It is indeed a difficult choice in this regard. I recently took the plunge back into vinyl used Rega P25 w/ Super Else cartridge, and a Trigon Vanguard II phono preamp; whilst at the same time upgrading my cd playback system to a highly regarded Cambridge Audio 840C up sampling deck. Actually the dollar outlay was just about even !!
BTW - I have just started integrating a SB3 into the mix - more on that later especially comments as to the sound. Bottom line each has its merits - on the early sixties Karl Richter Bach Christmas Oratorio on Archive which I own the lp and cd - I would have to say its a horse race. The vinyl does have a romantic ( nostalgic feel to it ) which maybe purely subjective and may have some connection to the ritual of the work that goes into the care and feeding of a good vinyl playback systems and its precious and delicate software. Warmth, pace, space, staging, and all are sublime. The cd version on the up sampling deck is certainly much more straight forward and convenient from a handling standpoint; the sound is quite close and good although a tad souless ,sterile, and at times a bit harsh ( upsampling?). Keep in mind that this is all very subjective and may have to do more with psychological factors than anything measurable. I admit I fear listening to WADIA/CHORD end of the spectrum due to funds limitation and an reluctance to spend the equivalent of a mini cooper "s" on a playback upgrade - call me biased or cheap - it comes down to a matter of priorities I guess and perhaps I am one of those blokes to whom "good enough is good enough" - so be it. I will say this, the Rega P25 is one of the quietest lp playback decks I have had the pleasure of owning - maybe the R600 arm and deck combo but even with weak somewhat worn disks it is far superior to any lp playback deck I have ever heard. Ticks, pops, hiss, and all seem minimized. Anyway just my 2 cents. Raul -- raulzed ------------------------------------------------------------------------ raulzed's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=15601 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=43045 _______________________________________________ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
