Analog compared with Digital

Yep. I had the Telarc 1812 as well. As I recall, I attempted playing it on a 1st generation Rega, quite possibly one of earliest production run decks from a then brand new company. My cartridge literally hopped when it tried to trace the cannon shots. When I say literally hopped I mean I visually saw it jump. Wow.

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Yes, it’s a question of fast energy deduction of the tonearm, matching of cartridge/arm resonance and not too stiff compliance generally. I avoid playing this part often and too loud, even though it tracks. It’s an extreme.
The capriccio on this album is also nice…but the 1812, too :wink:

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When I had just installed my previous set of speakers in my multichannel system my brother just happened to be visiting. I thought the Telarc 1812 multichannel SACD would be a fine first test. I queued it up a little before the first volley, turned up the volume and let it rip. My brother exclaimed “You crazy son of a …!!!” (That’s not the way he usually talks, but the cannons did have quite the crack and you could feel the cannonballs flying overhead in different directions.)

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Oh yes, I wish I’ll ever hear a high end surround setup for real music, did not yet. Fun that they let the the cannonballs fly acoustically…and I think you can suffer quite a bit when surprised by them…guess you waited for his revenge :wink:

I recently heard the starting sequence of Brothers in arms on that extremely resolving (2 channel) setup I occasionally tell of and wondered to what degree the thunder moved on the ceiling behind the speakers…and at which low volume everything was audible…crazy.

I love tubes, but use them exclusively in my vinyl set-up, and SS everywhere else. This keeps both fun and different enough to really enjoy going back to the other.

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I’ve always been a diehard analog fan for the way it can present real instrument in a natural space with all of it’s textures intact with it’s natural decay and so on. Digital seem to alway shortchange me in one way or another until recently. Since upgrading to an Esoteric server, getting the EtherREGENT, the Farad LPS for the Matrix, upgrading the transformer in the DS, the table has turned. Digital can sound just as natural and real as analog with just as much space, decay and presence, with even more inner detail, focus, and clarity. I just compared my analog rig and it sounded a bit duller and not as focus. I don’t remember the last time that has happened. So now I’m more involved listening to my digital rig until start upgrading my analog again. Maybe I should get the ClearAudio Goldfinger Diamond cartridge like my friend’s. That has great focus and detail. Damn this hobby is expensive!!

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…and the Goldfinger has better and better defined/controlled bass than you will hear from your DS, that’s where it excels among others. But it then continues even more when you hear a better tonearm a than you might be used to (even from 5-6k arms). That’s the main surprise and much more important than the cartridge itself. So as you say, the journey continues, you always just have a temporary comparison :wink:

Yes, the journey continues. I go to my friend to listen to his analog system many times. Afterwards I come home and I am very disappointed hearing my own system. It takes awhile, but I adjust and I’m OK with my system again. His system is miles ahead of whatever digital I can come up with unless maybe if I get something like a Metronome CD player.
I posted my friend’s turntable before. It looks something like this.
The Clearaudio Innovation with Graham Phantom 3 tonearm and Clearaudio Goldfinger Diamond cartridge. And my dream cd player from Metronome.

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Wow…although this Metronome piece is not my taste (optically and concept wise). But I think one could even manufacture an espresso machine like that :wink: I’d prefer to have the money sit in electronic design and parts…and you don’t need all that material if you don’t spin discs but stream.

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Absolutely gorgeous!

Well maybe its not the CD or turntable of his that sounds better. Or has he brought them over to your system? Just so many variables listening room, amps speakers and cables. To duplicate his system exactly it would still be different in your space.

I wouldn’t want him to bring the turntable over to my place. I have enough trouble paying for what I have now. You know how it goes, once you hear something better, you just can’t go back. :slightly_frowning_face:

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I just recently noticed there are 2x2 45 RPM LP’s covering those two albums on Yarlung. The recording was done n DSD256 and simultaneously on analog tape for producing the records.

One of the rare chances to have contemporary recordings done on tape and even rarer to have a perfect comparison of a perfect DSD with a perfect tape to vinyl recording of the same sessions with good music.

I’d strongly recommend to get the LP’s as long as they’re still in print.

To eliminate differences of the quality of your vinyl rig compared to your digital rig, first compare a digitally sourced album played with your DAC to the same digitally sourced vinyl. You will mainly more or less hear how different your DAC sounds to your vinyl rig.

If you now compare the same Yarlung session recorded to tape and to digital in parallel, you will hear more difference.

Those Mabuchi recordings sound the same in basic tonality with the most noticeable difference that the vinyl has a different, more natural, realistic and fascinating ambiance reproduction. Very similar to the difference of the Reference Recordings analog sourced LP to the digitally sourced Nijoma plays Liszt LP and SACD…

All very obvious. Great Yarlung provides this.