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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 jazzmuso

jazzmuso
2 posts
 
My comments are prefaced with the usual IMHO - but here's my two cents worth (as a first time poster on this great forum)

The problems you are encountering sound like as Chayro points out sagely "phase reversal". This can be caused by incorrect cabling set-up.

As for the analog vs digital debate, it depends a lot on the quality of the vinyl. First edition pressings in good condition are usually superior to remastered efforts. Particularly with mono 60's era jazz recordings (with a good mono cartridge), you'll notice great soundstage etc. Also a lot of great records have not been re-issued, which means it's mostly analog for me. For new music which is largely digitally recorded, digital is great, and it's mostly pointless getting a digitally made album on vinyl, apart from the coolness factor.

Good luck with the cabling!


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