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Vinyl VS Digital

After 20+ years I broke out my turn table from the 70's again.  I have been mostly listening to CD and streaming music for the last 15 years on higher end gear in a dedicated and treated home theater room.  I also have a dedicated two channel system in the same room.  

All the hype surrounding analog has prompted to me to purchase a dedicated preamp so that I could once again hook up my TT.  I also purchased an Aurlic Aries to compare.  I'm ready to upgrade my old Technics SL 1600 MK2 running a Grace Cartridge.  But I have concerns.  

I could care less about the additional hiss, crackle and Pop thats not in digital.  I think its cool to put on an album and just listen to my 30 year old small collection from when I was a teenager.    

I started doing A/B comparisons by switching between the TT and the Aries (FLAC).  I even bought new vinyl to do so.  The thing keeping me from going "All In" is the imaging.  No matter what I do with (aligning the cartridge), I cannot get the imaging to match that of digital.  Specifically, voice and instrument that stems from center stage with digital cannot be reproduced with the TT as source.  One might say the stage is wider but its too wide to point where definition is lost.  Don't get me wrong it still sounds good but is it right?  Is it my TT or is it in the recording.  Or is this the difference I am suppose to be hearing?


  
ap_wannabe

Showing 1 response by ejr1953

ejr1953
921 posts
 
ap_wannabe,

I've had a DirectStream DAC since they first came out, and one thing I've learned about digital is that the quality of the AC power makes a significant difference to the level of detail and the sound quality.

I used to have a PS Audio P10 Power Plant, and just took advantage of The Music Room's upgrade to the new P15 unit, am happy that I did.

Back in the day I had a part-time job at a recording studio and I remember the engineers mastering for vinyl, having to reduce the bass on some tracks, place the bass in both channels, reduce the dynamic range (so they wouldn't ask too much of the cutting head), and sometimes reduce the intensity of things like drum hits, so the music would "fit" on a disk.  I think I do appreciate why so many audiophiles enjoy listening to vinyl, I just find that, with the PS Audio stuff I own, that most digital (to me) sounds better.
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