[greenhorn]

Originally Posted by deathwalkr

I love the crankability of LP music and my aging ears are happy with the softer/warmer sound.

No clue about the technicalities of it all, just that it sounds good to my ears.

If you just want softer and warmer, get a tube buffer, maybe further downstream vintage equipment. You'll get enough warmth. Even the baddest YouTube song sounds all lush and warm after it goes through a tube buffer, nad 3020 amp and Phillips hiq fullrange speakers. Each is warm and lush in it's own right, but together they're amazing!

[haisaikat]

Originally Posted by greenhorn

If you just want softer and warmer, get a tube buffer, maybe further downstream vintage equipment. You'll get enough warmth. Even the baddest YouTube song sounds all lush and warm after it goes through a tube buffer, nad 3020 amp and Phillips hiq fullrange speakers. Each is warm and lush in it's own right, but together they're amazing!

I agree tubes can do wonders in some systems. But from my opinion of using a tube pre with a SS amp combination, some tube devices suppress the details in treble in order to smoothening the vocals and highs but it does result in very smooth female vocal. Of course some tubes on the other hand tend to warm up the lower end of the spectrum.

So with tubes some amount of patience and experimenting is suggested.

[alpha1]

Originally Posted by deathwalkr

What's an A/B testing?

W00Ps missed your comment earlier: I meant ABX testing: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ABX_test

Originally Posted by greenhorn

The reason I stick to records, is that if you love old music, the CD and mp3 versions are survivors of the loudness war, while the vinyl is still from a pre war era, and much better sounding due to the minimum of analog compression applied ( different from digital compression like mp3)

I get it, and concur - the dynamic range is a very important aspect of giving a real live music feel.

Exhibit: Use your best headphones or speakers to listen
LP Rip https://www.Youtube.com/watch?v=xiLE4bbKaFI
CD Rip https://www.Youtube.com/watch?v=Tz0AWBw3sGM

First of all, many thanks for introducing me to Paul Mauriat. What a lovely music!!!

Now on the sound difference, I can quite clearly hear the difference

To me it sounds like the LP's bass is softer and "rounder" compared to the CD version which sounds tighter.

And the higher mids (say from 2500 - 5000 Hz) sound recessed compared with the CD version giving the LP an appearance of higher sparkle.


We guitarists would say that the LP sounds like the bass frequencies are on the verge of overdrive, treble is little less and presence is little high.

[bigron]

Just got myself back into vinyl after a gap of 20 plus years. Picked yup a Pro Ject debut carbon with an Ortofon 2m Blue. Sam cooke and Marvin Gaye are back in the living room. I normally pick up my records from Amazon US. They have a good collection and the pressings have not disappointed me yet. I have a few favorite vintage record stores in NYC and ask visiting acquaintances to carry the records with them.

[R2D2]

I belong to a generation that lived through the days of LP and cassette or spool tape as kids and transitioned to digital in the late '80s and through the 1990s.

This evening I auditioned these "God Level" (for me) headphones from Sennheiser HD 820 being demoed on a SMEturntable, Nagra preamp and a magnesium tone arm/pickup fitted with an Audio Technica cartridge. They played Dire Straits Brothers In Arms LP and that saxophone on "Your Latest Trick" is heavenly.

When it comes to sound I prefer analog (LP with top notch pressing and deck) to digital UNLESS the digital is 24/96 and 24/192.

Audio can get stupid expensive, I have known, through my brother and his contacts in the high end audio industry that there are people who have spent 80L-1 Cr on their audio systems. And this is not in Mumbai or Delhi where the amounts go higher.

[naveenroy]

So I visited a nice Record show here a few weeks back. Wow, I got lost in all the stuff that was on sale. Got a great deal on some nice music. $5 each.

A couple of them were quite dirty and so I tried something I'd read about - cleaned them with some diluted dish soap and patted them dry. You will not believe the difference it made! Yeah I know some of you are cringing when you're reading this.

[deathwalkr]

Originally Posted by naveenroy

So I visited a nice Record show here a few weeks back. Wow, I got lost in all the stuff that was on sale. Got a great deal on some nice music. $5 each.

A couple of them were quite dirty and so I tried something I'd read about - cleaned them with some diluted dish soap and patted them dry. You will not believe the difference it made! Yeah I know some of you are cringing when you're reading this.

Thanks to you, i am listening to supertramp and alan parsons now!

Can't seem to stop listening to the Parsons Project. So many good songs.

[naveenroy]

Originally Posted by deathwalkr

Thanks to you, i am listening to supertramp and alan parsons now!

Can't seem to stop listening to the Parsons Project. So many good songs.

Glad you liked them! I used to trip on APP many, many years ago. I think I came upon their music when I looked up Alan Parsons - sound engineer for Dark Side of the Moon.