Will Analog be better than my high end digital?

bebop86 · Dec 9, 2014

Guys - Was thinking of getting into analog as I just found a tech. 1200 MK2 with all the KAB upgrades in my closet- I must have bought it a few years ago when my kids were babies and put it away- Anyway I have the Concert Fidelity Preamp and Dac with the new battery upgrade which sound wonderful-
So how much better would the analog sound then my digital- thks

Speedskater · Dec 9, 2014

Vinyl adds euphonic coloration which when considering the original recordings can often be a very good thing. While digital is more accurate it's only a few links in the chain.

PeterA · Dec 9, 2014

bebop86 said:
Guys - Was thinking of getting into analog as I just found a tech. 1200 MK2 with all the KAB upgrades in my closet- I must have bought it a few years ago when my kids were babies and put it away- Anyway I have the Concert Fidelity Preamp and Dac with the new battery upgrade which sound wonderful-
So how much better would the analog sound then my digital- thks

I think you should set it up this weekend and find out. Clean a couple of LPs and invite some friends over.

bonzo75 · Dec 9, 2014

bebop86 said:
Guys - Was thinking of getting into analog as I just found a tech. 1200 MK2 with all the KAB upgrades in my closet- I must have bought it a few years ago when my kids were babies and put it away- Anyway I have the Concert Fidelity Preamp and Dac with the new battery upgrade which sound wonderful-
So how much better would the analog sound then my digital- thks

Vinyl guys will tell you it will sound much better. Actually you will be much better off with digital not only for the convenience, if you manage to come to terms with room correction and like it you will get much better overall sound

PeterA · Dec 9, 2014

bonzo75 said:
Vinyl guys will tell you it will sound much better. Actually you will be much better off with digital not only for the convenience, if you manage to come to terms with room correction and like it you will get much better overall sound

I'm a vinyl guy and please note that in post #3 I wrote nothing about vinyl sounding "much better". I think the OP should listen to both, since he has both, and decide for himself which he prefers. At the very least, it should be fun and he may like them both for different reasons. What one has in a music collection is another matter entirely. So is room correction.

CGabriel · Dec 9, 2014

If you are recording and playing back test tones, then digital is perfect. If you want to record and play back real vocalists and instruments that have pesky transients and harmonics outside the 20-20K FFT derived facsimile then you might like to try a good analog rig. I suppose musicality could be termed a vinyl "coloration".

But seriously, I have a great digital system that I can enjoy and I have a superb analog rig that I also enjoy. However, with the best source materials for each I still prefer the analog - and it isn't all that close.

Give it a try - you might enjoy it.

rockitman · Dec 9, 2014

Setting everything up correctly on the turntable, cart, tonearm is of paramount importance to getting the best out of your vinyl setup.

http://www.audiophilia.com/features/cartridge_setup.htm

Phelonious Ponk · Dec 9, 2014

"Better," in this context = opinion. And you may prefer vinyl.
But don't wait for anyone to come up with any data showing that vinyl replicates the master more accurately or more completely than digital. It's a rather long wait.

Tim

rockitman · Dec 9, 2014

Phelonious Ponk said:
"Better," in this context = opinion. And you may prefer vinyl.
But don't wait for anyone to come up with any data showing that vinyl replicates the master more accurately or more completely than digital. It's a rather long wait.

Tim

Lol...you don't need any data to prove that...just decent hearing.

JackD201 · Dec 9, 2014

I don't know how a full on KAB deck will fare against the CF DAC but I do know, in my own opinion of course, that my 1210 M5G with a KAB inspired Concorde S w/ OM40 stylus doesn't stack up very well against my digital playback. It is rolled off and muddy by comparison. Traits my main analog rig doesn't share. It's not bad it just sounds really dated and I'm not really a nostalgic type of person. I loved my high school and college days but things do sound better now.

Still, I'm with Peter on this. While it might not do so well against the CF stuff, that's not to say that it can't be enjoyable, even very enjoyable. It's already there so why not give the KAB a spin?

