2. analog
  3. 140184-113812

Turntable got absolutely crushed by CD

Long story short, i've just brought home a VPI classic 1 mounted with a Zu-Denon DL103 on JMW Memorial 10.5 with the appropriate heavier counterweight. Had everything dialed in..perfect azimuth, VTF, overhang, with only a slightly higher than perfect VTA. Levelling checked. All good. 

I did a comparison between the VPI and my Esoteric X03SE and it's not even close. The Esoteric completely crushes the VPI in all regards. The level of treble refinement, air, decay, soundstage depth and width, seperation, tonality, overall coherence is just a simply a league above from what I'm hearing from the VPI. The only area the VPI seems to be better at is bass weight, but not by much. 

I'm honestly quite dumbfounded here. I've always believed that analogue should be superior to digital. I know the Esoteric is a much pricier item but the VPI classic is supposed to be a very good turntable and shouldn't be a slouch either. At this point I feel like I should give up on analogue playback and invest further in digital. 

Has anyone had a similar experience comparing the best of digital to a very good analogue setup?

Equipment:
Esoteric X03SE 
VPI Classic, JMW Memorial 10.5, Zu-DL103
Accuphase C200L
Accuphase P600
AR 90 speakers

Test Record/CD:
Sarah McLachlan - Surfacing (Redbook vs MOV 180g reissue)



chadsort

Showing 3 responses by imgoodwithtools

imgoodwithtools
236 posts
 
I know I'm about a year late on this thread, but only recently have I had an experience to contribute. 

I've been all digital for over 30 years. I decided to buy an entry level turntable just to plug it in the system to see how it would compare. I bought a used Shinola Runwell table and mounted an Ortofon 2M black cartridge on it. I hooked it to my preamp with Cardas Clear interconnects. 

Results? Clicks and pops and surface noise. But the musical reproduction was shockingly close to my $35K digital CD rig. For 10% the cost. 

Now I am unclear how to proceed toward better sound. I do have a great SACD player, and Yes, SACD is slightly better than state-of-the-art CD, to my ears.
I am limited in the titles I own in both vinyl and SACD, so an investment in software is a given, no matter which way I choose.

So, can I get better sound investing into a high res digital system? Aurender comes to mind, doing digital downloads. Or $35K into a vinyl system? Turntable, arm, cartridge, and phono preamp.
imgoodwithtools
236 posts
 
As far as CD digital goes, I have a Berkeley Audio Design Reference 3 DAC fed by a PS Audio Directstream transport through a Synergistic Research Galileo AES/EBU cable. I have a T+A PDP 3000 HV for SACD play. The Berkeley rig surpasses the T+A for CD, IMO.

If I was to pursue high res downloads, one option would be to consider an Aurender product to feed my Berkeley DAC.
imgoodwithtools
236 posts
 
I appreciate your input, Audio Doctor.

I do have some digital flexibility here with both the T+A and the Berkeley. How much mainstream recorded music is available at DSD 256 or 512?  I bought the T+A strictly as a SACD player, but recognize its other abilities. 

I bought the Berkeley strictly based upon audition from CD sources. It's the best I've heard thus far. And I suspect MQA will become more readily available, better or not.

Is there a music server available that will do DSD 512 and MQA, something I could feed Both DACs with?
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