It's funny how records are still best.

Hi Chuck,

I am very curious about hybrids but admit that I don't know much about them. Is this only cd/sacd? In all fairness, Sony is only part of my issue with sacd. I did get burned by the Betamax thing years ago and then there was my brief excursion into quadraphonics. OH, the horror! Blue-ray makes me cringe just thinking about it and I haven't experienced it at all, yet. Upon reflection I believe that I suffer from "early adopter syndrome". This hasn't paralized me 'cuz I bit into HDTV a few years ago. Glad that investment is starting to pay off! I chose an analog tube HD set based on picture quality. Don't know what that means except that video is an area where digitalization is an improvement. But it ain't worked for displays. High-end plasmas may be the exception, but they still suffer from motion artifacts.

Back OT, I can sympathize with the noise issue. I suppose that since I grew up with vinyl I learned a long time ago how to listen passed the occasional ticks. But then again, that is why I believe that I have always been more anal about playback than most people I know. I can easily tolerate some noise between tracks but it does make me squirm in my chair abit when it happens during a critical piece of a song. Looking over my vinyl collection it is no wonder I have several copies of some LP's. But when it's right, wow! That distortion you mention on loud passages makes me want ot try adjusting VTA,VTF, better tracking tonearm or cartridge. See! I'm ill with it!

Yea, vinyl is not a perfect format and it does take alot of fussing and tweaking. But I've always been into hands-on kind of hobbies. So to echo the cliche for others that might be following along, if you're willing to put in the effort it can be very rewarding.

Thanks,

Dan

The real answer to the cd/vinyl debate is BOTH - depending on the date. Much of my early 50's jazz collection is still unavailable on cd or if it is, it's often a crapy remastering. Even the best don't compare to the original LP's IMHO - at least not on my system. Some cd remasters of early jazz also suffer from deterioration in the master tape. On the other hand, most jazz after the early 80's is not available on LP, or if it is, there is likely a digital stage somewhere along the line in the mastering so you might as well just have the cd.
I find most cd's made from music recorded in the past 10 years to be quite musically enjoyable and would not wish to have an LP version. CD's of music recorded in the pre-cd era does not hold my interest like the LP.
As for the pops and clicks everyone complains about - clean your records properly and don't buy crapy old LP's and this will never be an issue. I have hundreds of records from as early as the late 40's which have barely any decernable noise but awesome sound!

Dan

The hybrid disc contain both an SACD layer and a redbook layer. This allows the disc to be played on a standard cd player and an SACD player. Obviously the standard player will only play the redbook layer.

I don't see the vinyl versus cd really being a debate at all both formats offer positives and negatives. And I agree when vinyl is done right it is wonderful just as tube electronics still sounds wonderfull. I will say as a mechanical engineer I can appreciate the beauty of some turntables which in the end may cause me to take the plunge. My friends Micheal is a thing of beauty. And just like you I also enjoy some of the hands on aspects of this hobby and cd's just don't lend themselves to this kind of intimacy. I have a audio shop fairly near me that is heavy into analog (vinyl)so it would be easy for me to get into it and have support for it. Anyways good luck and enjoy the music.

Chuck

at the time records were the norm, there were a lot of great pieces to choose from, both performance-wise and sound-wise.
at some future point, record-making got cheap and dirty, and the poor quality became obvious even to the average consumer. then along comes the cd, without all of the problems inherent in bad pressings--hurray!... of course, the cd didn't sound all that great for a long time. now they sound better, but the cd catalog will never compare to the variety and quality of vinyl in its golden days. so, with all of the software issues at large, it seems imperitive to have a decent cdp and record player, and build a collection of material, some dig, some analog, that gets your toe tapping. the choice of software is by far the most important ingredient in the mix. and if you really have golden ears, a great performance will keep you listening for hours even if it sounds mediocre, because great art is not diminished by thd or jitter or surface noise.

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French Fries, Nice post....one of the most reasonable posts I've seen on one of these Vinyl vs CD's threads.
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I see and have the need to have both Vinyl and CD's (and I do have both).
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In my system, on most of my records, I have not have pops or clicks. When I listen to the same recording on Vinyl that also is out on CD, the Vinyl has been significantly better 100 % of the time for me and anyone that has ever visited (audiophiles and rookies).
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Do I listen to CD's; yes, but I listen to Vinyl 95 % of the time because it is much more involving and more enjoyable with more detail and better sound staging.
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My system is quite resolving on both the Vinyl and CD side. My sense is that if you think CD’s are better, it might be because you have not heard a well set up Vinyl system playing clean LP’s that are well recorded.
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I can listen all day to Records, but CD’s wear me out in somewhere between and 1 ½ - 2 hours and then I am drained.
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If you think CD’s are better, do yourself a favor and seek out a chance to listen to a great Vinyl system and see how you feel afterwards. If you don’t have the time or mentality to do the work needed for LP’s, enjoy your CD’s.
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Rgds,
Larry
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