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I prefer analog if it was recorded that way. If the music was recorded digitally then I prefer digital via CD. I use streaming only for music discovery and when I find something I like I purchase the physical medical....either CD, Vinyl or both.

Hi Jay, I don't know if this has already been said in the comments, but the biggest factor (not the only one) is that vinyl is mastered differently than digital. Oftentimes (not always) more care has to be taken when cutting a vinyl pressing to avoid skipping or needle jumps - counter-intuitively by limiting the bass and treble response on vinyl, a lot more attention is paid to the dynamic range of a recording by the mastering engineer. This often translates to a more meticulously prepared cut vs. digital where it's a bit easier to cap the limits and call it a day. The other side of the mastering equation is a vinyl mastering engineer knows the record won't be played over earpods or in a car where clipping or noise floor (passages being too quiet for car enjoyment) is a concern. This frees them up to allow for more quieter passages which opens up the dynamic range considerably. Digital recordings have the POTENTIAL to blow vinyl away in terms of dynamics, but it often isn't allowed to for reasons related to the audience and studio preferences. It's a shame, but the mass market in a sense is responsible for diluting the quality of digital mastering. To sum it up, because vinyl is inherently limited in dynamic range and limited to how it'll be listened to, the mastering is more carefully done and this often translates to much better dynamics even though on paper it shouldn't. Edit: I should also mention that this is why the hardcore vinyl community pays A LOT of attention to which mastering engineer did which recording. People like Kevin Gray and Bernie Grundman are often mentioned right along side the artists when it comes to certain vinyl pressings.

I'm an old guy. I grew up with vinyl, first. Then came 8-track tape, cassette tape, reel-to-reel, then CD. After CD, came SACD, DVD Audio and other hi-rez discs. As an experienced audiophile, I fully understand why so many people still and always will love vinyl and CD. Me, personally, I gave up vinyl, CD and everything else and opted to stream exclusively. Why? The sound quality of streamed music done-right is absolutely wonderful, and it's way more convenient. Just that simple. At this juncture in life, I have no time to fiddle around with vinyl or discs and such. To lazy, lol. When steaming music, I never feel like I'm missing out on much of anything. I no longer even think about vinyl or CD anymore as I'm totally enamored and content with the sound quality of my audio rig when streaming music. And yes, I'm still "VIBING" and connecting with the music when streaming, even when switching from track to track, which is a major part of the attraction, intrigue and beauty of streaming and having all that music at your fingertips in the first place. Ain't technology grand. Happy listening!!!

Imho, physical media requires a ritual to play. Streaming not so. And so, as you said, one skips from track to track when streaming rather than taking the time to fully engage with the music. We live in a fast-paced world, constantly bombarded by competing stimuli. For me, listening to music is a way to turn off my "monkey brain", slow down, and appreciate some beauty.

Vinyl is a medium that shouldn't work but does. With the right synergy between arm, cartridge and turntable: magic happens.

Congratulations, and welcome to the analog club. I just have to say that the whole setup with the dedicated rack is beyond super cool. And yes, you said things I never thought I’d hear you say. My Linn Sondek dates back to 1986, and has turned into a lifetime purchase. Digital is obviously much more convenient for comparing amplifiers or cables, but analog rules for just enjoying the music.

Brilliant video Jay, your best to date , I concur 100% with your findings

The finishing statement about trying to "fix" a digital recording was a great conclusion to the video. Recently started watching your vids and you definitely have a unique chanel bringing to the table a perspective that most of us can't grasp on our own because of the type of gear you role with and experience you have. Enjoyed hearing your thoughts on the subject!

Wow Jay. Just wow! You hit it out of the park with this video. You expressed exactly what makes vinyl so special. I feel sacd is the best digital can sound but the selection is so limited. Your thoughts and statements were so spot on. Thanks for taking the time to put this together.

My vinyl rig smashes my digital set up.Mostly exactly as you have described.Can't beat the convenience of digital but when I want to really listen to the music,vinly rules! So much more easier to listen to.Very organic.

Thank you Jay. Your observations are completely valid as it pertains to your particular selection of vinyl (Rumours, Legend, and Zeppelin). They were originally recorded in analog master tapes, even if your vinyl albums were pressed from dsd files they are superior to PCM transfers commonly used in streaming format). Your digital stream were very likely PCM transfer files, not the superior DSD transfers that were released on hybrid SACD, dvd audio twenty years or so ago. The reason Adele 30 is the same in both vinyl and streaming is due to the fact that they are both were recorded in a digital process, and the same source is used in both. This is the well known fact: analog recording on reel to reel master tapes from the 50s through the 70s are the best sounding format period. Dsd files, SACD and dvd audio of original analog recordings are the closest facsimile. CD and Hybrid-sacd physical media follows, and trailing at the rear are streamed files.

One of your best videos. Hurray SAE! Thank you for your honesty.

At the end of the day, they are just different. Two separate worlds occupying the same impulse - two ways of dancing, if you like. Both accomplish the same thing but with a contrasting value system. Perception is the heartrate of ambiguity. Sometimes Vanilla tastes better than Chocolate, and vice versa. Great video. Extremely well articulated. Great presentation. Take care, Jay.

And you're absolutely right! Turntable does not win on all recordings. Very true. Comes down to recording and mastering. We Analog guys don't hate digital. Cd's sound fantastic. Digital can sound great. It's good to see digital guys getting into vinyl, as well, and stopping all the hate. No reason to argue. It's all about the music and whatever you enjoy. Cool man.

