Does anyone have a digital system that is as involving as their analogue front end?
I have a good analogue front end. Not stratuspherically good but good enough for this comparison. VPI Prime Signature 21 turntable, Pass Labs XP-25 pono preamp, Pass Labs XP-30 preamp and Hovland Radia amp. It has a lovely, very involving sound. On the right recording, I just drop everythng and am drawn in to listen.
My streamer, on the other hand, is decent but not spectacular. It is better than my CD player, but it is not jaw-dropping like my analogue front-end. My question is this: does anyone have a high-end, tier-one streamer (dCS Bartok Apex, Lumin X2, or something like them) that can rival a good analogue system?
- ...
- 314 posts total
I have been doing a lot of research on vinyl albums. Although some people eschew chatgpt, it is a good resource to ask about albums, pressings, etc. One important thing I learned is that pretty much everything recorded after 1980 was digital. Most album reissues from pre 1980 have also been stored digitally, and you will hear that digital sound through your analogue rig. A number of good jazz albums, such as Bill Evans "Waltz for Debbie," were pressed from the original tapes, but you must look for that on the album cover. I purchased Roberta Flack's "Quiet Fire" reissue and it sounds great. "First Take," on the other hand was digitally based, and I could hear it. I like that album a lot so I found a copy that was analogue based. Buying good sounding albums now takes a bit of research. There are, however, some digitally stored albums that do sound good, if the people who engineered and pressed it were careful. I ask chatgpt. More fun for audiophiles! Everyone else thinks I'm crazy, including my wife. |
Consider if you will...the two formats can just be different representations of musical content. I use a dCS Bartok and have top all tube, class A, amplification from Conrad-Johnson. Table is a Rega Planar 10 with their very good cart. Wilson speakers. Listen primarily to Jazz. Just this morning I was comparing my main tube amplifier with a Pass Labs Class A amp. The digital was great and the analog good but not as much. What's wrong here? What I realized later in the day is that I listen to Qobuz and Roon streams for different musical aspects than My LPs. The digital world allows their recordings to emphasize the unique sounds of very low base, electronic sound effects, super shimmering highs, specifically placed instruments, deep soundstage... all attention getters for your ears. A well recorded LP has a realistic and comfortable quality that digital doesn't. If you are used to one, the other sounds a bit contrived or not quite right. One other aspect to consider. System set up. If I were into my analog world as I am the digital, my speaker placement would change as I would not be chasing stage debth, fine detail and those unique sounds anymore. But... it's all good and the music is great. |
audio-b-dog OPI did not realize the process of making vinyl albums and what goes into it, even the different types of vinyl material: Standard PVC, Recycled PVC, Bio-Vinyl...then you get into lacquer cutting or Direct Metal Mastering (DMM), each giving their own nuance and influence on the sound = warm/full vs clean/precise. a good/short read on the process: |
- 314 posts total