Vinyl playback - lack of bass?

RB, after acknowledging my egregious error in saying that RBCD has a 22Hz cutoff , I went on to say that nevertheless RBCD seems to cut off unnaturally below some very low frequency. This is only how it sounds to me; not a fact of anyone else’s listening experience. I prefer the low bass reproduction of a good vinyl setup. That means the right recording with the right cartridge (I always have 5 different cartridges in play) on any of 5 TT s. I agree with your sentiment about repeating incorrect information. Ironically more than half the time I post in order to correct or clarify someone else’s erroneous claim and for the same reason you state: so that wrong ideas don’t imbed themselves. So for the second time, mea culpa.

I haven’t “confused” anything. I was referencing early production cdp’s. I thought I said that. Also, of course the term “brick wall” is a metaphor for very steep slope. I probably was remiss in not acknowledging that SACD and DSD ameliorated the problem. But I still hear an unnatural abrupt cutoff of extreme low bass with physical discrete CDs. For whatever reason.

Research doesn’t support me. I was wrong apparently about the low frequency limit built into RBCDs, but I still hear a less natural extreme low frequency response with RBCDs. I have to re-read some 1970s literature to remember why.

bbarten, To answer what I think was a question, yes, the RIAA curve is the industry standard for recording and reproducing music on vinyl.  All modern phono stages to be used with magnetic cartridges contain an inverse RIAA filter in the signal path. You would not like to listen to the output of a magnetic cartridge through a simple amplification stage. The filter in a phono stage boosts the input bass frequencies and progressively attenuates higher frequencies to achieve a flat output response, so it probably is not the prime cause of an unsatisfactory bass response.

From Wiki: "The RIAA curve is an equalization standard used for vinyl records, where low frequencies are reduced and high frequencies are boosted during recording, and the opposite occurs during playback. This process improves sound quality, allows for longer recording times, and reduces noise from the record itself."

Attenuating the bass frequencies during recording permits the bass content to take up less space on the LP and makes it easier to track during playback, among other things.

Because digital has a brick wall filter at around 22Hz, the response stops dead at the frequency.  Harry Pearson first noticed that at least early CDPs lacked what he called "downward dynamic range", perhaps because of the filter effect.  After HP brought it up, I cannot avoid hearing the effect of which he speaks.  Yes, digital goes very low until it doesn't.  This is not what happens in live music in any real world venue. I cannot get away from the fact that I hear what he was talking about.

If anything, I always thought that Rega's design philosophy, ultra light weight minimalist construction with emphasis on rigidity and structural strength, might possibly result in a slightly reticent bass response. No matter what is the cause, even if it is nothing but audiophilia, it would be difficult to ferret out. I do not agree that the difference is purely the difference between analog and digital.  The best analog bass response can be superior to digital in terms of tonal richness, differentiation of instruments, and sense of depth.