David,
You ask a tough question. The digital vs analogue comparison is difficult because the 2 have entirely different strengths and limitations.
I've found that ease and "musicality" come quite easily for vinyl.
Digital formats tend to effortlessly and cheaply resolve details that are hard fought for in vinyl playback and attained only by higher(and costly) levels of precision.
My relative performance estimations would be that right off the line that digital has a jump on vinyl below the $500-$700 retail level(total including deck,arm,cartridge and phono stage) as turntables just don't have the precision at that pricepoint to extract enuf information from the groove with conviction and generally highlights vinyl's shortcomings.
Above that,vinyl takes a lunge ahead in musicality but still won't compete in the absolute resolution sweeps until you get to around $1.5K to $2K.I know that I would much prefer vinyl at this point but some could rightly argue the opposite depending on one's musical/sonic priorities.
I'd say that most of the better digital players will drop by the wayside as the more accomplished turntables will extend their musical edge and finally compete on equal terms in resolving powers above the $2K- $2.5K pricepoint.
I've not yet heard a digital source of any kind,any format and at any price that would consistantly better a well set up turntable package in the $3.5K-$5K plus range.
You ask a tough question. The digital vs analogue comparison is difficult because the 2 have entirely different strengths and limitations.
I've found that ease and "musicality" come quite easily for vinyl.
Digital formats tend to effortlessly and cheaply resolve details that are hard fought for in vinyl playback and attained only by higher(and costly) levels of precision.
My relative performance estimations would be that right off the line that digital has a jump on vinyl below the $500-$700 retail level(total including deck,arm,cartridge and phono stage) as turntables just don't have the precision at that pricepoint to extract enuf information from the groove with conviction and generally highlights vinyl's shortcomings.
Above that,vinyl takes a lunge ahead in musicality but still won't compete in the absolute resolution sweeps until you get to around $1.5K to $2K.I know that I would much prefer vinyl at this point but some could rightly argue the opposite depending on one's musical/sonic priorities.
I'd say that most of the better digital players will drop by the wayside as the more accomplished turntables will extend their musical edge and finally compete on equal terms in resolving powers above the $2K- $2.5K pricepoint.
I've not yet heard a digital source of any kind,any format and at any price that would consistantly better a well set up turntable package in the $3.5K-$5K plus range.