If I was just to go off of sound alone I like my vinyl setup more but it cost twice the price of my digital. We use the digital a lot more but when we use the vinyl i feel more engaged.

A $300 cartridge with the Kronos is like hooking up the MSB with a coat hanger. 😁

I think this was your best video to date. I also had come to your conclusion on your preference a long time ago: Sometimes digital, more than sometimes vinyl even though vinyl can be a pain in the ass. (I’ve been through the expensive cartridge damaging too). But playing records is so far beyond nostalgia. It is seriously engaged pleasurable listening. I had a first generation CD player and I thought it horrible way back then in 80’s. It was the newest thing and it sucked. I traded it for a gun after a couple of months of trying to be convinced. Now I’m really happy that digital has come such a long way. I can now really enjoy it next to vinyl and you don’t have to spend 120k or anywhere close for a good DAC. But you do have make a relatively serious spend on a good turntable with proper set up. A Close and Play bought from Best Buy won’t work. Again on your presentation I thought you were quite honest especially in regard to most of us tweaking gear to fix digital. Well said and well done.

As an analog listener for decades, I appreciated this video. Your honesty is refreshing. Very cool to see you play with your gear and give an honest review on your experiences. I actually can't believe you liked that copy of Zeppelin ii. Almost makes me want to send you some amazing vinyl for your review and enjoyment. Very cool to see an honest reviewer as opposed to guys who just promote whatever they sell. I support channels like this and am subscribing to your channel. It's all about the music. Good video. Nice reviews of amazing gear. Good for you!

Jay fantastic observations. First I really appreciate your honesty about the mishap with the cartridge. You're human like the rest of us. Dude you nailed it about what makes vinyl so appealing. It sounds more natural (my words) and real to life. Digital sounds to pristine and a bit artificial, and that's not how we hear in real life. Classical music comes off very very good on digital, but rock and vocals, vinyl all day long. Please try to get some of the original pressings if you can. The new stuff is good? but some of the first pressing are pretty killer.

Jay, I've been waiting for this! You are saying what I felt all along for the last 40+ years on the difference. When the CD format first came out a lot of people swore that the CD was better. Using a cheap player vs a cheap turntable/cartridge, I heard the same difference that you are hearing at this much higher level. [Vinyl depth]! Vinyl lives on...

"Vinyl is about discovering records." Amen.

Hi Jay, really lovely to hear you talk about enjoying the music. This is what it is all about in the end if we are to persist in this game and not to get frustrated and bored with chasing gear but never enjoying what the gear is for. We do need to listen to a whole song and not jump around if we are to appreciate the artists work. The better gear reveals the intimacy of the artists work as if they are performing in your room just for you so is well worthwhile. Even a live concert cannot give you that intimacy when sitting down the back of a theatre that say a beryllium tweeter can give you in your own room. The only thing we have found is that not every monetary upgrade is an improvement in our enjoyment of the music so A-B ing is very important. Every good Hi-fi upgrade just cleans that glass a little more that we look through with our ears. When I was a teenage there was no digital and I remember the constant disappointment of buying an LP which came scratched before it was ever played or a favourite LP that quickly deteriorated with a few plays. We suspected CD's were the poor cousin to vinyl but that lovely quietness with no scratches, hiss etc was a wonderful trade off and I gave all my records away and will never buy another one. I also suspect some CD's can sound better than Qobuz at times but again Qobuz is such a great useable platform and sounds life-like enough to enjoy the music. Kind regards from New Zealand

Well done some of your best work. Growing up vinyl, it made one listen to an entire side. Getting up to replay a song gets old. Thus giving other tunes time to grow on you. Nothing beats digital when it comes to replaying a track. Which leads to never fully experiencing an entire LP. Sometimes it takes a while for a piece to hit you. Another point, most of the older recordings were laid down together in one room. As we moved into the 90’s or there about, it became the norm to record songs in fragments, then send pieces to an engineer to combine as one to varying degrees of success. Typically the latter never comes close to sounding great, losing depth etc. I don’t know the recording but it may be why Adele sounds alike.

I never forget the first time I listened to a vinyl in my friend house, he had an avid turntable with dynavector 10x5 cartridge, he played dire straits you and your friend song WoW, that feeling can't be explained, you got to live it.

Spot on analysis as to why I prefer vinyl to digital - With vinyl, I'm listening to the music where with digital, I'm listening to my hi-fi. I've tried multiple times to do go all digital for convenience sake, but I ALWAYS return to vinyl because I simply get more enjoyment out of my hi-fi that way. As a fan of 50s and 60s jazz, digital simply doesn't give me that "in the room" experience that vinyl does. If you think about anything produced before 1985, it was engineered and mastered specifically to be put on vinyl and will almost always be better on vinyl (with a few exceptions where a good engineer has properly re-mastered it for digital). Most modern recordings are engineered and mastered in all digital where the vinyl is usually an afterthought, so you will get superior digital performance for those - again with exceptions where a good engineer masters it for vinyl. It's really hard to find recordings where equal attention and care has been paid to both playback mediums.

