Vinyl vs CD - according to KEF

An interesting read that mirrors my experience. That is why I am still buying lp's as well as cd's. CD's sound very good but there is still just something about lp's that makes them sound more musical to me.
 
My take is, a well made LP, CD or high rez can sound pretty darn good these days, if its done right. To me it all comes down to the quality of the recording always has and it always will (garbage in, garbage out) not to mention the quality of the equipment used to play that medium at home.

Lp's well its just cool, there is something about picking up that jacket, taking the record out and dropping that needle on the table and setting back and listing to music vs using a tablet locating a song from a server and hitting play, repeat etc...I guess the CD quality of Tidal & Roon brings that closer to LP with all the performer info but !, its not mine to own and I want to own it.
 
appart from the medium it's also a recording thing.

von karajan sometimes spent 1 WEEK for the best microphone positions!

what i like about old records is, that they all sound different. and on some records, every track sounds different too. thats nice.

you put on a new record and you're suprised what sound is comming.

to me all cd's have the same kind of sound. that's pretty boring. f.e. the new adele cd - i think it hast cost a lot of money to produce, but i don't like the sound of it. all tracks have this boring kind of modern produced stuff sound. is protools to blame?

yes, i think there's something wrong in the recording studios and with recording people.

so i only buy old vinyl - because modern vinyl makes no sense to me.

i got a new turntable since 2 weeks - and since then i haven't listened to one cd anymore...
 
The bottom line for me is that the better/best digital can approach the sound of analog, but it's just not the same sound quality regardless of what people who don't own analog tell you. You can eat hamburgers from McDonalds and swear it tastes just the same as a filet mignon, but it doesn't make it the truth. There is a higher level of realism that exists with analog. DSD gets you closer to the sound of analog, but all you have to do is hit the stop button on your remote app, cue up an LP, and the reality of the situation will come crashing home very quickly.
 
I've often wondered, on a psychoacoustic level, whether the brain prefers analog because its a sine wave, whereas digital is a square wave and requires the brain to do more "work" filling in the blanks.
 
Mike said:
I've often wondered, on a psychoacoustic level, whether the brain prefers analog because its a sine wave, whereas digital is a square wave and requires the brain to do more "work" filling in the blanks.
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The digital people will tell you that once the analog sine waves have been converted by PCM into square waves and then back into sine waves at the "A" portion of the D/A converter, there is no difference. Those with a set of ears and a decent analog rig know different. Some people like twice-baked potatoes. If you are an analog first audiophile, you don't want your analog converted to digital and then converted back again to analog.
 
mep said:
The digital people will tell you that once the analog sine waves have been converted by PCM into square waves and then back into sine waves at the "A" portion of the D/A converter, there is no difference. Those with a set of ears and a decent analog rig know different. Some people like twice-baked potatoes. If you are an analog first audiophile, you don't want your analog converted to digital and then converted back again to analog.
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I'll let people more knowledgable in this area discuss it. It's just a theory I have on the "why do I prefer listening to analog vs digital". It's not to say, like you said, we can enjoy both - and I do. I just always wonder why one prefers one format over the other. And of course, unlike some, I don't subscribe to the theory that in a few years a $500 DAC will beat a $100,000 vinyl setup. It hasn't happened in 35 years, no reason why it will happen anytime soon.

There are a couple of DAC's that have really had a positive impact on my listening experiences: Lumin, Berkeley Reference and Lampizator. Of the 20+ DAC's I've had, that's not many.
 
