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 1 response by whoopycat

whoopycat
170 posts
 
This thread has turned into a Roseanne Rosannadanna skit:

"Dear Chad,
Sorry to hear about your experience with vinyl.  Unfortunately your cartridge sucks, your tonearm sucks, your phono stage is trash, your vinyl sucks, you haven't warmed up your system, you haven't broken in your system, you need to adjust VTA by ear with every record, you haven't turned down your refrigerator, your cat is sitting too close to the turntable, you're a lousy lover and your breath smells.
Sincerely,
Roseanne Rosannadanna"

The best suggestion I've seen is the lack of loading options on the phono stage.  I've used the Zu Denon on a phono stage with variable loading and it is definitely a salt to taste thing.

That said, I once built my analog rig to outshine my digital, and then turned around and did the reverse, so I wouldn't sweat it too much if you prefer your digital setup.  Nothing wrong with good digital either.  Hang in there Chad!
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