I listen to both vinyl and digital. My vinyl rig (top spec Linn Sondek LP12 with Zesto tube phonostage) costs 4 times more than my digital streamer (Lumin U1). I don't bother messing around with the turntable. I just let the dealer set it up, and use it as is. I did demo a much more expensive streaming DAC but found that the difference wasn't worth the cost to me. My pre-amp is digital (with room correction/speaker adaptation, 4 way active cross-over, with 4 pairs of output DAC modules) so I always have digital (and tubes) in the signal path. When it comes to modern music (e.g. Hans Zimmer Dune, etc), I am very happy with digital. The recordings are great. I have no desire to buy vinyl for new stuff. However, for the older stuff (eg. 70's, 80's, 90's), vinyl is much better. It's more alive and rhythmic than digital. Listen to Michael Jackson original release on vinyl and it sounds great. Listen to in on streaming digital and it sounds dull and lifeless. I have also found that I prefer to buy very good quality used records from the 70's and 80's than the 2000's new re-releases. I think that a lot of modern music may be formulaic. A lot of the old stuff can be pretty interesting, and there is a lot of it. I tend to listen more to vinyl than digital. I find that I listen to a greater variety of music on vinyl, as I tend to work through my vinyl collection. With digital, I have set up my favorites and tend to play the same things, depending on feel. I may do exploration on digital to look for something interest, which may be old or new. While I do use an ultrasonic cleaner on my LPs, I only do it once, and store the records in anti-static sleeves. I don't bother using a record brush. There is generally very little way of dust on the LPs (after ultrasonic cleaning) so I just let the stylus do the cleaning. I will say that the rhythmic nature is also due to the Zesto Andros Deluxe tube phono-stage paired with Cardas Clear cables. However, the turntable needs to be rhythmic in the first place. I did prefer the sound through Cardas Clear over the Clear Beyond cables.

wow. Jay i have listened to so many people, experts try to explain the difference between the two, and yours comes out on top with greater dynamics and understanding. Forgive the pun.

Recently Suncoast Audio did an A/B/C shootout between digital streaming, vinyl(we called this albums back in the day), and reel to reel. I picked the reel to reel as the best, Digital streaming next, and vinyl last. I recognized the crackle of the vinyl immediately and became annoyed. Reel to reel had more thickness and depth than vinyl without all of the noise. Both vinyl and reel to reel are too inconvenient for me... Even with streaming I listen to the entire track before moving on because, I thought of it in my mind, so I then want to hear it all. I have never in my life cut off a track to move to another, as that would cause some level of stress instead of relaxation, lol. I am really enjoying my tube gear with Qobuz streaming. I think tube gear has a similar feel of analog sources.

I've been an audiophile/reader /listner since the day's of Stereo Review/Audio etc. And have heard some great loudspeaker such as Fulton J's/ Koss Model A's/ Infinity Servo Statiks/ Ohm Model A's and original Quad's demonstrated to me at the late Mike Kay's audio/salon Lyrics in East Manhattan where I also heard the proverbial absolute sound demonstrated in 77/78 in their large room in a system consisting of Maggie's Tympani D's/ Audio Research D150 amp/SP3 pre/ Linn Sondek turntable/mc. Cable 's etc. who really knew back then ??? What I heard and learned that day was the importance of source (for the first time I heard a record with zero noise when cartridge was lowered, suddenly music immerged!!! the record's I had brought were diabolical and Mr. Kay let me know it !!! So an all analog rig back then without all the "bells and whistles"...go figure.

Man, you nailed ALL of that. I roll with both vinyl and digital, which one I choose depends on how I intend on listening. If I know I have time and want the best audiophile experience possible I will go with vinyl. I treat it like sitting down and watching a movie. Full commitment. If I want to explore and fiddle around with music I will go digital for the exact reason you said because I tend to jump around and not focus. And to your point about what vinyl taught you about "fixing" the music by continuous gear tweaking.....I realized before I started going too crazy that you have to spend waaay more to get digital to sound as good as solid yet cheaper analog gear. Great video!

You get it 100% Jay and imo one of your best videos yet. I also love both formats and use both daily. One other thing when you were talking about how songs sounded different on the same album, check the pressing, if you had that pressing of Fleetwood Mac Rumours From Analog Productions (pressed at Palis) all of the songs are consistent and sound much better than any other.

I kinda knew the moment you got a turntable you'd be hooked. Digital is great, I love Tidal through Roon but it never really engages me, I find myself using it for music discovery, but when I find something I love I buy it on vinyl. Two pieces of advice Jay,: get a record cleaning machine, I'd recommend the Degritter, cleaning your records especially ultrasonically is like having a massive upgrade to your entire system and buy a few all analogue audiophile pressings, they don't have to be expensive $40 or $50 each and compare them to digital, you will really enjoy the contrast. Good luck and have fun.

I like both formats, but you really need to set aside time to play vinyl so you can emotionally engage with the recordings, and the digital is great for convenience since you could quickly skip to the next cue.

So grateful that you found your way, experientially, to this conclusion! When I met my wife she had 1,500 albums; she says I married her for her records! Then we got a great system. We compare an SACD recording vs the original pressing LP far more realistic & engaging on LP; not a .0001 difference either. We ALWAYS listen to entire album. Imagine putting on an album such as Sinatra at the Sands a 70 year old piece of vinyl & they are all in front of you; we are with the Count Basie Band we are there!

Good to hear you enjoying your table. For me I like vinyl better I just make me listen to the music Instead of skipping the songs. I still buy cd and stream but for me vinyl is the winner.

