I have avoided entering this fray because of the more than 100 emotional posts at a previous CD/LP posting, which began harmlessly as a similar topic. I am not surprised that there are those of you who have noise problems with LP. The LP format requires extreme care in setting up to get it quiet. Many dealers who sell analog are not experienced enough to get a turntable set up perfectly, even if they had the time to come to your home. LP is never absolutely quiet, although I have lots of LP's that play completely through with as good a signal to noise ratio as a CD. For those of you who have decided that CD is your format, be happy. However, I would like for you to quit defending the CD format as an equal performer in a ultra high end system. If you are going for the ultimate in musical reproduction, it has to be analog. If price is a consideration, then digital is clearly a better value, as you can get pretty good performance for less than what a phono cartridge alone costs! Analog is lots more trouble, much more limited on new program material, and more maintenance on all the associated equipment as well. All I can say is, this should come as no real surprise. I know of nothing in high end audio that is truly superior that is not a large pain in the rear. That includes tubes being more problems than transistors, LP more problem than CD, large and expensive cables more problem than zip cord, dedicated circuits more trouble than the ordinary household outlets, room treatments more ugly and more work than leaving the room alone, and separates more hassle than receivers. I was once convinced that digital "had arrived" and pretty much gave up on LP in the mid 80's, with the promise that digital would be perfect sound forever and completely overtake analog. Since then, I have owned at least twenty combinations of digital players, converters and anti jitter devices, with my efforts leading all the way up until about 1998. I finally gave up on trying to fix the digital format, and continued to play my CD's on mid line equipment, with the accepted the loss in quality. The good news is that I can now enjoy my analog music again, and quit worrying about trying to find a CD player that will compete with it. There are members who post on Audiogon that have chosen to come and listen at my home. One was an AVID CD user and owned a top of the line two box system, valued at well over ten thousand dollars. After a trip to my home and a direct comparison against my turntable (same artist and music, his choice), he sold his digital system and bought a VPI turntable and a phono stage. As for his CD's, yes he kept them. The difference is now he plays them, on a Rotel, instead of continually being disappointed by performance that never delivered what was promised, regardless of the dollar or time invested. What we often argue about here at Audiogon is the defending of the digital format as ENJOYABLE. I have no doubt that many of you have great sound with digital. I am simply saying that if you ever heard analog correctly, in your own system, you would have a hard time ever forgetting it. If you never get used to better, its much easier to be happy where you are.
