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In Reply to: So Long if not goodbye posted by jnr on April 2, 2007 at 21:52:39:
Just yesterday I had a solid 5 hour in home demonstration courtesy of a most generous Inmate from Vinyl Asylum. He bought over and set up of a wonderful turntable/arm/phonostage/cartridge system that consisted of a Kuzma Stabi Reference turntable, Triplanar Mark VII tonearm, Manley Steelhead phono stage, and Discovery Essence interconnect to the preamp. I don't recall the MC cartridge, but it goes without saying that it was comparable in quality with the rest of his $20,000+ turntable system.There is no question that the system sounded wonderful! But I believe I am on solid ground when I speak for the both of us (the Vinyl Asylum Inmate and me) in saying my digital system (in two channels) acquitted itself just as well. (I can't objectively say any more than that until I complete purchase and installation of my own system).
My point is that analog and digital systems of comparable quality don't compete, they complement. I truly believe that the Vinyl Inmate who listened with me would think I was crazy if I abandoned or subordinated in anyway my SACD system in favor of vinyl. There is so much to enjoy on both sides.
Follow Ups:
I'm surely not selling most of my SACDs. I have been shocked though how good the hard drive system and dacs sound in comparison to SACDs. I spent months thinking in AB test that my VSEI Level 5+ was as good and sometimes better than more expensive turntable setups, but once I got my set up playing in my house the vinyl just sounded more alive. Almost always there were things about SACD I liked better, rarely with redbook disc, but in the end it was vinyl that sounded more alive in my system.
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Trust I know what you mean about getting good LPs for $2 or so though. I have always been most impressed with Bill Evans recordings from yesteryears. I'm not speaking about any in remastered/audiophile form, just the regular issues in themselves are quite nice.
Although I love a good LP, most of what you find for $2 is not listenable for me due to poor condition. Good condition LPs sell for pretty high prices these days, unless you're real lucky and find somebody who just doesn't know the value of what they are selling.
I've found a lot of 2$ records that are as good as the new ones I buy. In fact so far I've found it just as likely a $2 record will be good as an expensive used on. I have had a few that were unplayable, but not many.I also have been surprised how little a few pops and a little surface noice bother me. It's like it's not part of the music, but like noise somewhere else in the room.
One other thing, cartridges make a huge difference here. The Benz Ebony L is exceptional at not picking up noise.
It's possible that we have different tolerance for surface noise. Most of my LPs are mint, bought new. Those are clean. On the used front, I am usually very picky. Too many times, something that even looks perfect ends up having a disturbing amount of wear (equals noise). OTOH, when required, I can listen around it. For example, I have a UK pressing of a Brian Eno LP, which is head and shoulders above the US pressing and I can enjoy it despite the moderate amount of crackle. But I'd be a lot happier with it if it were clean. Most of what I see cheap is essentially thrashed.
The reason I bought a $500 TT was to try some used vinyl available to me. Definitely lots of fun sifting through the used bins at Princeton Record Exchange. They do grade the LPs and I suppose they charge by that and the rarity of the LP.More often than not though, I have had good luck also with the quality of used vinyl. As far as the recording quality, one needs to know the record label though as some are much worse than others (just like CD and SACD).
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