Speaking as a die-hard analog guy it's really impossible to separate the differences in mastering from the differences in the two formats. Vinyl also has an additional step, the cutting process, another opportunity (good or bad) to alter the sound. Does the vinyl sound better because it's inherently better or does it sound better because the mastering is better, or the digital was brick walled to sound good on a car stereo (which happens far too often). The UK plum of that Led Zeppelin 2 album sounds amazing compared to everything else I've heard (haven't heard a RL hot pressing), but that's arguably the mastering and not the medium. And don't forget that with a vinyl playback system you've added a second transducer (the stylus) to the picture. But you are 110% right about the different listening habits. When I sit down to listen to a record I play the album I don't play songs. Even 12" singles get listened to all the way through. It really does change the experience.

I would have bet money that you would have agreed with your friend Mikey when he said recently that if you were serious about your music you should go digital. I agree with you totally. Both formats have their strengths and weaknesses. I would say that if you are serious about your music you should do both. My complements to you, Jay, for your honesty.

I love the convenience of streaming, but I believe ultimate sound quality can only be achieved with analog playback. It is a bit of work, but it is worth it.

Vinyl isn’t a hassle. It’s an art. I have an MSL Signature Platinum (11k) and an Airtight Opus 1 (16K) on carts an our TT. Unless it was originally a digital recording, the TT is simply better than digital. The sound is more natural. Better bass, better dimensionality... Digital gets me to 98% of my TT, but that extra 2% is very special and worth the price of a TT. Amazingly you have a 40k TT that’s sounded better than a 120k DAC. That’s says it all IMO.

Jay, glad you finally got to enjoy Vinyl! Now please do yourself a favor and try to experience Reel to Reel 😁

Your best video! Also one of the best on KZfaq regarding this hobby, ever. You came at it from a place of honesty and truth. I value your opinion on this matter highly. I always kind of had a preconceived notion that many who thought vinyl was superior was just guys romanticizing their past. Kind of like old radio stories where your mind fills in the blanks and makes the story even better than it is. Don't get me wrong, I grew up with vinyl too. I won't say one is better than the other, for me, they are just different experiences. I do play whole albums thru Roon. I read about the artist while listening. Roon has greatly expanded its info on artists now. You are really making me want to spend more time with my vinyl. What's left of it. My son commandeered a good portion of my collection.

I enjoyed the video Jay. You make a great point that there are some albums that are identical on vinyl and digital, some that sound better digitally due to bad pressings or poor mastering to vinyl, but I do have some records that I've compared to hi-res digital where the vinyl just destroys the digital source. One of my reference LP's to demonstrate this is Fiona Apple's last album, "Fetch the Bolt Cutters." The rich instrumentation on that album, natural sounds (dog barking) and various percussion instruments, and especially the upright bass and drum sounds are WAY WAY WAY better on vinyl. This for me is reason enough to own a turntable. It's true that vinyl really encourages the listener to engage with the album with more investment and attention. We hear the album as a concept as the artist intended and get a sense of what that period in their creative life was all about; it's a whole picture and experience. Digital is fun too; hopping around and making playlists. Different flavors for different days. Thanks for the video. Really enjoyed it!

Jay a humble thanks for the shout out man! It has been both a thrill and a genuine pleasure to be a part of your analog journey 🙏🏻 One small detail I would like to clarify is that the NOS vintage SAE 1000E moving coil loaner I installed on your Kronos turntable I picked up recently for the princely sum of *$99.95* (!) - not $300 dollars - which is still quite shocking when you wrap your head around it. But you and I both heard what we heard when I first installed it. What we experienced was still absolutely insane! (remember Michael Hedges' Aerial Boundaries?) Ha! In any event, soon enough we will be doing this again when I come over to reinstall and dial in the rebuilt My Sonic Lab Signature Gold! All my best, Oz Let There Be Sound, L.L.C.

Great one. My feelings about vinyl are the same.

My man great video ..as I crack open the stones mono and listen to every album thru and thru !

The mixed results from different LPs are mainly when LPs are from digital or analogue masters. The Adele LP was digitally recorded so there is little difference. To get the best from LPs, try to obtain AAA. The Adele LP was a DDA pressing.

Thank you Jay for this video, I love your take on this! To me, it is also about experience. Selecting a record, carefully putting it on the platter and hear that first bump when the needle drops is such a nice experience! On the other hand digital, and especially when streaming, I rediscover music that I've not heard in a very long time. Which is also a very pleasant experience! I will always keep both in my setup.

I love vinyl! And it can sound better but like you said it depends on the pressing and another thing is if the album is mastered digitally it's going to be a draw. If it's an analog mastered album then hands down vinyl will be the winner. Appreciate the honesty knowing you were hard-core digital for so long! Good stuff!👍💯

Awesome and honest review , thanks Jay.

CD done well beats both vinyl and streaming!😃

I have been buying vinyl since the 70s and CDs since they first came out. What I do is enjoy both and don't compare them to each other. Both sound good on my system. At this stage of the game I will never be a streamer. Now, if I was just starting out these days I would probably be a streamer. I view vinyl as a commitment.

I agree wholeheartedly with your comments re: streaming and constantly jumping to the next track. That is why I continue to purchase and listen to entire albums and avoid signing up for a streaming service.

Aren't epiphanies fun Jay? Nice job. You nailed it. 👏 Keep growing, keep going. Btw, I think the word you were looking for to describe digital is "mechanical". And yes , both formats are great. One just sounds more "organic" (most of the time-vinyl) than the other. And yes, there is crappy vinyl and crappy digital. And let's not forget how important it is to have clean production value. Without that, either format sucks. Again, nice presentation Jay.

