Jules,

I have no need to make compromises at all, I am very fortunate to have a very special vinyl reply system that is musically involving and gives long term listenibility without question, oddly enough I have only had this set up for possibly eight years and my vinyl collection is quite small compared to many chaps here (around 500 pieces) but it gives me pleasure to listen to it.

I also have a Studer A800 which hard core audiophiles, Japanese audio nuts and quite a just few ex rocker / classical 60/70's studio engineers feel is the ultimate in playback verbatim.

So in this 'perceived' arena digital is 'deemed' the lowest form of playback

On this subject I am quite vocal   The bottom line for me personally is that the TRANSFER of the original material to the desired format is the key

I have some CD's I could use as beer mats that's as good as they get, I some a few pieces of so called 'top draw records' and they are only fit for Frisbee's, conversely I also have some high resolution files, which frankly are shockingly grim and the vendors should be had up under the trades description act

My caveat here is I did not grow up with vinyl, I had studio reel to reel playback at home, plus early DAT studio playback, so when CD first emerged for me it was uber pants, thinner sounding than a Yellow track being played through the tank that was used to film Stingray, more etched than a full Naim statement system run on all Nordost Odin 2  cabling  whilst retaining the listen pleasures of mating Harpies during the high season on Duros 5 a rather grubby little planetoid from the far side of the Crab Nebula, (but it is a rite of passage for ourselves). So in essence pretty grim 'Perfect sound forever' another marketing slogan dream't up by some half pissed ex 70's liquid lunch slick marketing turd who's needed a break or he was due to be fired 

Imho CD replay really didn't start to really come age until the mid-late 90's, by which time the vinyl lovers had been condemned to relocate their system in the attic as their offspring made those frequent trips school and not until those darling brat's hit the uni trail was the vinyl allowed back into the main room of the house.

Bold statement approaching here, leave now if you suffer from a humor bypass:


If you have been listening to vinyl for many years, say since you bought your first record from the greasy music shop back in the 70's that was run by a wannabe closet fetish club owner, who's listening booths had not seen a spot of disinfectant since 1969 then the chances are you will always prefer vinyl regardless, simply as that is it has been your personal preference for many years. No amount of listening to digital no matter how good will change this you opinion of this, doesn't mean you will not listen to digital, it just means that vinyl will be your preferred choice imho

I will state, (Yes really, shy and retiring little old me?) that certain music sound better on vinyl no quibble   , yes indeedy folks they are some points in time where the recording engineers, the orchestra and the stars and moon align and it is magical, and in most cases the CD equivalent was no ware near the vinyl masterpiece 100% agree.

However as my personal chronological transport device has not been functioning for a few eon's ( flux capacitor's incapability with this time periods materials) I am unable to return to designated time/place to record said musical events with today's (still sodding backwards though   ) technology to capture said events, the outcome would very different.

Enough meandering, they biggest difference between analogue and digital playback is noise floor, the lower the noise floor the much deeper you will be able to 'listen into' the music, in that how the artists actually play off each other, the timings, lyrical interplay, it allows you to delve deeper into the music and here those nuances, greater depth and layering IF you can resolve the information correctly, however a great many vinyl lovers really struggle with this as they feel you have remixed or found some obscure release of the favorite Pink Floyd / Dire Straits / Carol King / Joanie Mitchell / etc recording.

This is not a post of one format is better than another as I stated at the start of this post, vinyl can sound fabulous as can CD and files just amazing with the right material.

So transfer of the original master files to the desired format is the most critical ingredient for a quality replay (assuming you have a well sorted system)

A more analogue sounding picture is not necessarily the more enjoyable one, it just may present music in a more safer and more appealing way to a number of listeners.

I am not going to raise any shields here, because I have been very fortunate to listen to some of the very best vinyl replay systems from around the world and they are quite other worldly in their own realm, for myself I seek a more complete realm. For others it will be there Holy Grail.

My personal holy grail is evolving quite regularly so they are happy I am happy.

Forgive my indulgence I find the vinyl is better argument somewhat tiresome.