Got a New CD Player and Now I'm Bummed

Thanks folks. I'm certainly not in any rush however the superiority of my digital front end over my analogue is quite clear and unlikely to change over time. As to the location of the turntable--it is really the best set up I've ever had (and I've tried most of them). If you look closely you will see that the Target shelf passes through the back panel of the entertainment center. It is bolted to a piece of 5/8 birch ply that is screwed to wall studs. The table is literally floating within the entertainment center, immune from footfalls and airborne vibration generated by the speakers. Also, I've replaced the MDF shelf on the Target with a Symposium Svelte Shelf. All in all, this is the best isolation I've ever achieved and has the added benefit of being out of harms way to boot.

I just feel that while the Scout is a good player and an excellent value for money, there must be vinyl rigs out there that will fit into my space and outperform the Scout in a meaningful way. Perhaps I'm wrong here but I've always operated under the assumption (untested really) that the best vinyl playback will outperform the best digital playback. Now that I've upped the ante on the digital side it would only make sense that I will need to spend a comparable sum to get similar performance out of my LP's. Actually, let me put that as a question--do you think at this point in time one needs to spend less, the same or more on a vinyl rig to get the same level of performance out of digital? In other words and speaking generally, if my CDP retails for around $8K, do I need to spend about that much to approximate the sound of my Esoteric? Or does the inherent supremacy of vinyl mean I can spend half as much to get similar quality sound? (Or for those who may tout the superiority of digital, do I need to spend half again as much to get the similar quality sound?

I'm very curious as to where people are with this. I've always accepted as an article of faith that, all things being equal, vinyl will outperform digital. But the degree to which the Esoteric spanks the Scout (granted, at four times the price) I'm not so sure anymore.

BTW, I've run A-B tests here with a number of recordings in which I have both LP and CD format. Several of the LP's are quality (audiophile) issues such as MOFI's, etc. These were put up against standard Redbook CD's in the shootout.

I appreciate the comments and suggestions. I agree that an upgrade of the preamp and/or cartridge are logical steps but wonder whether either will provide the jump in performance necessary to meet what I am getting from the Esoteric.

On another note, I'd like someone to please explain why my turntable set up is limiting the performance of my Scout. In my 25 years with at least 6 or 7 different tables and as many support stands (Target rack, Arcici Lead Balloon, platform hanging from ceiling, ETC) this set up is clearly the best in terms of isolating the table from airborne and table induced vibrations as well as foot falls. Please read my description above, look at the photo (ask a question or two if you like) and offer a rationale for why this doesn't work as well as I think it does. To just say "it's too high" or it is a "definite liability" or "not ideal" isn't much help or very persuasive.

This is exactly what I suspected--that the critical posters did not fully understand exactly how my table arrangement works. I will copy below what I wrote in this thread:

"If you look closely you will see that the Target shelf passes through the back panel of the entertainment center. It is bolted to a piece of 5/8 birch ply that is screwed to wall studs. The table is literally floating within the entertainment center, immune from footfalls and airborne vibration generated by the speakers. Also, I've replaced the MDF shelf on the Target with a Symposium Svelte Shelf".

I know it is hard to see this in the photo posted with my system--I purposely made it look as though the Target shelf is bolted to the back of the cabinet by sandwiching the cutout piece between the wall and the Target shelf. To reiterate--the Target shelf passes through a hole in the rear of the cabinet and bolts directly to a 5/8" piece of birch plywood, which is buried in the wall and screwed into the wall studs. I can literally hang all 225 pounds of me on the end of the shelf and it doesn't budge. As to surrounding the table on all sides (except the front) this actually prevents airborne vibration from getting to the table. Again, this arrangement is the best I've been able to engineer and, if I can add, is the envy of every one of my audiophile/analogue buddies. I say this only to reinforce the point that the Scout is getting the best possible support and yet still falls short of the performance of my digital setup.

I think Kirkus and ET have raised an issue worth discussing--the orthodoxy within the audiophile community about the superiority of vinyl. I will admit, I have been preaching this gospel for a good long while. However, it seems plausible to me that improvements in digital recording and playback have now given digital the edge. There are still good reasons to have an analogue set up but superior sound quality may not be one of them. Again, I haven't had the opportunity to listen and compare similarly priced vinyl and CD players at the upper end of the market but it is clear to me that my Scout cannot keep up with the Esoteric in nearly every major point of comparison. I wonder whether the whole "analogue rules" movement is based more on dated perceptions of digitals flaws and nostalgia than how these formats compare in their current iterations.

Doug:

Thanks for your thoughtful and well reasoned response. I think you are right on the mark. I feel that while the Scout may be a good table at it's price point it simply cannot compete with a top shelf digital player like the Esoteric, no matter how it is situated. I do think that the responses here suggest a real reluctance on the part of the audiophile community to recognize the gains that have been made in digital playback. It seems most people focused their comments on what must be wrong with my LP setup--otherwise, how could it possibly be bested by a CD player? Again, I've been drinking that Kool Aid for a long while myself. When I got my Naim CDX2 it was an eye opener. In some respects it surpassed my Scout in performance, though overall I'd rate them equally capable components. The Esoteric has moved things to a whole other level, to the point where I am not convinced that any upgrade to the Scout will allow it to compete. This is why I started this thread--to get some opinions on another analogue setup that will work in my situation and will provide performance at (or above) the level of my digital front end. Doug--you have indicated that none of the tables I mentioned will do this--do you have any others in mind that will? Once I upgrade the table I can look at changes to my preamp and phonostage that will allow me to take full advantage of my vinyl rig.

Thanks everyone for giving me some things to consider. I really appreciate the advice and will take a look at some of the turntables you all have mentioned. I think I'll begin there and then explore a preamp/phono preamp to replace the SP16. To respond to the question posed by Dre j, here is how I would describe the difference between my Scout and the Esoteric:

The Scout sounds muddled, slow, recessed, veiled and lacking resolution compared to the Esoteric. When comparing the same recording going from vinyl to CD there is a huge difference. The Esoteric is so much more revealing, involving and dynamic. The bass is much more weighty and the treble has way more air, speed and delicacy. About the only thing I can say about the Scout is that recordings that tend to be bright or edgy come across more pleasant and listenable than on the Esoteric, which really brings out the worst in a bad recording.

All in all I find myself gravitating to my CD collection (which is much smaller) and listening less to my LP's.

I agree that comparing $8K and $2K front ends is not really fair and that is why I feel the need to invest similarly in a new turntable. To bring it back to where I began this thread, given the potential of CD's and vinyl records, how much should I plan to spend to get equivalent sound from my records that I am getting from my Esoteric?

BTW, I am fine with the discussion veering off to the pros and cons of various turntable designs--very helpful indeed. Thanks for asking.