Brilliant one, Jay!

Give us your take on the 300 USD cartridge vs the other one.

With classical music, definitely digital as this genre benefits from the advantages of digital. With every other genre, especially analogue recordings, vinyl is in a different class. Unfortunately, Jay compared streaming when CD can sound better even if still not as good as vinyl. Really excellent video that left Jay just as unsure or frustrated as most people as to which format is better. He certainly made the right decision not to get bogged down with the technicalities of turntables.

Some new records are digitally recorded, and not analog as all older records are.🙏

Now let's go further back & try an elite tapedeck like Nakamichi etc.. ? 🤔✌

I connect with vinyl records more, but I use cd's, audio cassettes, making mixed tapes , I just try to enjoy the music

I have always preferred Analogue, Vinyl is my weekend music, I can sit down and listen to full albums for a few hours. During the week I listen to CDs mainly. A little more convenient. Great video Jay

When I want to listen to my system I will use digital, but when I want to listen to and really get into the music it’s vinyl every time (as long as I have it on vinyl).

I’m 100% digital but agree with you about dynamics from vinyl. You with your 100K DAC and all power and networking improvements that you have , basically can’t get any better in digital making same conclusion. Some argue that digital has better dynamic range , maybe on paper it does but to me it’s opposite. What I don’t get is , at shows vendors play digital while vinyl just sits collecting dust. J to be honest I think you should have got R2R instead with proper tape it should be another level up from TT plus you don’t have to worry about braking stylus.

I got an idea. Why not buy one of these over $100 new Super-Fi audiophile re-release lps, and play it every night for about a week with the SAE cartridge, really paying attention to the sound each time. Then when the more expensive damaged cartridge comes back, play the standard mass market version of that same lp. If it sounds better than the audiophile lp, then there's more difference between the expensive and cheap cartridge than there is between the standard and audiophile pressing lp. If the audiophile lp sounds like it has better fidelity, even though it's played by the cheap cartridge, that could mean there's a whole sh*tload of improvement between these expensive audiophile pressings and the regular standard pressing. That would be very interesting. It would be like vintage Ali vs. Frazier to many audiophiles. I know I'd be on the edge of my seat as to what would win. What's going on with audiophiles is this. Most can't afford even anywhere near $5,000 speakers. The ones who could, many of them are buying these expensive audiophile pressings instead. They've heard early cd players, they've heard and owned cheap and ill chosen cd players, and they just "know" analog vinyl has better sound. Some of them, (not all of them) feel exclusive and special because they have vinyl while most people are stuck playing their silver discs; cds. They think vinyl is the only way to get the kind of sound quality they have. They look down on people who are only able to afford, what in their mind, is the lowly cd. They have never heard a really good cd player. $100 to $150 a record is not out of reach for them; but a $9,000 cd player might be. Even at that price, your choice of cd playback equipment has got to be a good one. Then there are the kind that say "I got a $25,000 cd player, so it aint my player". "I know vinyl is better." But a company with a designer who isn't all that good; can slap a 25k price tag on a cd player. Some designer who is far beyond the first designer, in skill, understanding, know how and judgement can start his own company and slap only a $2,000 price tag on his cd player, which sounds far better than the megabuck player. So there are people out there with really great cd playback equipment that didn't cost them a fortune, and they just have to sit back and laugh at all these vinyl people going to such great lengths and trouble to find just the right pressing, and often just the right vintage pressing, which often is rare as all get out, & expensive, under the belief that vinyl is superior. Superior to this unbelievably great cd playback many non-vinyl people enjoy each night. The digital people think to themselves that this whole vinyl merry go round, at least in audiophile circles, revolves around your average lp collector never having heard a great cd player, and being totally ignorant of the exceptionally good digital equipment that is out there. Cd playback can have spatiality galore; streaming probably won't. Streaming isn't the last word in presence or spatiality. But then again, neither was FM. I do like streaming better than FM, but it's common knowledge that playing a cd with good equipment is superior to streaming it. Someone mentioned that vinyl playback has even order distortion, which can be pleasant and cds have odd order distortions which can be harsh. Sounds like someone who doesn't have very good digital equipment. Those of us who do, know that we don't hear any distortions of any kind on competently recorded material, and yes we have good warmth too. It was always the players, not the compact discs themselves. Cds are wonderful.

great video....and thanks for pointing out about skipping around tracks on digital...I thought it was just me!!

It seems crazy that dragging a small stone through a soft plastic groove can provide you w/ a more texturally rich and spacious listening experience than most of the best digital front ends. Vinyl is fragile, expensive and variable in quality, in short it's often a real pain in the ass to optimize turntable playback. If you manage to do it, you are in danger of falling into not just a rabbit hole, but a massive abyss.

I prefer both like you. It is really tough to take a turntable to your buddy's place. My iPad travels really easily.

I enjoy both but prefer vinyl for critical listening and sharing the experience with friends. And part of the experience is feeling, touching and reading the album covers front to back and whatever is placed inside the sleeves. A lot of the artwork is just amazing.

