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 wolf_garcia

wolf_garcia
6,764 posts
 
It is sad that a relatively archaic thing like vinyl works so well even with the digital revolution having occurred...how can all those people be enjoying well sorted analog when their iPhone is RIGHT THERE. So what if a great vinyl pressing sounds astonishing? You're never gonna get that minute back that you spent cleaning the needle and running the dust brush over the album...life is too short for all that hassle when all you get from it is music that's analogous to real sound. I get it man.
wolf_garcia
6,764 posts
 
I have maybe one Japanese CD (David Lindley's "Mister Dave," an otherwise unobtainable solo album that David won't discuss...record company politics maybe...that is simply brilliant), and it doesn't work AT ALL on my turntable, but plays perfectly in my CD player. Could that be due to the excessive roundness? Also, to say the upturn in vinyl sales and production is exaggerated simply ignores reality, and yeah, it's mostly due to young people discovering the things...new pressing plants, more vinyl everywhere...who knew? I listen to CDs AND vinyl...there is no argument really as both can sound astonishingly good.
wolf_garcia
6,764 posts
 
U-Turn audio tables are relatively popular around here with analog "newbies" as they're made in this area (Boston area), they sound great and are easy to use. They're popular in other places also, but hey...All of the esoteric heavy lifting involved with the Audiophile approach to vinyl simply confounds the general public and does nobody any good, although it keeps audio geeks entertained I suppose...I have a simple Linn I use whenever I feel like it, a good phono preamp with an outboard power supply, tubes...blah blah...but recommend U-Turn stuff to anybody who asks because it might get 'em to listen to all that great vinyl out there, and isn't that the fun part?
wolf_garcia
6,764 posts
 
I've found that a turntable is the only thing that will play my vinyl collection...you can't cram them into a CD player slot...really nothing else works. 
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