Turntable got absolutely crushed by CD


Long story short, i've just brought home a VPI classic 1 mounted with a Zu-Denon DL103 on JMW Memorial 10.5 with the appropriate heavier counterweight. Had everything dialed in..perfect azimuth, VTF, overhang, with only a slightly higher than perfect VTA. Levelling checked. All good. 

I did a comparison between the VPI and my Esoteric X03SE and it's not even close. The Esoteric completely crushes the VPI in all regards. The level of treble refinement, air, decay, soundstage depth and width, seperation, tonality, overall coherence is just a simply a league above from what I'm hearing from the VPI. The only area the VPI seems to be better at is bass weight, but not by much. 

I'm honestly quite dumbfounded here. I've always believed that analogue should be superior to digital. I know the Esoteric is a much pricier item but the VPI classic is supposed to be a very good turntable and shouldn't be a slouch either. At this point I feel like I should give up on analogue playback and invest further in digital. 

Has anyone had a similar experience comparing the best of digital to a very good analogue setup?

Equipment:
Esoteric X03SE 
VPI Classic, JMW Memorial 10.5, Zu-DL103
Accuphase C200L
Accuphase P600
AR 90 speakers

Test Record/CD:
Sarah McLachlan - Surfacing (Redbook vs MOV 180g reissue)



chadsort
and not only that but that AHEE never never said us why 5 is the rigth answer for live MUSIC instead 2x2=4.

If I talk with a tube lover or even a tube manufacturer always they told me why tubes are the rigth way to go why the 5 is the " true " but never told me any one of them why tubes is nearer to the LIVE MUSIC instead SS electronics that is the real alternative nearer/truer to the recording and the live MUSIC. SS electronics is part of the 4 answer and tube is part of the 5 answer.

Here and everywhere I posted many time supported by common sense facts and with first hand experiences in live MUSIC at near field why the 5 is totally wrong and why the 4 is the rigth answer and till today no one every where told me why I'm wrong other that " they are just sound lovers: that's what I like it ".

The 5 AHEE ha no foundations, precise foundation.

Sooner or latter LIVE MUSIC will win as is winning the digital alternative that always is growing up and minute after minute up-grading its technology, rigth now is almost a reality the 32/768 DACS where the limits of the analog alternative end years ago, exist no real grow up because there is nothing to do about but little refinements of " more of the same " but nothing through different up-grade.

Yes, I'm still an analog lover with over 7K+ LPs and at the same time I love the digital alternative.

Any one of you sound lovers can make an easy test through your 5 audio systems:

buy the 1989 Original Motion Picture Sondtrack Glory in CD and the 2000 from Gladiator CD and buy the respective LPs and then listening both in your analog rig and in any decent 24/192 CDP. Any one with the LIVE MUSIC near field experiences will know which one is nearest to.

Of course that to attest that the roo/audio system must be a true full range one with active/passive speaker " set ".

There are other examples of CD vs today LPs that like those two LPs are audiophile pressings levels. I own both and many more about.

But indeed digital is not superior from 10 years now but just almost from the begining and we can attest it through many of the digital recordings using the Soundstream PCM digital recording electronics in the Telarca LP's or the Delos or Denon labels and many more, even that in those old times the digital alternative was in the begining of its learning shape. 
At any standards many of those LP digital recordings are just outstanding.

R.



I love digital through my nuprime dac 10 or iPhone/dragonfly red/sennheiser6xx massdrops. I love analog through my nottingham space 294, Soundsmith zephyr Star, and musical surroundings Nova II.

Some albums sound better on digital. Some sound better on vinyl. I don’t see what the big deal is. There must be something wrong with me??? 

Dear @fleschler : I prefer too the 10 row for the same you like. My nearfield experiences were an " open eyes " to say the least and the greattest learning lessons in all my audio life.

So: am I throw away my LPs and analog rig?, certainly not. Because all what I posted here the anlog experiences are " appealing " when the audio system is truer/nearest to the recording.. I enjoy the analog experiences.The only system audio link that I always try to avoid is any single tube in the cartridge signal ( even that I used for many years tube electronics. ), full SS electronics is IMHO the rigth way to go till appears something better to honor the LIVE MUSIC.

I know a very well regarded cartridge designer that marketed and co-designed an all SS phono stage and knowing this gentleman I understand why.

That same gentleman was whom told me in  the cartridge MM extremely long thread that LOMC cartridges were lower in distortions than the very good MM alternative.

But in those " old times " I was really motivitaded/exited for my new MM/MI cartridge re-discovery and I said that MM was better.

Years latter I learned and he was totally rigth LOMC is way superior to the MM/MI alternative and there are several reasons about but this will be for some other thread. 

R.
@rauliruegas 
I tried my best to follow your reasoning, but had a hard time catching its essence. It's no help that I don't know what AHEE means. It almost sounds like a conspiracy to hide the audio truth from us. The X-files of the high end? Surely you are joking?

High end audio is a business like any other, subject to technological innovations as much as to fashions and trends. It's not always easy to tell which is which, because a solid frame of reference is missing and objective journalism is mostly lacking. Basically we're left to our own devices. Discussions on forums like this are our best shot at getting some useful information that can help us educate ourselves.

My own preference is still very much with analog. But I'm not in an analog bubble, so last year I decided to purchase a well regarded current model cd player to hear if much had happened in digital in the last 10 years or so. I previously owned Krell KPS 20i and Metronome T2i Signature players, which were well regarded players in their time. I enjoyed listening to them both, but always preferred my analog rig.

So in came an Esoteric K-05x. Way down from their top level of course, but still equipped with the latest generation processor and filter technology. I really wanted the Esoteric to shine, but it didn't appeal to me at all. I just couldn't shake the feeling I was listening to highly manipulated sound and not music. But many people think this is a great player, so what do I know?

Perhaps your distinction between 'sound lovers' and 'music lovers' does make some sense after all. But what is 'sound' to one person may well be 'music' to the next and vice versa. It's all subjective!


Edgewear, that's your diplomatic way of putting it, but there are clearly two distinct camps here; "sound lovers" and music lovers.