Quote:
Originally Posted by PeterMusic
Absolutely. IMHO, the primary culprit is the loudness wars and compression on CDs and other digital media.
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For sure!! I think your right about this. I do have have several digital versions of reference quality vocals, but I do not have the LP versions of those songs for comparison . Then I have a several records that outshine the digital version on the vocals (with Tidal/Roon it’s easy to find the digital version of my LPs). But I do wonder if the digital version was mastered the same way. There are so many factors that can’t be controlled that I don’t know for sure why the record may sound better. Is it b/c its starting off as analog (as opposed to going through the DAC) or b/c it was mastered differently...? Don’t get me wrong, not all of my records are superior to digital source, far from it.
I just did an interesting comparison of “Ella and Louis” produced by Verve from the LP vs the MQA. version on Tidal (96kHz rate) through the Yggy. I would consider that a good digital version.
First of all they are both absolutely wonderful to listen to and picking them apart is really describing small nuances. The digital version has a better noise floor as would be expected. It sounds “cleaner”. Both versions are very dynamic. Both versions have excellent sepation of the vocals and trumpet. The digital version is a bit more “in your face” and the record is more laid back. I suppose this could be in part due to my use of a tube phono stage. The record presents the vocals and trumpet in a more holographic manner. It’s a little more three dimensional and palpable than the Yggy. Unfortunately, the record is introducing some sibilebce on the vocals when pushed loudly (could be my set up), even though it is still slightly preferable on the LP.
There you have it... totally inconclusive
