Vinyl v's CD

[MikeMusic]

I'm assuming, from my experience and others that vinyl is superior sound quality to CD - with the kit price roughly the same.

Question :
At what price break can this be seen ?
Cos I'm assuming £100 on a record deck and £100 on a CD player add the CD wins

[Macca]

I'm assuming from my experience and others that a Porsche 911 is superior to a Mitsubishi EVO 9

That's essentially the same statement and the reason why this debate will always go around in circles. Forget the price break, you will always find people who will prefer the £100 record player to the £100 CD player. Our personal perceptions of what 'sounds right' are always going to be different. One man's 'neutral' is another man's 'boring', one man's 'transparent' is another's 'clinical'. Which is why you get people trying to get their CD playback as close to 'analogue' as possible whilst others want their TT to sound more like a digital source.

And once you start using language like 'superior' you open a whole can of worms because the whole thing becomes immediately prejudicial. You could re-phrase the question 'I'm assuming from my own experience and others that vinyl is closer to the original recording than CD at what price break can this be seen' but you are still going to get some who will laugh that out of court, (me included ).

[Clive]

Even as a vinylista I have to say there are a few ways to have digital music to be just as satisfying as vinyl. That's not to say they sound the same, there are differences but I'm finding these differences are much reduced in my system. It used to be that a mid-priced record deck would wipe the floor with CD but nowadays that's not true at all.

[walpurgis]

Well we've been here before (numerous times), but although vinyl and CD sound different, I find them both enjoyable. My CD setup sounds very sweet and musical and the vinyl is bordering on the magical!

[Beobloke]

A good CD player will sound better than bad turntable and vice versa, regardless of the price tag on the box.

Sadly, that's about as specific as it gets!

[Macca]

I've only ever heard one cd player that I would say was genuinally 'bad'' and that was a super cheap Marantz. A very curious sounding thing that seemed to remix everything it played. Bad turntables I have heard quite a few, owned some as well. Then there are bad arms and cartridges to go with them, too. A good TT needs precision mechanical engineering and that is never cheap. Still I knew a bloke who reckoned his NAD 5120 was better than any cd player he had heard. For those who are unfamiliar with the 5120 it was also known as 'plastic's finest hour'

[walpurgis]

For those who are unfamiliar with the 5120 it was also known as 'plastic's finest hour'

Yes, but it actually sounded quite OK, especially with the original 'flat' arm.

[Macca]

Yes, but it actually sounded quite OK, especially with the original 'flat' arm.

Providing you weren't all that bothered about having bass that is true. I nearly bought one once but went for a kenwoodc direct drive instead. Same price but it could reproduce the whole frequency range. The 5120 was £130 when it came out that is over £200 in today's money. I also had a Sanyo DD that easily outperformed it.

[Marco]

Oh, PUH-LEESE... Not another pointless (and most likely soon to become circular) 'vinyl vs. CD' debate/argument!

Mike, what on earth prompted you to start this, mate?

Marco.

[Macca]

He started it then ran off. I saw it all!