Volume levels
I don’t know if it’s just me, but I find that I have to boost the volume levels more when I play records softly than when I listen to digital softly. I find that at low levels, records do not equal the intensity that low levels on digital do even if they emit the same number of decibels. I find that I’m forced to listen to analog more loudly to achieve the same measure of SQ.
How about you?
+1 @snilf
Digital has a wider dynamic range than analog. This was one of the selling points of the format 40 years ago. I suspect that the OP is more signal to noise related. Even the best analog is going to have some noise in the background, due to the contact of the stylus with the record grooves. Low level instrumental detail, particularly in Classical Music, is harder to hear because of the competition from background noise, therefore requiring a boost in volume. |
+1 @audphile1
I did the same a few years ago. I then decided to buy a direct drive turntable, because I had always lusted after one back in the day and it was a bucket list thing. I’ve limited my lp purchases to vintage lps that were never issued digitally or are not currently available. I listen to Classical Music exclusively and so most of these are Nonesuch or Vox/Turnabout labels. One nice benefit of buying digitally unavailable recordings is that I am not tempted to waste time comparing digital vs analog. I only have about 15 lps at present, as I am not looking to build a big catalog here in what should be my downsizing days. The Direct Drive table is great for fixing speed instability, and while it won’t approach digital for absence of background noise, it is awfully quiet. And I am again enjoying a few favorite artists from my past, such as the pioneering conductor Karl Ristenpart. One of the regular posters in the analog forum here criticized me for seeking a “digital sound” in turntables. To which I replied “Bring it on”.
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