CDs Vs LPs


Just wondering how many prefer CDs over LPs  or LPs over CDs for the best sound quality. Assuming that both turntable and CDP are same high end quality. 
128x128Ag insider logo xs@2xtattooedtrackman

Showing 3 responses by ihcho

Clearly LPs over CDs.
Well then, my LP gears (phono preamp, stylus, arm, turntable) are much more expensive than my CD player, costing about $7K vs $2K.
The most expensive stylus I have had is Ortofon SPU Gold Reference, which is about the same price as the most expensive CD Player I've ever had, Arcam FMJ CD23.
I wonder if $5000+ CD player would come close to my LP gears, but so far, I have not tried any CD players that cost that much.
With Magi phono ($1000), Grado Gold ($260), Clear Audio turntable with arm ($1200), the total is under $2500 which is close to Arcam FMJ 23CD player ($2000). This setup is much less expensive than my more expensive setup (Grado 301 + Ortofon RMG 309 + SPU Gold Reference), and its sound is not as good, but still sounds noticeably better than CDs.
Again, my comparison is on well recorded HiFi LPs vs their counterpart CDs. The thing is, not all LPs are recorded really good. Most of them, especially those produced in early 70s+ are actually pretty bad, and I doubt that they are any better than CDs.
Things may differ though with SACDs and good SACD players, which I have not tried on my system yet. 
In my case, SS or tube amps don't matter much in determining which source is better. Both clearly showed LPs are far better than CDs.
I've had BAT tube power/pre amps and now have Plinius SS power/pre amps. In both cases, LPs sound much better. The cartridge does not need to cost so much. $100+ cartridges like Grado Gold, Shure M97xe would be enough to reveal the difference. I've used those, and also Denon 103R, Audio Technica 150MLX, and low output Ortofon cartridges like MC20, SL15e, and SPUs. Of course, the preamp should be good. I am using a hand built Magi phonomenal tube preamp. A phono card on BAT preamp and phono section on Plinius M16P preamp were all enough to show the better sound than CDs. 
On my mediocre amps and receivers, however, there is not much difference.
Same thing on my mediocre speakers. My Apogee Diva and Tyler Lynbrook reveal a big difference between LP and CD if paired with good amps and phono section, while there is virtually no difference on my $100~$200 speakers. 
One more thing is, the difference is only for well recorded HiFi LPs. LPs with poor recording quality does not sound any better than CDs.
Sad thing is, even some new artists produce LPs these days, but most of them don't sound any better than their CDs or streaming sound. 
I have a few albums with both CDs and LPs: among others a few of them on top of my had are LA4's Just Friends, Nora Jones' Come Away With Me, Bill Evans' Waltz for Derby, and Janos Starker's Bach cello suites. Even somebody remotely interested in audio quality can readily tell the difference of the sound in just a couple of seconds.