Phelonious Ponk · Dec 9, 2014

Phelonious Ponk said:
"Better," in this context = opinion. And you may prefer vinyl.
But don't wait for anyone to come up with any data showing that vinyl replicates the master more accurately or more completely than digital. It's a rather long wait.

Tim

rockitman said:
Lol...you don't need any data to prove that...just decent hearing.

Correct. No data us necessary to prove an opinion.

Tim

number95 · Dec 10, 2014

bebop86 said:
Guys - Was thinking of getting into analog as I just found a tech. 1200 MK2 with all the KAB upgrades in my closet- I must have bought it a few years ago when my kids were babies and put it away- Anyway I have the Concert Fidelity Preamp and Dac with the new battery upgrade which sound wonderful-
So how much better would the analog sound then my digital- thks

I am against comparing both formats in a way that universally one has to be better the other should be inferior. I can say it will sound "different" compared to your digital for sure. Whether you prefer vinyl as a sound format or keep your digital as reference source can only be judged by you. Last but not the least, good performance in analog heavily depends on cartridge alignment and right arm/cartridge combination as well as optimum loading of cartridge with a suitable SUT/phono preamp.

JackD201 · Dec 10, 2014

number95 said:
I am against comparing both formats in a way that universally one has to be better the other should be inferior. I can say it will sound "different" compared to your digital for sure. Whether you prefer vinyl as a sound format or keep your digital as reference source can only be judged by you. Last but not the least, good performance in analog heavily depends on cartridge alignment and right arm/cartridge combination as well as optimum loading of cartridge with a suitable SUT/phono preamp.

Don't forget the quality and condition of the LPs themselves. No piece of equipment can save a bad or damaged LP from itself.

wisnon · Dec 10, 2014

bebop86 said:
Guys - Was thinking of getting into analog as I just found a tech. 1200 MK2 with all the KAB upgrades in my closet- I must have bought it a few years ago when my kids were babies and put it away- Anyway I have the Concert Fidelity Preamp and Dac with the new battery upgrade which sound wonderful-
So how much better would the analog sound then my digital- thks

You have both...run with both!

You will never have as a big a vinyl collection as digital, but variety is the spice of life.

bebop86 · Dec 10, 2014

thanks guys the problem is I do not have a phono pre- SO I would also need to buy one- was thinking of the CF one for synergy but again just not sure if the investment is worth it- My room is professionally treated so that is not a problem- thanks for all the input-

BobM · Dec 10, 2014

rockitman said:
Setting everything up correctly on the turntable, cart, tonearm is of paramount importance to getting the best out of your vinyl setup.

http://www.audiophilia.com/features/cartridge_setup.htm

Setup is key in vinyl, and the better the cartridge the more finicky and picky it is about that. So take your time, do it right, double check everything. Once you get it right it should make you very happy indeed.

Also, clean records make a bit difference. And the phono stage is usually the weakest link, so don;t skinp there.

Lets face it, vinyl takes work, digital does not. If you are the type that can get into the vinyl ritual and its important nuances then you will enjoy it in many ways, not just sonically. If you want to KISS then digital is easy.

rbbert · Dec 10, 2014

Although many audiophiles feel the Technics 1200 is a good table worth far more in parts and performance than it ever cost, I'm with Jack here in saying I never heard one sound "good" (compared to, for example, an old LP12 or even an early VPI) no matter how modified. So before buying a pricey phone pre, get a pre for $300 or less (used, probably) and see what you think of the sound. IMHO you'll end up wanting a much better table/arm if you like the sound, and (again IMHO) even some of the newer inexpensive phono preamps are of a much better sound quality than your table/arm.

Chris F · Dec 10, 2014

This may or may not matter to you but having a vinyl/analog setup opens up a huge catalog of recordings that will likely never be available as digital.

rbbert · Dec 10, 2014

CGabriel said:
If you are recording and playing back test tones, ...

Music is test tones, just lots and lots of them put together in different and interesting ways

rbbert · Dec 10, 2014

Chris F said:
This may or may not matter to you but having a vinyl/analog setup opens up a huge catalog of recordings that will likely never be available as digital.

Of course, the reverse is even more true...

Will Analog be better than my high end digital?

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