Interesting thread.
As usual I feel obligated to chime in about vinyl vs CD… a phrase that osculates in the most literal sense. It’s a very black and white phrase that with a bit of irony depicts only shades of grey. Nevertheless: It’s not so much about “getting it” with regards to vinyl as it is about hearing it “when it is set up right.”
When I am developing an amplifier I only use CD because of the consistency. Also because most people listen only to CD and because as pointed out, CD’s do several things better then vinyl. The reason I don’t use vinyl during amplifier development is because it’s too easy to accidentally mess something up with the tone arm, cartridge and table. The only way to be certain what you are hearing is honest or at the full potential of your rig would be to do a serious pre flight check which can takes hours.
Having the cartridge force of by a ½ gram will destroy the magic of vinyl. (As a friend of mine recently found out in the nick of time before selling an amp that was actually better then his own)
The distance between the needle and the pivot point of the tone arm has to be perfect otherwise it will destroy the magic of vinyl.
The angles of the cartridge of which there are three, must be perfect otherwise it will destroy the magic of vinyl.
And the theme goes on – the height of the tone arm controlling the angle of the arm must be perfect and should be adjusted for each thickness of record you play.
On cheaper tables that use platter mats, the type of mat used can make or break the magic, it has to be the right mat.
The choice of cartridge design and proper matching it to the right tone arm , ie, high mass, low mass, uni-pivot etc., will make or break the magic. You can spend 6 grand on a tone arm and cartridge that don’t like each other and get better sound from a 600 dollar equivalent that is properly and synergistically matched.
The anti-skate force must be perfect, and the table must be level or the magic in vinyl will go away.
It goes on from there…
Then when you get it all perfect, you may and typically do get stuck with mediocre results that in my opinion destroy the magic of vinyl. (Due to other handicaps down stream)
To me the magic of vinyl is what it does that CD’s can not. Comparing the very best with the very best.
People who spend 10 grand (not excluding those who spend far less) learn how to set all these variables up, and learn how to hear what each variable does to the sound when it’s off in either direction. They generally have a fascination for mechanical things and an appreciation for beauty in motion. These people are unanimous in the knowledge of what vinyl does that CD can not.
FOR THE REASONS states above it is very few vinyl rigs that are set up properly to their full potential. Many are so handicapped that they really tip the scale heavily in the Vinyl vs. CD argument to digital.
The phono stage is probably as important if not more, then all of the above. This is assuming that you haven’t handicapped the phono stage with an inferior preamp, or amplifier, or both.
This IMO is why there even is an argument about which sounds better. When I have completed the development of an amplifier and it’s been in service for a healthy period of time, then I find out how good it really is by going through a pre-flight ritual on my vinyl rig and listening to records.
Regrettably this whole hi-end vinyl thing is not practical. You have to almost be a skilled watch maker type of guy to get it absolutely right. Tape was a much better alternative for mass enthusiasts and CD was a natural alternative to that - offering too many advantages to ignore. It is technically superior and inferior at the same time, and so is vinyl.
Once you spend some real money on digital it gets pretty easy to happily enjoy CD’s right along with Vinyl or even instead of vinyl.
A big reason I come off as a vinyl advocate is because a cheap and or expensive but poor sounding CD player is no comparison to a properly set up mid-fi turntable, and for sincere broke audiophiles who lust to hear how good an SET amp can sound, it’s a less expensive way to find out.
The goal of all of us should be to focus on improving digital both in sound and in value so that eventually everyone can take the digital side of the argument with no substantial opposition. I mean even I listen to digital 90 percent of the time since I have music on all day every day in the shop. I want it to sound as good as possible.
Steve