I'm glad you enjoyed your vinyl records. Yeah, you have a beautiful system. I enjoy the cheap system I have, love my record collection , yeah it sucks that recording quality is all over the place,

Let me see if I can help you sort things out. You seem puzzled. Know that I'm an engineer, I have never worked in this industry so I have noting to sell, no dog is this battle. I've listened to and enjoyed phonograph records all of my life. I've enjoyed CDs for over 30 years, so let's try to sort this out. There are two things to compare, the relative merits of the technologies and the preference for recordings. They are two entirely different issues. The only digital technology I know about is compact discs. I don't know anything about streaming. I've also analyzed the claims of HD and MQA digital technologies and I'll tell you right off the bat IMO as an engineer both are frauds. First the technologies. They all have the same functional purpose, to store and retrieve or store, retrieve and transmit an electrical signal that is supposed to be an analog of music. It's not a very good analog but why is an entirely different discussion. Their goal is to meet the requirements of the least noise and distortion, adequate dynamic range, adequate frequency range, and adequate resolution which is the difference between one sound level and the next being smaller than a human ear can hear. In this regard, the digital compact disc RBCD for Red Book Compact Disc technology blows all analog technologies away. By every measure it is far more capable than the best analog systems at any price. Among engineers there is no dispute. Look, my major in engineering school was electrical engineering in an analog world. I had my own reasons for instinctively disliking the notion of digital technology at first but it had nothing to do with performance. The idea that music could be reduced to a series of numbers bothered me terribly. But I got used to it. In my professional life both analog and digital technologies have their place. RBCD has belt and suspenders redundancies beyond belief. It is one of the few achievements in audio technology that had me in awe of the engineers who developed it especially in light of the technology at the time they did it. Does that mean you will like CDs better than phonograph records? Not necessarily. The first thing to know is that you are not listening to the same recordings. The skill in mastering vinyl phonograph records is an art because the recording and mastering engineers had to overcome the limitations of the technology. For example, RBCD has a dynamic range of between 1000 and 10,000 times a vinyl phonograph record. Stereo separation is at least 10,000 times greater. Vinyl phonograph bass has to be monophonic due to limitations of the ability of phonograph cartridges to track the groove. What you hear as more punch has to do with a difference in the frequency spectrum distribution difference. Use a graphic equalizer on your digital and you will with developing skill be able to close the gap. Another difference is dynamic compression used in vinyl. The soft parts are louder and the loud parts are softer. At the end of each musical phrase the gain is automatically increased making the reverberation louder. This is why you hear more space. The master tapes made in the 1960s and 1970s sat around in cans for decades deteriorating between the time they were used to cut records and the time they were turned into CDs. The frequency response of your digital player is dead flat. Your phonograph cartridge isn't It may have a boost in the treble. Get an inexpensive CD recorder/player, make a recording of your phonograph record on a CD and play it back, then compare. I'll bet you'll find them a lot closer. What can RBCD do that vinyl can't? It has over 64,000 loudness levels over a 96 db range. It can reliably switch between any two of them in 1/44,100 of a second, 10 percent faster than a human ear can theoretically hear (half of a 22.5 khz frequency. It reads every track at least 6 times looking for errors and trying to correct them. It has flat frequency response from 20 hz to 20 khz. The music on the disc is only one small part of what's on it. And with reasonable care they never wear out. You can play one 10,000 times and it will still sound exactly the same as a brand new duplicate that has never been played. So the CD digital technology is far superior but the recordings may not be. The manipulations producing vinyl records requires that engineers have to compromise what you'd call accuracy that are actually an asset on the types of sound systems we use that make them sound better than the more technically perfect CDs. I hope this helps dispel some of your confusion. BTW, on one of my better sound systems I compared a CD with a vinyl and they sounded identical. It's this one. www.amazon.com/Water-Music-Impressionists-Carol-Rosenberger/dp/B003E113OO Now you are not going to like the equipment it was played on but they sound fine to me. The vinyl was played on an Empire 698 turntable with a Shure V15 Type V MR and the disc was played on a 192 khz Toshiba DVD player. The differences in sound between most audio components is due to differences in frequency response. You can change that with an equalizer. I recommend using a 10 band. 5 is too few and 27, 30, or even 15 is too complicated. You should try it. You will learn a lot about sound and hearing if you do, even if you don't like the results. It takes a long time and a lot of patience to become skillful at using it.

Trully amazing review, 👌👍👌👍👌...you are right Jay, with streaming we are keep changing the track....

I agree with you. From day one when CD was introduced, I already said vinyl is more spacious, warmer, and more body. There are great digital recordings though. I own a 25 years old CD player that was $800. I played it no more than 100 hrs. I have a nice vinyl setup that I still enjoy everyday.

Hello Jay, have you ever tried in your system a high-quality CD transport playing high-quality copies of cd discs {maybe with the same artists as your vinyl] connected to your DAC ?? if not you should try that, you will be surprised.

I totally agree on the looks/design of the vinyl player. Just amazing! i even get it regarding the difference in your lissening experience. But where does this experience come from. Because it is most likely that the Master is the same digital DSD master for the digital and vinyl product. On the digital side you have the Streaming and the CD. Regarding Streaming you have different components to think of. The Service (Qobuz, Tidal etc.), the external Network, The Fiber Converter, The Router, the switched or linear Power supplies, the ethernet cables, the Streamer, the DAC, the Interconnects, etc. Vinyl lovers are really tuning all parts in the chain to gain maximum pleasure, but are the digital guys really going all the way? I am not pro or contra in any direction, i just try to understand if there is more than just "pleasing distortion" which makes the difference?

