Turntable or go into SACD, Simon Yorke vs EMM Lab

Dear friend: I think that before you buy the Simon Yorke you have to compare in your audio system against your Nottingham and then you can choose: to buy the SY or to buy records. The SACD is not a good option, for the next few years the digital king it will be the CD.
Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.

Dear friends: Yes, the Meitner rig is an exellent product that " totally revitalized de CD option ", period.
But there is no way that these exellent product can beat a good analog system: the problem with the CD reproduction is their limited frecuency response, specially at high frecuencies: no CD player including the Meitner can beat the analog specifically in this frecuency range. If you have a top analog system you can find that it beats easily to the Meitner: this one can't have the openess that have the LP reproduction and the development of the harmonics in the high frecuency range that has the analog system tha's aproach the real music. It is true, through the Meitner the " digital sound " ( that many people like us can identify and that does not like because we know is digital and sound like a false music ) almost dissapear and this is a big step in the right direction.
The problem with " Meitner rig smoked the vinyl rig " that Fbhifi share with us is that his analog rig it is not at the same level than the Meitner: 1. the Manley Steelhead it is not a top phono stage ( it is only a good one ) it function through a internal step-up transformer ( to bad for the analog reproduction. If any of you needs more info please read my answers in this forum ). 2- the Graham tonearm it is not, too, a top contender. This is why the Meitner Smoke........etc.
Now, the SACD and DVD-A really solve the limitations on the CD reproduction, and both formats are a very hard competition with the analog rig, unfortunatelly any of these formats really exist in the market. I agree, that the target on the companies of digital gear is not the sound quality but only convenience and I agree, too, that unfortunatelly we audiophiles/music lovers does not count in the decisions of the comercial bussines.
But something is true: today we have more better options in analog rig: phono cartridges, tonearms, TT, etc... and is in these market where we count. So, we have to let know to the analog product companies that we need that they improve the sound quality reproduction of their products. Some of them are already doing this but not all of them. We can have what we deserve: if we accept that Mr. Manley give to the analog people step-up transformer in their products and Mr. Graham do a bad copy of a Japanese tonearm and don't say nothing about then we are not only against the music reproduction but against the live of the analog time and against our self.
Regards and always enjoy the music.
Raul.

Hi Fbhifi: Your Graham tonearm does not do a good mate with the Dynavector cartridge ( this is a top performer item ) and the " marriage " of this combo ( tonearm/cartridge ) is a critical issue in the music reproduction, the Dynavector likes a high effective mass tonearm. The other critical ( there are many more ) issue is the load impedance for the cartridge.
One of the problems with the analog combo: TT,Phono stage, Tonearm and cartridge, is to know how to do the best set-up, there are many critical issues here: VTA, SRA, VTF, antiskating, azymuth, headshell wires, load impedance, a good mate between tonearm/cartridge, no stepup transformers, etc,..., but if you have and do everything in the right way then there are no single CD player ( including the Meitner ) that can beat the LP reproduction, at least for now. SACD and DVD-A are very competitive with the LP but till now those formats don't ( really ) exist.
Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.

Dear Fbhifi: All in this life is a trade-off issue, and the trade-off in LP reproduction is the know-how that we have to have and the dedication for the analog system is always at full potential.
The quwstion is: what are we looking for ?, which trade-off we choose?.
If any one is looking for the best music reproduction then it has to go for the analog solution. You choose for the digital solution ( it is up to you ) and it is ok, but you have the analog solution in your hands and a very good one.
Regarding the 95% performance of the Meitner....., well this is your point of view and this issue is totally subjective, other people can think 98% or 90%, who has " the word ".
BTW, as I already told the Meitner rig is a big step on CD reproduction, but any CD digital product can and never will 100% because the limits of the CD digital ( native ) technology: 16 bits. Now if we think about 24 bits technology that is another history.
Regards and always enjoy the music.
Raul.

Dear friends: First tks to Dgad for give us this splendid space. Second tks Doug for your words and third a recognition to Fbhifi for his humility and maturity. I think that everyone in this thread learn many things at different levels for improve our knowledge in the music reproduction issue. Tks to everyone.
Now, Rob the today's road on RB reproduction products is: resampling, with this in mind not only the Meitner improve the sound reproduction on CD, there are other products that do the same and sound at the same level. What does this resampling? in two words: more resolution ( not more information. The info is the same: 16 bits. ). This added resolution do that the RB, now, be near the LP sound reproduction but it can't be as good or better than the analog rig ( if you put the top RB performer against a top analog system performer, this one outperform the RB. Yes, I know that in some very specials circunstances maybe the RB can sound as good of a LP, but this can be because a bad master in the LP recording but not because the RB is better, this never can be because of the technology limitations: 16 bits.
Now, the 24 bits native technology like the DVD-A ( I aggree with you Rob: the DVD-A sounds better than the SACD. I don't know why ) can be as good and can be better than the analog ( at least on theory ) because that kind of digital format not only give us more resolution but more information too, and this is the important issue.
Unfortunatelly for us music lovers/audiophiles those formats never be a reallity: There is no bussines here for the big recording companies.
So, we have to have the best we can in the analog area, it will be alive for another 100 years. I really believe it and I always do anything that I can do for support it. Yes, the RB will be alive for many many years to come and we have to support too before it happen what Rob told us.
Regards and always enjoy the music.
Raul.