Simple question, which will sound better, a good budget system with a cd player as the main source or a good budget system with a turntable as the main source ?
Which sounds better ?
- Thread starter kitkat
- Start date
Only you can answer for you as there is no absolute or empirically correct answer overall. I've used both but there are many variables to take into account.
matt49
Well-known member
Disregarding any personal preferences (which is a good idea as a thought experiment), common sense would suggest that a budget CDP will offer more of the performance of a high-end CDP than a budget TT will of a high-end TT.
Matt
Matt
Covenanter
Well-known member
Jota180
Well-known member
I agree with Matt. There's probably a larger difference between low and high end turntables than low and high end CD players.
The absolute and empirical answer is the CD based system will sound (perform) better if you play it with good CDs (not compressed with loudness). The cheapest CDP is better than the best turntable by technological leaps ahead.
As for personal tastes it can be either or. Some people prefer the spice of wow, flutter, noise, misrophonics, distortion etc. and some like a clean sound.
As for personal tastes it can be either or. Some people prefer the spice of wow, flutter, noise, misrophonics, distortion etc. and some like a clean sound.
Al ears
Well-known member
Generally concur with the CD player option, unless you already own tons of vinyl that is.
Assuming you also meant that the turntable is 'budget' then again I would suggest you aim for a CD player purely down to cost of source material.
In my opinion you cannot do a vinyl system on a low budget anymore.
Assuming you also meant that the turntable is 'budget' then again I would suggest you aim for a CD player purely down to cost of source material.
In my opinion you cannot do a vinyl system on a low budget anymore.
Vladimir said:
The enjoyment of music is all about "personal taste", otherwise, what's the point. The rest, as the Major has said, is academic.
bigfish786
Moderator
my personal findings are :-
i have a Rega Apollo CD player, i love this machine. it makes cd sound fabulous.
I have a Rotel Turntable, as old as a conker tree, not in the best condition, probably 40 yrs old, cheap audio technica cart, standard arm, bias weight missing.
since buying this TT, i have spent a few hundred quid on records, and bought only one cd.
I do not know how to explain the experience of listening to vinyl, only that i find it very satisfying.
budget for both components was, £180 for the cd player £110 for the turntable. (not fortunes)
I continue to enjoy both mediums, but the TT has the edge for me. but it's not by much.
Six months ago, i would not have touched vinyl. because of poor experiences in the past. now, i would encourage everyone to give it a go.
music is all about enjoyment, and i enjoy listening to vinyl a lot more than i thought i would.
i have a Rega Apollo CD player, i love this machine. it makes cd sound fabulous.
I have a Rotel Turntable, as old as a conker tree, not in the best condition, probably 40 yrs old, cheap audio technica cart, standard arm, bias weight missing.
since buying this TT, i have spent a few hundred quid on records, and bought only one cd.
I do not know how to explain the experience of listening to vinyl, only that i find it very satisfying.
budget for both components was, £180 for the cd player £110 for the turntable. (not fortunes)
I continue to enjoy both mediums, but the TT has the edge for me. but it's not by much.
Six months ago, i would not have touched vinyl. because of poor experiences in the past. now, i would encourage everyone to give it a go.
music is all about enjoyment, and i enjoy listening to vinyl a lot more than i thought i would.
CnoEvil said:
Totally agree.
Music is all about personal taste. However, High Fidelity is about performance in objective terms, as in accurate musical reproduction. The format with less distortion, wow, flutter, noise, microphonics and more dynamic range and resolution brings you closer to the music literally, not symbolically.
Vladimir said:
Totally agree, but....
Hi-fidelity-ness is academic, especially if you prefer Vinyl / Valves. So the best advice is to buy what you prefer the sound of, even if it's measurements are less than the ideal.
CnoEvil said:
Most people do that. They buy Beats by Dre, LG, Cerwin Vega, turntable, valve amp etc. because it sounds better to them personally, despite the fact it is a skewed lense.
Messiah
Well-known member
I can only re-iterate what others have said and there is no right or wrong answer except that which you arrive at yourself.