I understand your point about skipping songs with digital, it’s why I now search for new music by searching albums/new albums. I’ll play the whole album and take the best songs onto a dedicated playlist, but also save the whole album if it’s good overall. I now play more albums than I ever did and I’ve found so much more enjoyment from that with my digital music. When I find an album I like I’ve started to order it on CD, to build my physical media library for the day streaming stalls.

Excellent video. Pretty much matches my experience. However, I wouldn't say that analog (in contrast to digital) reveals "what is really on the recording" but rather I would say that more often than not it seems to better transmit the "message" one imagines the artist probably intended to transmit. Certainly, we don't know what any individual artist really intended, but vinyl just sounds more human in so many ways that it gives the strong impression that it sounds as intended. Ultimately, it's just a much more rewarding and life changing experience than digital. Still, I remain a digital devotee purely based on convenience and also spend a lot of money trying to make my digital sound more vinyl-esque -- which admittedly is both costly and ridiculous.

Excellent review and analysis Jay. I really liked your drill downs and nuanced evaluation of both sides. Well done!. Just as an aside I'd love to hear you do this comparison with a pair of Maggie LRS+ panels... I bet there would be an even wider gap.

I've tried to go digital, for convenience, but came back to vinyl. Only use my DAC to discover music on tidal and when I do find something I like, I try not to listen to it to much so I can have, the something new experience, on vinyl.

Depth and spaciousness, two of the terms I've used for decades to describe the difference. I've taken a bunch of crap for it. Digital has a more perfect sound, analog is a more real sound, you decide what that means. Sitting back and listening, analog makes me feel more comfortable, digital a little uncomfortable, go figure. You don't even need that level of a turntable. As long as it turns the correct speed, has no rumble noise etc. is well isolated, a good arm and cartridge you'll get it. As with all audio you hit the point of diminishing returns quickly. There's only a finite amount of musical info in any format, at a point changes in gear sound different not necc. better, but because we become accustom. to the sound, seem like it's better.

The best table i own was Kondo Audio Note Ginga

Congrats on the video, very honest. I have a very unbalanced system, A USd1500 Rega P· with a USD750 Hana SL cart, a UDS1000 preamp with a USD7000 Linn streamer/DAC, speakers are Wilson Audio Sabrina X. The DAC on the Linn is very good, but the humble Rega/Hana combo engages me with the music on a different level.

Over the past 3 months I have upgraded almost every aspect of my analog rig, table, arm, phono stage, and preamp. The analog is better in most every way when compared to my digital.

Remember Jay that there are many different masterings out there. It's important to speak of which release of both the vinyl and the digital version you're listening to. For example, when you compared the Led Zeppelin II on the vinyl, which digital mastering did you use? The sound of the CD version from 1990 will be quite different from that of the 2014 HDTracks release. Dynamic range which you did not mention is different from each of those and likewise, the vinyl release will also vary depending on which you bought. There is no doubt that the digital system has greater capabilities than vinyl. Better frequency accuracy, much superior temporal performance, greater transient response, less noise, cleaner low bass, more consistent performance across DACs compared to EQ variation of cartridges. Whether the recording lives up to these traits will depend on how the studio created the final product, and our subjective preferences. BTW: If you're streaming music from something like Tidal, they might not offer the full variation in masterings. Often all they have is the latest, loud, dynamically crushed versions meant to be heard in cars or high ambient noise environments rather than quiet hi-fi sound rooms.

Jay,( just like James say Wow,) just Wow ! you definitely hit it out of the park with this video. I second that. It can only get better. Wait until you start playing around with different Cartridges . Oh my God , it will get very interesting . From what I have listened to, the sweet spot for cartridges start at the 7K mark and goes up from there. We are talking playing LPs for like 5 hrs straight . You just cant stop. Sweet sounds. I like Digital also. They can both coexist. I definitely do not agree with Audiophiles that say, Streaming is the last word. No way. Keep on doing what ya doing. 👍🏽🙏🏽

If the vinyl record was well recorded, mixed, mastered, pressed and looked after, and played on a good turntable with a good cartridge, it should smash digital. I guess the only format which could smash vinyl would be reel-to-reel. Tube CD players or DACs should be interesting, if you want to get more warmth from CDs/digital. I prefer vinyl over any other format (I'm not that crazy rich to buy reel-to-reel), but I must reckon digital is very convenient.

Your comparison is also true if you compare cheaper digital versus turntable setups. It also can occur when you compare digital vs digital. Like Streaming vs a good CD player or CD transport. Like Audio Note still make. In this case you also wonder why streaming does not bring you that same feeling and fullness like good CD does. I can listen to any one of the technologies and enjoy, but a in comparison a good turntable setup for me wins it in the feeling department, followed bij CD an then streaming. And like you said the recording also matters.

When I tried the same comparisons you just completed, I found that songs that are mixed & mastered for digital and then used to produce a vinyl record will sound the same or better on digital but, when it's mixed & mastered for vinyl and then used to make a digital track will usually sound better on vinyl even on the same album. I know ( It's weird ).

Interesting video. The only problem I have with your comparison is that all the records you are showing are digital cuts of analog albums, except the Sidewinder and maybe Fleetwood but it’s hard to know since you didn’t state the pressing. So to me, you have shown, that digital files on vinyl are more appealing to you than on a dac. Wait to you actually get an analog cut record, maybe you won’t like it, but more than likely you will be re-floored

Analog has BEAUTY in it. Of all the history of analog playback there is much elegance and beauty. Digital is clean, sterile but beauty and connection to the spirit is harder to gain.

