I’ll chime in with my first impression when I read your speakers list. Twin def tech 800’s with ML ESL’s. IMO those subs are no where near fast enough to integrate well with electrostats. They are pretty decent for HT, and maybe even with some loose sounding box speakers, but they can sound very flabby and muddled when used with planars or electrostats. I can guess your ESL panel sounds pretty good with the NAD but even the ML bass section must be a bit behind and doesn’t integrate well with the subs either which just makes matters worse. Just an educated guess as when I was looking for a fast sub with lots of control to work with some Maggie’s a while back I tried the def tech and it just didn’t work at all in my room. With vinyl it just sounded sloppy as hell. Just an fyi.
What sounds best: Vinyl or CDs
My system in an introductory level of high end music reproduction, I realize. I like music, not so much gadgetry so I am content, although I keep tweeking from time to time trying to get better sound. Martin Logan ESL mains, Def. Tech 800 subs (2), NAD C375BEE Int. Amp, Project Debut Carton turntable w/Ortofon Red cartridge, Yamaha S300 CD player (with a Rega Apollo R player on order), Niagara 1000 power conditioner. My question/concern is this: My CDs sound Sooo much better than my vinyl albums. My vinyl collection is substantial, from the '60s through the '80s, with all in great condition. But on my system CDs are more volume sensitive, with more dynamics and depth. Is this normal or am I missing something in my system? I had originally thought, "Oh well, they are 40+ years old with 40+ year old recording technology". But is there more? I have even gone to point of buying the CD if there is a particular vinyl I want to listen to frequently. Comments?