I seem to be in minority here, so decided to A/B. Playing Herbie Hancock Takin’ Off, both Qobuz streaming (24/192) and vinyl simultaneously.
Analog side: Hana ML to Rega Aria.
Digital side: Aurender N150 to Chord Qutest.
Both sides playing through a Rogue preamp with Siemens nickel plate NOS tubes & LSA amp to KEF R11’s.
IMHO, vinyl wins by a very small margin. Slightly more refined, smoother (less digital), slightly more dynamic. Very / very close. Close enough that the majority of my listening will be steaming, due to convenience & selection. YRMV
Records and CDs
I’ve just spent a couple of weeks exclusively going through my extensive record collection playing hardly any digital media and have come to some conclusions.
Records are fun and enjoyable to work with, but ultimately for a music lover they’re a dead end. Since very few new titles are being released on records these days I find myself going through mainly old familiar performances. Then there’s the age old problem of comparing the SQ of both media which is maddening. I just today went back to streaming (and CDs.). I clearly see, for me this is the way to continue my listening habits. Records can be used as a diversion but not the main event.
Showing 6 responses by signaforce
Interesting observation on my streamer. The N150 is a current model that sells for $3,500. Between my streamer and DAC, I spent over $5,000. My analog side was just over $4,000 & in my mind superior. So you are recommending I move to a streamer that costs $7,000+, so $9,000 digital would be better than $4,000 analog? Maybe, but IMHO we should be comparing like for like. If I then spend $9,000 on corresponding Analog (cartridge, TT, phono pre), I strongly believe the Analog would be superior, just like my current system or at any price point on a like for like comparison. IMHO. |
Thank you, good post. There are many variables. You are correct, Apple to Apple comparisons are difficult. Most of my albums are from the 60’s & 70’s. The remastered albums tend to be inferior and quality pressings can be hard to find. |