2. analog
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The BLISS of returning to ANALOG: my experience

I was an early adapter: I jumped into CD with the very first $1,000 players came out.
I bought all the CDs, replacing my LPs.
I lived this way for almost 20 years. No LPs.
Recently I was given the oppertunity to buya collection of LPs (over 900). They were cheap and I decided to take the leap into vinyl, even though I didn't have a TT, nor even a pre-pre to run to my line level preamp.
I found a Audio Research PH-1 and borrowed a TT.
I have been scouring the second hand stores and after about 4 months have nearly 3,000 LPs. (most not yet listened to)
I clean them, then play them.
Tonight I listened to Simon and Garfunkel Bookends and side two was a revelation. (a clean two eye copy 1E 1F markings)
CDs NEVER sound like this!!!
My Sony SACD SCD-777ES sits unused!
elizabeth

Showing 2 responses by dougdeacon

dougdeacon
3,338 posts
 
Elizabeth,

Me too! Me too! :)

We bought a CDP in 1984 and stopped buying LPs, the whole sad story. Even sadder, around 1991 we nearly stopped listening to music at home for ten years, without really knowing why.

Paid off the house last year and started upgrading like mad, new speakers, new wire, new amp, nice CDP (Arcam FMJ CD23). Pretty nice, but still not right.

Dragged the 25 year old TT out and played a few records. Hmmm, this has possibilities. Did some research here and upgraded the analog rig nearly as much as Lugnut's friend, Teres 265/OL Silver/Shelter 901. (Thanks for the help, TWL!)

Long story short, and with no disrespect to Plato, there's more than a speed bump's difference. One format plays music, one doesn't. He's right about the R2R of course. Anybody have a few spare session or master tapes they want to sell me? ;)

Ah, S&G. "Bookends" was my favorite too Tom, wonderfully intimate recordings. Lost all those discs long ago.

Classic Records just reissued "Bridge Over Troubled Waters" on 200g vinyl. A little too much studio processing on that album, but still if it's anything like the quality of their classical reissues, buy it!
dougdeacon
3,338 posts
 
Plato,

As you said, this forum is for people to exchange experiences and ideas, and all experiences are valid.

Fact: we stopped listening - literally - for ten years. Even buying a widely respected and pretty darn good CDP didn't solve the problem. Buying a TT did, emphatically.

That experience warrants this conclusion (for us), LP's are musical and CD's are not. Note I don't claim that LP's are perfect or convenient or insusceptible of improvement. I look forward to the format that will let me utter the words, "perfect sound forever" without holding my nose or stopping my ears. But that format has yet to arrive.

Perhaps your experience differs, but this is Elizabeth's thread, begun out of her joy at a discovery similar to ours. I'd like to help her celebrate. :)
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