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
508 responses Add your response
wlutke
725 posts
 
I'm skeptical when I hear a cartridge is aligned perfectly in all parameters.  I read this post as azimuth parallel to the record, mid VTF,  VTA is admittedly off and, since no break-in is mentioned, a used - maybe very used - lower end cart.  The main bearing could have a flat spot increasing the noise floor.  On top of that VPI regularly sends out a table with the P2S way off, meaning the supplied jig will produce improper overhang.  The quality of the integral phono pre is suspect too.
Yes, digital is much easier and takes less devotion.  You're in the trenches with analog.
noromance's avatar
noromance
9,769 posts
 
And then there is the phono amp...


brf
1,715 posts
 
If you bought the table combination used, the cartridge could be worn out. I could never get the Denon 103 to sound good on a VPI arm. 
photon46
1,082 posts
 
+1 to above comments. Some people love the DL103 and its various iterations but to my ears they're far from the best. 
jperry
2,448 posts
 
Great CD player v. Ok record with mediocre cartridge mounted on mediocre arm. Tough to predict that outcome
analogluvr
859 posts
 
Music on vinyl recordings are hit and miss as well.  I’m not familiar with that particular one but some of them are not great. It all starts with the recording 
onhwy61's avatar
onhwy61
5,217 posts
 
Use a true analog recording for your comparison.  "Surfacing" was recorded digitally.  Your Esoteric could still win, but at least it will be a fair contest.
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,788 posts
 

Just one opinion here, but you asked for them, right? The Esoteric X03SE is an unusually good CD/SACD player, your cartridge merely good; a better cartridge would improve the sound of your LP’s. A cartridge is like a loudspeaker, a transducer. Both greatly determine your system's abilities to accurately reproduce vocal and instrumental timbres, one of the most important aspects of music, imo, and of a hi-fi system's jobs.

Speaking of LP's, how many do you have? How are you going to play them if you "give up on analogue playback"? By "give up", do you mean sell your table? And what, get rid of your LP's? How much does the music they contain mean to you? Why do you have so much more invested in your digital player than in your table? Do you have a lot more CD's than LP's? Were you thinking of building up an LP library? Time to think long-term!

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