Demo them and see which you prefer. I would also consider the costs of Vinyl vs CD.
Computer based audio is also a good option.
Demo them and see which you prefer. I would also consider the costs of Vinyl vs CD.
Computer based audio is also a good option.
Vladimir said:
Is there any point in buying something simply because it measures well, and ignore whether you actually like the sound of it?
kitkat said:
Simple reply: if you are interested only in new music, there is no choice: just few titles come out in vinyl format and often they are recorded in digital samples so vinyl is out of question in this case. A digital recording will never ever sound better on vinyl than on digital support.
If you plan to listen so and so between old and new stuff, you should consider both: old stuff, originally played and recorded with analog equipment, just sound incomparable better with a good vinyl's original copy in good conditions and a simple turntable in good conditions. I always advise new products by Pro-Ject, simple, straighforward well made and sounding modern turntables with integrated, acceptable quality Ortofon pickup.
nopiano
Well-known member
If by budget you mean £500 to £600 then I'd go for CD. If up to £1200 to £1500 then I'd give a record player a good crack! But as others gave said it will depend on your current stock, or lack, of the medium in question as to which is actually worth pursuing.
I wouldn't want to be without either, but that's because I own many treasured recordings both on LP and CD!
I wouldn't want to be without either, but that's because I own many treasured recordings both on LP and CD!
matt49
Well-known member
We like to talk about our preferences as if they were fixed and immutable, as if we could always reliably say “this is what I like” and as if those preferences wouldn’t change.
I think very few people, if they’re honest with themselves, can say either that their preferences are unchanging or that they can reliably and confidently say what their preferences are.
So while in the end it is all about preferences (what's the point if you don't enjoy it?), it’s very helpful to be able to refer to an objective yardstick (where such a yardstick exists). If for nothing else, an objective yardstick can be useful for keeping us honest about what our preferences are.
Matt
I think very few people, if they’re honest with themselves, can say either that their preferences are unchanging or that they can reliably and confidently say what their preferences are.
So while in the end it is all about preferences (what's the point if you don't enjoy it?), it’s very helpful to be able to refer to an objective yardstick (where such a yardstick exists). If for nothing else, an objective yardstick can be useful for keeping us honest about what our preferences are.
Matt
matt49 said:
I totally agree.
It's why I try and encourage people to try a wide variety of totally different approaches, in order to pin down what they will ultimately prefer. This can spin one off in an unexpected direction.
Something only sounds "best" until you hear better.
matthewpiano
Well-known member
Vladimir said:
I'd put that slightly differently. The format with less distortion, wow, flutter, noise, microphonics and more dynamic range and resolution brings you close to the recording/mastering.
There are cases where this is not the same thing as being closer to the music, particularly for some CD masters and re-masters of music from the 60s and 70s. Only today I picked up a 2nd hand LP of Jethro Tull's brilliant 'Minstrel In The Gallery' album. The CD remaster is awful so although the CD player may well bring us closer to the sound of that disc, it does not bring us closer to the music. The LP brings us closer to the music in this instance.
It seems the whole vinyl/CD debate is having a renaissance week this week. As I've said previously, for classical music I would choose CD every time but this is partly possible because in general CD remasters of the great classical recordings have been done with much greater care and love than many CD remasters of classic rock and popular music. There are some albums which NEED vinyl to sound their best, with the Tull referred to above being just one of them.
matthewpiano
Well-known member
Oh, and I am inclined to agree with recommendations for Pro-ject turntables. I own three turntables - the Pro-ject listed below, a Rega RP3 with Elys 2, and a Pioneer PL12D with an AT95E. In terms of speed stability the Rega is the worst, despite an upgrade to the white belt. The Ortofon on the Pro-ject tracks better than the Rega Elys 2 cartridge as well.
As others have said, for reasonable money the Pro-ject packages offer easy, accessible performance and enjoyable vinyl playback.
As others have said, for reasonable money the Pro-ject packages offer easy, accessible performance and enjoyable vinyl playback.
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