I have a substantial investment in my entire system, including both the analog and digital front end gear. I've read some other high end system owners say that the only way to be able to enjoy your digital source is to not listen to analog. So for a couple of months I decided to try it and only listened to my digital source which includes many high-res titles in both PCM and DSD formats. I was able to enjoy my digital source and thought the system was sounding very good. Then when I decided to spin some vinyl again I was astounded by what I heard. I was immediately struck by how much more fluid the sound was, with much better textures along with a captivating sense of space and realistic decay. What I experienced was not a subtle change by any standard, it was a dramatic improvement that was an order of magnitude more realistic sounding than my digital playback. Of course with analog you do get a few pops and clicks depending upon the condition of the vinyl, but any such noise is insignificant to me compared to what I gained versus digital playback.
 
audio.bill said:
I have a substantial investment in my entire system, including both the analog and digital front end gear. I've read some other high end system owners say that the only way to be able to enjoy your digital source is to not listen to analog. So for a couple of months I decided to try it and only listened to my digital source which includes many high-res titles in both PCM and DSD formats. I was able to enjoy my digital source and thought the system was sounding very good. Then when I decided to spin some vinyl again I was astounded by what I heard. I was immediately struck by how much more fluid the sound was, with much better textures along with a captivating sense of space and realistic decay. What I experienced was not a subtle change by any standard, it was a dramatic improvement that was an order of magnitude more realistic sounding than my digital playback. Of course with analog you do get a few pops and clicks depending upon the condition of the vinyl, but any such noise is insignificant to me compared to what I gained versus digital playback.
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You have made my point Bill. I second everything you just said.
 
Mike
That was an interesting article. Thanks for posting.

I compare listening to vinyl with a colonoscopy. I put it off for as long as I can. The prep work is barely tolerable. The proper amount of sedation is important because you can only relax for about 20 minutes before you are forced to get up. When I am finished I am very hungry and thinking I will push the next one off as far into the future while listening to others say how much they enjoyed it.
 
still-one said:
Mike
That was an interesting article. Thanks for posting.

I compare listening to vinyl with a colonoscopy. I put it off for as long as I can. The prep work is barely tolerable. The proper amount of sedation is important because you can only relax for about 20 minutes before you are forced to get up. When I am finished I am very hungry and thinking I will push the next one off as far into the future while listening to others say how much they enjoyed it.
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Jim - you're not alone. I know quite a few guys who feel that way. It may sound odd, but I actually really enjoy the whole ritual because I know in the end it will be very rewarding. The good news is that we have options.
 
still-one said:
Mike
That was an interesting article. Thanks for posting.

I compare listening to vinyl with a colonoscopy. I put it off for as long as I can. The prep work is barely tolerable. The proper amount of sedation is important because you can only relax for about 20 minutes before you are forced to get up. When I am finished I am very hungry and thinking I will push the next one off as far into the future while listening to others say how much they enjoyed it.
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Yep, we all know where you stand (or should I say sit) with regards for your love of all things digital over analog. The only thing that surprises me is that you invested money into an SME 20/3 and you still feel that way. I would love to hear your analog rig to see if I understand why you feel the way you do unless it's as simple as you not wanting to move from your listening chair. If not, something is seriously amiss with your arm/table/cartridge setup and/or your PH 8 is in a serious need of new tubes.
 
If listening to analog is analogous to you getting a colonoscopy, listening to digital is like getting a root canal with no anesthetic while someone is running their fingernails down a chalkboard. :P
 
Ok, so what is considered a "decent" analog rig? Let's say under $5k. As I understand I'd need a TT (tonearm, cartridge), phono stage, a couple of power cords, phono cable, a set of IC's?
 
kzhtoo said:
Ok, so what is considered a "decent" analog rig? Let's say under $5k. As I understand I'd need a TT (tonearm, cartridge), phono stage, a couple of power cords, phono cable, a set of IC's?
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$5K MSRP or $5K package deal?

$5K MSRP:

VPI Scout - $2200
There are lots of phonostages in the under $2k category like the Musical Fidelity M1ViNL at $1199
Ortofon Quintet Black MC Cart - $999
Straight Wire Phono Cable - $200
Straight Wire Power Cable for Phonostage (you don't need a special powercord for the turntable) - $200
Money left for a shopping spree at Acoustic Sounds - $202
 
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