Why analogue (vinyl) sounds better that digital

[stevieboy]

reign,

do consider throwing the old cart out and putting in a new one. a worn stylus might contribute to vinyl wear. better safe than sorry.

the health n glow brush while not harming the vinyl might induce static and hence pops and crackles. so a carbon fibre brush is first priority for you enjoy the vinyl trip!!! :clapping:

 

[stevieboy]

forgot to add ortofon has carts starting from 1.5-2k. shure is reputed too. mx 97E or something like that...

 

[reignofchaos]

Thank you for the pointers. Shall check them out. I can import pretty much any cart from websites. I don't mind spending 5-10k. BTW a friend gave me a pioneer 295T cart which was sitting with him unused for more than 10 years. I'm sure its a rebadged ortofon. Looks like one. Need to check with that too.

BTW let me put in a word about the Phono stage that viren builds - have to hand it to him that its out of the world .

 

[Asit]

ROC, how much does Viren's phono stage cost? Does he ship to other cities?
Not now, but I have plans for a phono stage some time in the future.

 

[reignofchaos]

ROC, how much does Viren's phono stage cost? Does he ship to other cities?
Not now, but I have plans for a phono stage some time in the future.

I'm not sure of the cost of the standalone phono stage. My preamp has it inbuilt and I think I paid around 5 grand over the cost of the pre without the phono. He ships to any city as you like.

 

[stevieboy]

hehe true true. viren's tube stuff is indeed good. am getting the fully tricked out one with step up transformer and he's looking at adding an external board so i can switch resistors to change the loading if i want. judging by the solid state phonostage of his, the tube one ought to be miles miles ahead!

reign if you can import any cart from the net, then that's good. step one, check out your tonearm weight and see matching carts. most match but its better to be sure.

Cartridge / Arm Matching

needledoctor.com is a good place to compare stuff.

a tip, just because you can, dont spend 10k. your arm and table might not allow the cart's full capabilities to shine through. go with what the net says on carts for your table. users have gone through the cycle so you benefit!

also get a record clamp. plenty available on ebay or the kabusa site. will help pin the record down to the platter.

regards

 

[stevieboy]

Technics SL-B2 Owners Manual, Service Manual, Schematics, Free Download | Vinyl Engine

in case you havent got it yet.

 

[reignofchaos]

Thanks a ton dude. That is really useful.

 

[stevieboy]

sorry man. apparently no manual as yet for download. saw it after i posted the link. the usual suspects for info though are vinylengine.com, theanalogdept.com, and a few others i guess

 

[reignofchaos]

sorry man. apparently no manual as yet for download. saw it after i posted the link. the usual suspects for info though are vinylengine.com, theanalogdept.com, and a few others i guess

Yup saw that after posting . I'll probably have to pay the 14.95 to get the original manual.

 

[gobble]

Here is a nice interview with the designer of a MC1000 stylus, about the shortcomings of digtal amongst other things:

Stereophile: A.J. van den Hul: Going Dutch

Regards

 

[sureshkuranjalayil]

hi reign,

analog sources heard:
1. parents old hmv player
2. second hand hmv player picked up a year back from vt bombay roadside
3. project debut III
4. what i own, project rpm 9 with sumiko blue point no 2.

digital sources
1. nad 521 cd player
2. marantz cd player mid range dont remember model
3. nad cd player with reimyo dac
4. nad cd player with wadia 12 digital dac
5. jolida tube cd player
6. chord the three piece combo that costs some few lakhs
a few others i dont remember.

across all these the sheer lifelike presence of vinyl came through. sure you could point out that the highs were not defined, some thing with the lows, midrange etc. no contesting that. its just the overall sense of well ummmm... 'thereness' of the sound i've heard each time that just got me. and that's what surprised me. how even a cheap dirty second hand record player, rather how vinyl sounds even through a cheap dirty second hand player! and while my parents hmv player might have cost a bit in those days by today's standards, record players have moved way way ahead yet vinyl on it used to sound better than higher priced cd players in the aspect i've mentioned 'lifelike presence'. i dont pretend to understand how but its there.

its like a single ended tube amp. you can point out how the low end isnt controlled as well as solid state or the highs of a single driver are rolled off compared to a full range speaker but somehow the single ended amp makes up in 'magic' and seductive sound. whether one likes it or prizes other qualities is the question i think

regards

Could you please tell me the details of the road side vendor from where you picked up this HMV Player.

