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 4 responses by terry9

terry9
2,243 posts
 
Cakyol:  " But NOONE can HEAR the difference "

An interesting assertion. What is your evidence?

terry9
2,243 posts
 
It depends on your taste. If you can't abide wow, which no-one with perfect pitch can, then CD is your best bet.

I don't have perfect pitch, and I don't mind wow. I can't abide the tizzy digital sound, so I listen to analogue.

But first, try a real demo with revealing music recorded on a great analogue rig. The recording that finished digital to my ears was Delibes' Lakme (Joan Sutherland), London OS26201; also available in CD.

And dialling in a cartridge isn't something that most people can do in an afternoon. Even assuming that your tonearm is stable. I took an afternoon a month for a year before I got it right, and I check it periodically. Yeah, it's a bitch.
terry9
2,243 posts
 
Well @cakyol, there is the Fourier Theorem, which states that all you have to do is analyze by sine wave. Everything follows from a sine wave analysis.

Consider a sinewave. How many samples per wave are required to push distortion below 5%? When I did the analysis, I came up with 250. All you have to do now is divide sampling rate by 250 to find the highest frequency with adequate distortion figures.

But don’t trust my analysis. Do your own. There are lots of pro and semipro math packages out there. That’s the point of math and science - when someone gives the details of his analysis, it’s out there for disproof, and I would prefer to be corrected than persist in error.
terry9
2,243 posts
 
Cakyol, that’s not the way science works. When you make an assertion, you have to back it up. "Common sense" doesn’t cut it.

When you try to change someone’s mind, you should be ready to change your own. To do otherwise is, to my mind, dishonest.
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