinyl versions of Marc-Andre Hamelin playing Shostakovich's First and Second Piano Concertos.  The first includes trumpet solo, one of my wishes!  For years, the second movement of the second concerto, recorded in 2002 on SACD, has been the second track I always use for evaluating speakers.

I have ordered the two-record set but have no idea what the weight of the vinyl is, nor its colour, nor even its speed.  At 10 minutes average per side, it might be 45-rpm.  Ironically, the third work on the SACD is Shchedrin's Second Piano Concerto which features a jazz trio (piano, drum kit and vibrophone) but it is not on the vinyl.

Shostakovich had a difficult musical life and loved jazz, not a strong point in the Soviet Union, A few days after Stalin walked out of a performance of his opera, Pravda described the work as a 'cacophonous and pornographic insult to the Soviet people'.  Stalin had a deserved reputation for eliminating people, and was Pravda's main arbiter of taste as its music critic.  Most of Shostakovich is tortured, but the tranquil test piece I use was written after he realised he had survived the murderous Stalin.

 

I would agree that "Kind of Blue" is not well recorded.  The Kevin Gray remaster is an improvement, but it still falls short.  However, I would still be happy listening to Jonl  on a 1960's am radio.

"Kind of Blue" is a very well recorded album. It is especially open and airy, which makes it easier to sort out tonality and timbre of individual instruments. An easy comparison of what you hear on the record to the sounds of those instruments you've heard before make this album a great, uncomplicated reference.

"Kind of Blue" is surely not the last word on recording mastery, but it was recorded and mixed better than most. It is disingenuous to claim it is not well recorded.

Throw money in

I have many of the recordings discussed here. Before making an A/B comparison, you should be able to hear differences between: streaming and CDs, CD and hi res. If you cannot, probably your setup won’t do a good job of comparing digital to vinyl. 
 

If want to go ahead, I suggest using the Pawnshop recordings. I don’t much like the music, it is too showy. You can find cd and hr of some Pawnshop versions on Qobuz and Tidal. And you can get a vinyl version on Amazon. Also, Paul McGowan of PS Audio did a short video on Pawnshop. 
 

Personally, I prefer vinyl; but vinyl is like a boat - a hole in the water that you throw in.

Kind of Blue is not a well recorded album.  The music is, however, beyond reproach. Perhaps my favorite jazz album.  My recommendation is Boss Tenor by Gene Ammons.  As to vinyl vs digital; I have a very high end system with both. The key is the quality of the mastering on either format. I love both formats but recommend folks on restricted budgets will get better SQ from a well chosen digital system.   

what a bizarre premise.

There are about a million variables to consider in this experiment, and since we know nothing about your system, how do we even know if you have vinyl hardware properly set up and optimized that is capable of even remotely being able to do what you want?

Not to mention the possibility that the album picked will be mastered differently for each format and that makes 1,000,001 variables.

 

Is the UHQR reissue corrected for the speed error inherent in the original tape? I’m not sure that would be a good thing. I am conditioned to the off speed version, since that day I took the bus into downtown New Haven, owing to the fact I was too young to drive, in order to buy the original in 1958. I own several of the many reissues since then, as well, one of which I think is speed corrected. I can't recall my impression of that one version, but I have a feeling it would sound too bright. There is something dark about the music which makes it irresistible and probably has something to do with its slightly erroneous pitch.

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.

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

Any of the 180g or higher LPs.

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.