Regards,
Suresh

 

[suri]

What a complete load of bull. Anyone who's read Nyquist's theorem knows that the waveform can be exactly reconstructed if the sampling frequency is high enough - i.e. twice the maximum frequency of the input signal.

I suggest you read this and be enlightened .

Nyquist??Shannon sampling theorem - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The real reason why DACs sound different and people perceive analog vinyl to be better than digital has all got to do with the engineering of the parts used in the CD players. The theory is exact and if one can design a theoretically exact system, they will get the exact reconstruction of the input signal.

hi Reignofchaos,

Today, I listened to Neil Diamond's " SWEET CAROLINE'" three different ways - cd, analog tape to cd, and vinyl.
I must say, the cd sounded lifeless/sterile, the vinyl sounded good, but the best was the cd mastered from analog tape.
what do you have to say to this? would like your inputs
regards, suri

 

[rsud_again]

hi Reignofchaos,

Today, I listened to Neil Diamond's " SWEET CAROLINE'" three different ways - cd, analog tape to cd, and vinyl.
I must say, the cd sounded lifeless/sterile, the vinyl sounded good, but the best was the cd mastered from analog tape.
what do you have to say to this? would like your inputs
regards, suri

For the vinyl I will add the comment that Neil Diamond being popular pop it is likely not carefully manufactured vinyl. Particularly if its 2nd, 3rd, 4th... (I think he sold about a billion of these ) release or reissue.

Personally, I have yet to hear a CD out do good quality vinyl. But there is a lot of bad vinyl. What was the source of the analogue tape?

 

[srikarkav]

Hi Guys,

Sorry for digging out this old thread. But i had to read this after getting in to the Vinyl land.The thread made a fascinating read.It was interesting to read the CD vs Vinyl debate for some posts.And lot of info about maintaining the vinyls.I love the passion stevie has for vinyls. He puts his soul into his words when he bats for the vinyls. I was rather taken aback that after arguing that a 1000 buck CDP can not be compared to a used TT that must have cost something,ROC has gone ahead and bought a TT.I think steve's passionate posts has made him to go for a TT.

Yes i agree with gobble. Vinyl has the attack,immediacy and presence.I know now why vinlyl lovers are ready to ignore all the pops and clicks in some plates to hear the vinyls.The mind gets trained to ignore them and concentrates on the beautiful music vinyls belt out.Even old records with mono recording sound so lively.I got an old record of mixed songs of Trichy Loganathan.When he goes 'Vaarai nee Vaarai 'with his majestic voice it was as if he was there in my room!I am sure the music is at least half a century old and the vinyl at least 30 years old.I got some English and Tamil vinyls today and will post about them soon.

Disclaimer: I still love my CDs but the vinyls fascinate me.

cheers,
sri

 

[gobble]

On the side, all this emphasis on pops and clicks from Vinyl owners intrigue me. I never heard them or rather never had to make a conscious attempt to ignore them over the music for the 15 years that I listened to a Garrard with a Shure cartridge. :indifferent14: Even after I had cleaned off fungus with alcohol swab from the Vinyls. But then I only had phoren vinyl pressings, wonder if that made a difference.

Regards

 

[srikarkav]

Well, may be you are a blessed one gobble

cheers,
sri

 

[stevieboy]

thanks srikarkav,

yes i do believe in vinyl. its also the main thing i post on cos i love vinyls and tubes. a lot i've learnt from the net and people here on the forum. i have rajiv to thank for getting a garrard 301! and i have seen people get into vinyl through my interacting with them so i guess worth posting regularly

incidentally am just bout to order some inner sleeves from sleevetown. 15% discount if anyone is interested in buying from there! BIG15 i think is the code on checkout. there's a banner too on the site.

you lucky gobble! yes having foreign pressings do help. a lot of second hand records retain some amount of crackling and pops that disappear with cleaning and die down over multiple plays. then only a really few remain. i guess i need a stat gun for after cleaning!

regards

 

[Hiten]

More people listen to vinyl more are the chances an Indian co. (HMV ???) starting vinyl production. Cant wait to get hands on fresh, mint indian classical /Film Music vinyl. :licklips:
In US vinyl sales has already surpassed 2.8 million mark in 2009,
FACTBOX: How vinyl record sales stack up | Reuters
This Co. started Mfg. vinyls in 2003 has 50% share of vinyl sales in UK
The Vinyl Factory Group

 

[prem]

Post deleted. Read the earlier post wrong.