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CD getting as good as LPs - recommendations

Having bought a German Audionet Art V-2 CD-transport anda Chord DAC64, I was delighted how good CD can sound these days. I think the rigid affirmations "CDs never can sound as good as LP" no longer hold true. There's by now a lot
of excellently produced, or remastered CDs (not SACD, DVD-Audio) that, given good CD-players, sound excellent, sometimes better than the old LPs.
Good examples are a lot of remastered CDs from the EMI "Great Recordings of the Century"-series. Then, there is the XRCD-series from JVC. In Germany,even high-end-die-hard-vinyl-pope Attila Csampai was forced to admit that they sounded better than the original LPs on his state-of-the-art turntable system. I did a vinyl-CD-comparison with a vinyl-fan, and even fooled him when playing from CD. Are there goners which made the same experience? And what are your recommendations for excellently recorded, or remastered CDs that make you smile?
hassel
seandtaylor99
1,262 posts
 
I enjoy the Decca Legends series of classical remasters, but then my system is significantly lower resolution than yours, so I can't say how they sound to you.
Decca has always captured a good balance between spaciousness and imaging that I very much like for classical music.
newbee
4,751 posts
 
I really don't think in a well set up system either CD or vinyl has any great advantage over the other, just differences. However, it takes a lot of expertise to set up and maintain a turntable to get sound to equal a high quality CD system. And, ultimately it just depends which sound you prefer. They do not sound itentical. I just assume when someone rants over one or the other they really haven't spent time listening to quality reproduction from the one they are dis'ing. For me its about the music - thats it.

For high quality CD's some labels which excel in classical are: BIS, Dorian, Delos, Harmonia Mundi, Hyperion, Chandos, Ondine, Telarc, Reference Recordings, and for jazz one label to investigate is Concord Jazz.
jlamb
150 posts
 
Nonesuch, Angel, Teldec, RCA Red Seal, Sony Classics.Enjoy!!
garfish
1,840 posts
 
Hassel; I'm in agreement with your premise, and find myself in agreement with Pbb's well stated post too.

Two XRCDs that I really like are Jacintha's "Autumn Leaves" by FIM, and The Audioquest XRCD of Robert Lucas "Luke and the Locomotives", a blues-rock CD with wicked slide guitar. The Jacintha XRCD has some minor tape hiss but otherwise is excellent. Cheers. Craig
jcbtubes
400 posts
 
I guess I'll be the lone dissenter. I'm currently using Goldmund transport and DAC in about the $20K range, not counting platforms, power cords, and a short list of tweaks. Though the best redbook combo I've heard, they don't hold up to the best that vinyl can produce. I agree Newbee, it is about the music, and the medium that gets me closer to the illusion of the performance is vinyl. Does all vinyl out perform CD? Of course, not. I'm referring to the best that CD has to offer versus the best from vinyl. I certainly enjoy CD through my digital gear, but I find that I'm much more emotionally connected to the music when listening to great vinyl.

Perhaps it is the level of vinyl equipment that others and I use which has convinced us that vinyl still holds the upper hand. Maybe it is just a fondness for the ritual that surrounds vinyl playback or the personal involvement and effort that is required to extract the best from the equipment. Possibly it is all of the above. In any case, I believe that if you look around, you're likely to see that there more than a few of us who still prefer the best that vinyl has to offer. In the end, enjoy the music.
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