Does Anyone Think CD is Better Than Vinyl/Analog?


I am curious to know if anyone thinks the CD format (and I suppose that could include digital altogether) sounds better than vinyl and other analog formats. Who here has gone really far down both paths and can make a valid comparison? So far, I have only gone very far down the CD path and I just keep getting blown away by what the medium is capable of! I haven’t hit a wall yet. It is extremely dependent on proper setup, synergy and source material. Once you start getting those things right, the equipment gets out of the way and it can sound more fantastic than you can imagine! It’s led me to start developing a philosophy that goes something like this: Digital IS “perfect sound forever”; it’s what we do to the signal between the surface of the CD and the speaker cone that compromises it.” 
So I suppose what I’m asking for is stories from people who have explored both mediums in depth and came to the conclusion that CD has the most potential (or vice versa - that’s helpful too). And I don’t simply mean you’ve spent a lot of money on a CD player. I mean you’ve tinkered and tweaked and done actual “research in the lab,” and came back with a deep understanding of the medium and can share those experiences with others.

In my experience, the three most important things to get right are to find a good CD player (and good rarely means most expensive in my experience) and then give it clean power. In my case, I have modified my CD player to run off battery power with DC-DC regulators. The last thing that must be done right is the preamp. It’s the difference between “sounds pretty good” and “sounds dynamic and realistic.”
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What are you in it for?

Some LPs sound better than CDs. Some CDs sound better than the same content on LPs. Can you find a clean copy of a given album on LP? Maybe. Is it a good pressing of that LP? Are there important extra tracks on the CD? Is is the best CD remastering, since CD releases can vary in quality dramatically. This is not a simple question.

If you’re in it for the music, there is a lot of great stuff on CD that was never offered on LP. Live jazz recordings for example. There are historic recordings that have been dramatically cleaned up using modern technology that either sound much better than the LP release or were never released on LP, especially classical performances. If you like opera, not only do the CDs often sound better, but that’s many fewer sides to get up and flip.

Availability is key, too. There are "ethnographic" recordings and recordings of the traditional music from around the world that offer a much richer selection on CD. If you have interest in Hindustani and Carnatic music, a CD player is a must.

When I am looking for a piece of music that was recorded in the analog days, I read up on which sounds best. Recommend Steve Hoffman’s forum.

Mind you, I keep a Victrola because some 78s will just never sound as good any other way. Listen to Ellington’s Blanton/Webster recordings or the Paul Whiteman "potato head" 78s or even early bebop in good shape on a quality gramophone- nothing like hearing horns through a horn.

Bottom line: I’m as concerned as anyone about quality of reproduction. But I am in it for the music. I go where the music is.