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Re: I always use headphones for comparisons between commercial CDs and their LP counterparts...

As a result of acoustic feedback when playing vinyl through speakers, I feel it is more accurate to make comparisons between commercial CDs and LPs using headphones, only. Therefore, I use headphones for this type of comparison and I have never failed to hear a difference.

I usually hear differences between a commercially released CD and it's vinyl counterpart. Always! I'm suprised you aren't hearing it as well. New music on CDs is often superior to the LP counterpart - but not always. I think garage, noisy and grundgy sounding rock music usually sounds better on LP and IME the CD versions of other new music are usually better produced than the vinyl releases. Occasion with new music I do consider it a wash as too which one is preferable Older music, especially pre CD-era, but even releases into the early 90s, are more often better on vinyl. These are generalizations and it's not difficult to find exceptions.

I've attribute these difference to mastering and production - not inherent difference between vinyl and CD. Often these differences are not subtle.

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Another type of comparison in which I do not hear a difference is when I copy vinyl with my Masterlink digital recorder. I can make this comparison through headphones or through speakers. Either way I hear no difference but the procedure is slightly different for each case.

For headphone comparisons, the LP must be copied with speakers turned off. For speaker comparisons, the LP must be copied with speakers playing at the same volume level at which the test will be conducted in order to capture any acoustic feedback from the speakers.

Another way to make this sort of comparison without actually copying the LP is to send its signal through the A/D and D/A converters of the Masterlink. This can be done in real time by putting the Masterlink in the record mode. Then the LP can be played and listened to through speakers or headphones while conducting A/B comparisons using the "source/tape monitor switch" on the control preamplifier.

Not surprising whatsoever! If you can't hear the differences between a commercially released CD and it's commercially released vinyl counterpart why would you expect to hear a difference when you record the vinyl to a digital format and do the comparison?

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I hope this clears up any confusion.

If anything it goes to show that there wasn't any confusion. If you think I'm confused please point it out.

There's 3 points that stand out at the moment.

1.) Why can't you hear differences between commercial release vinyl and it's commercially release counterpart? Why does you vinyl system sound identical to your CDP?

2.) There's no way I could possibly do long term listening comparisons using headphones. It's uncomfortable, and for me at least, it's a different kind of listening experience than listening to speakers. I couldn't imagine spending even a fraction of the time I spend listening wearing headphones.

I rarely a/b and only consider it important when comparing recordings on rare occasions. I've never found two components that were close enough after long listening sessions to require somekind of a/b comparison.

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Again thanks for the recordings. I've listened to 3 of them - more than a couple of times each. I'm listening to the San Francisco LTD Charlie Byrd/Ed Graham disk again right now. This has been my favorite so far. The recordings sound quite good and I've play graded the 3 vinyls from low vg+ to vg++. I consider myself a conservative grader, a vg record is a decent play copy on my scale and a vg+ is except for the anal retentives amonst us. After qualifying sellers most mint/mint ebay records arrive here in nice vg to vg+ condition and that's good enough for me. The SF LTD was doing better than the other two for awhile but it sounds like it picks up a dust ball somewhere around track 8 or 9.

I'm going to buy 2 or 3 or these on vinyl and play them back on my Roksan and record them with my Sony WTC 50. I'm going to try to document the differences between the OL Silver which I have now and the Roksan Artemiz I'm planning on getting in a couple of months.

Then if you're interested I might make some CDs to illustrate the difference between the Roksan and the Sota. I think I can hear your TT in your CDs but I'm not familiar with these recordings, so until I get the vinyl I won't know for sure.


Give me rhythm or give me death!

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