Ok, but I'm not talking about louder, I'm talking about bass on vinyl 12" singles sounding deeper and having more impact/authority than anything I've heard from CD, played at the same level. Well-recorded 12" singles really are special beasts, because you've got the 45rpm factor, plus all that groove width to devote to often only one song, and so the dynamics can be incredible!
Now that may not measurably be the case, which I accept, but what does it matter if that's what you *actually*
hear? Like you say, vinyl's weaknesses on paper are, ironically, its strengths when actually listening, so who cares about the measurements? Just sit back and enjoy the bass you can FEEL!!
Perhaps, but that could be due to the limitations of the digitization process (sound card), mangling the natural bass characteristics of the vinyl. Every process used imparts its own 'signature'.
Having 'ripped' vinyl to CD many times, using said digitization process, I can say with some certainty that there is no 'free lunch', and thus a sonic penalty is always paid in the results obtained.
Marco.