Thanks for the video Jay. A good sounding original vinyl record pressed pre-1980 (so there's no digital in the mastering chain) or an audiophile grade/all analog (no digital in the mastering chain) reissue vinyl record on even a decent turntable set up will always sound much better than the same version of the song on high res digital played through the most expensive DAC. However, as you point out, a high res digital recording can sound as good or better than a mediocre to poor sound quality vinyl record or a vinyl record cut from a digital file such as DSD.

With any given Lp, not all songs are recorded in the same studio. That could explain why some songs sound better through digital. I notice with a lot of Lp’s some songs sound better than others

I have both turntable and streaming dac I have both qobuz and tidal top packages, I like everyone else, find myself song skipping, which, if I'm being honest means I'm not listening properly however and I'll give an example you have a alison krauss and union station track you play and I love so I was going to buy the album from mofi and selected let me know when available but in the meantime I sat down and listened to the whole album and released I only liked the one track so cancelled the vinyl copy this is how I use my streaming dac, however if I like an album for example I recently listed to Laura veirs eucalyptus song from her album found light on digital when having a demo and then the whole album when I got home.and loved it so I ordered it on vinyl 😁 given the choice I'll pick viny,l to me it just sounds more natural the soundstage is bigger more fuller and there's more depth to the music yes I agree some digital is better but it's few and far between , mofi thriller destroys the digital so does mofi love over gold etc and as for the adele album yeah it's a poor pressing, I just got a chris bellman pressing of eric clapton unplugged and the digital can't even begin to lace the boots of the vinyl the sound of his hand hitting the guitar the pluck of the strings as he strums sounds spectacular on the vinyl on the streamer it's as if he's got the polish out and cleaning the instrument as he's playing I could go on and on but I think you get the point, digital is getter better but you have a $40,000 kronos Pro and a €120,000 msb select 2 what in your honest opinion not only sounds better but offers the best value for the money hell you could improve the turntable by upgrading the power supply to the top kronos power supply upgrade the arm to the discovery rs and get a much better cartridge and still come under the price of the msb dac and the rewards will be 10 fold 😁 speak to greg weaver or oz and deffo set up a discogs account and speak to Mike Esposito from the in groove about what pressings to buy 😁 anyway please stay safe and taking the time to read this message 😁

I agree, the recording (mastering and pressing) is an important factor for what sonic level is reachable. To my taste the new Adele record is an example for a record where I don’t like what has been done during recording and mixing. It’s “overdesigned” and to artificial.

I like my CDs but love my vinyl records. I stream to audition music to pick what records I want to buy.

An audiophile friend one told he prefered vinyl over cd because it was to easy to skip tracks you didn`t like on a cd. His opinion was that you needed to play the whole album if you wanted to learn how to really appreciate music. He thought its was good for you to listen to all kinds of music and that it would expand your understanding and appreciation for music. I have tried to take his advice which I think is sound.🙂

It's a couple of differences between digital and vinyl. Vinyl has some 80dB dynamic range and digital 150dB. If the sound are compressed more and are limited in how loud it can get in a sound mix, you get the low level details louder and hear them much better. If you lower the sound level you will need to use more bass on your amplifier as human hearing gets worse in the bass at lower volumes compared to the midrange. The compressed and limited sound then sounds as if it has more bass and sound more fuller. When mastering for vinyl you have to use a mono track for the bass frequencies as vinyl cannot handle the groves needed in stereo. If will then be the exact same bass reproduced from both speakers that could make the bass more consistent than what actually are mixed in stereo. The master are used to carve groves in a disk that are then used as a mold for another disk that are then used to press the actual vinyl. A copy to a copy to a copy with degradation in each copy when using mechanical copying methods. Some movie entusiast that watch a movie with grainy noise gives them more satisfaction than watching a crystal clear picture filmed with digital cameras. It's about the same story with noisy vinyl. It's much easier and cheaper getting a good sound from digital than it is from vinyl and you have to take much better care of vinyl, cleaning them and storing them and there could be impact from a speakers sound waves entering the feather light mechanics of the sound producing device that are non existing using a pure digital format.

The mastering is important digital is accurate as a garbage in garbage out system the digital signal handling is very robust. Converting it to analogue is about keeping the signal clean of artefacts and maintaining its dynamics and phase and you found that when you were playing with power supplies and cables to make it sound right. Turntables work but how well they work requires a lot of adjustment and electromagnetic precision engineering. They seem to bring something else to the signal that can make it more compelling and in combination with sympathetic mastering make a compelling case for vinyl records. The turntables send you mad trying to squeeze ever more performance out but as you said it always seems to work to give you something magical. I think you should add a CD transport to your set up and a reel to reel just to get some more context. There are several ways to skin a cat as they say.

You nailed it. Vinyl makes one listen thru the whole album. Enjoying and understanding what the composers and singers are trying to convey. Try playing Long Cool Women by Hollies or Foot Tapper by Shadows, can never get that “high” feeling from digital..

Thank you very much for your comparison! It was most interesting! But could it be different mastering between digital and analog?

I agree with you 100% My whole rig put together is not even as much as your boulder amp but it is a really nice system and I love it!! My VPI classic with dynavector xx2 and esoteric phono are simply better than my INNUOS Zen connected to My PS audio direct stream in most ways. Just like you described so I wonder what extra would I get if I had a turntable like yours