The muddy waters of Analogue vs. digital today

@smodking1 

I wonder if I do need very high end digital equipment to come to some conclusions. On my Moon 280D streamer, granted the low end of the high end, I can hear a wide set of variations between various recordings. For now, let's say that Patricia Barber's "Clique" is the best and Dido's "No Angel" the worst. These are recordings I know.

Granted that a very expensive DAC and Streamer  would sound much better. But would it be able to make "No Angel" sound as good as "Clique." I doubt it. I think a recording at lower resolution, especially one recorded for a mass audience rather than, audiophiles as Dido was done. Patricia Barber, I think, was recorded for audiophiles. So, on certain recordings, at least, vinyl would sound better than digital.

The problem is to be able to compare apples to apples. A number of years ago I used the "Getz/Gilberto" SACD to compare to the album, which was mastered from the original master tape. It was the only album on which my friend could hear the difference. Ironically, I, who was trying to convince him that vinyl was better, could not hear the difference. I was playing the SACD on my McCormack UDP-1 which had the benefit of not enhancing sound in any part of the sound spectrum. I heard a Moon CD player from the same period that really exaggerated the midrange.

I would be curious if anyone could really set up an apples to apples comparison. I am assuming that you have high-end digital equipment. Do you have a decent analogue front end to compare the same recording? Can somebody else do an apples to apples comparison? Otherwise we're just going off the seat of our pants.

I wrote a lengthy piece in this thread about a comparison of the orginal 1969 Roberta Flack "First Take" and a digitally mastered vinyl recording. Each has its own benefits, but I will play the original 1969 record because it feels like a group recorded in a studio. The digitally mastered one feels like various instruments enhaanced and put together on a recording. It's not quite home for me.

I have Nakamichi 682ZX with custom transformer in top condition and use only Maxell Metal Vertex cassettes, the best there are. No heat or sun or moisture anywhere near them. Some of those cassettes have been played hundreds of times and they keep going like Energizer Bunny, seemingly forever. I bought the deck used 25 years ago, made recordings to play in a car too, though not Vertex cassettes, regular Maxell and TDK metal and type II cassettes. I send the Nakamichi to Willy Hermann for service and rare repairs about every three years. In fact, it is there in California at the moment. Capstan motor finally needs replacement, probably after 20000 hours. Heads are still with minimal wear, I take care of them. And I use $1500 RCA cables with it, don't tell anyone or I will be ridiculed.

@audphile1 

" I was recently looking for Sonny Rollins “Saxophone Colossus” and man they’re crazy expensive. Then Acoustic Sounds released it in mono as part of their Analog Productions series."

Yes, the Mono Prestige 25 Series and the Stereo 25 Series is awesome as well. Max Roach and Tommy Flannigan are the perfect complement and Moritat, an awesome instrumental of Mack the Knife! I don’t think any other drummer in existence quite has the technique and impact as Max Roach!

@tomic601 

"You should get a Music Matters or three."

I managed to collect 96 of them starting with the Final Thirteen Series and got hooked. After several years of enjoying them, Joe Harley announced on another forum that he had been hoarding more than a hundred complete sets that he was about to dump into the marketplace and with all the marketing and pricing shenanigans that he and Ron Rambach had been up to with the series all that time I decided to dump my collection while the going was good and made over five figures on them. 

Since then, I’ve been replacing my favorite titles as they’ve been released as Blue Note Classics with Kevin Grey’s mastering and pressed at Optimal. I honestly think they’re superior to the MMJs which were only good at best (to many cooks during the production and mastering process except for the Final Thirteen) and the Classics are only 28 bucks! 

and a couple of RVG simultaneous mono and stereo works… not exactly a single variable analysis but very illuminating imo ymmv

From 1958 on, Blue Note recorded everything in stereo and folded them down to mono for the masses. Many Blue Note titles had never been heard in stereo until recently.

@faustuss Well then your assessment of MM is exactly consistent w muddy waters.. it all depends on.. I do value experience over repeating things I am thinking this conversation forms excellent basis for 3 LP shootout… MM vs Reissue Classis vs Tone Poet… probably have to wait for Spring for me  aside my MM collection doesn’t even number 13 as I was fortunate to pick them up at local shop which doesn’t mark stock to market…. 
best in music to you !!!!

To be transparent, I’m also in the camp of RVG as mortal….