Nd555 : time to sell the turntable?

tonym posted:

ChrisSU posted:

French Rooster posted:

tonym posted:

I wouldn't get too hung up on the hi-res stuff. Early CDs, with original masterings, will sound as good if not better. So many recordings are completely B*ggered up by remastering and making them hi-res won't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

Having posted the above, you're still well advised to keep your vinyl-playing equipment, for the reasons others have given.  Mind you, perhaps we should be encouraging others to dump their vinyl - bit of a shortage of good LPs on the second-hand market at the moment...

You are probably right Tonym, but I wonder on some ideas:  first cd with original mastering can be made in the debut of 80’s, at the beginning of the cd erea.  I remember these first cds, I bought some in these years, but the sound was bad.

Was it the CDs that were so bad in the early 80s, or was it the CD players? The first players I heard were bad enough to put me off for life, and I just became that weird bloke who still had a record player.

It was a bit of both. I remember buying my first CD player and, full of anticipation, about to listen to “Perfect Sound Forever”...Wow, what a disappointment! But I've still got those early CDs, ripped onto my Melco, and the ones I bought back then sound great. Like many of us I fell for the lure of later remastered versions, which were almost inevitably poor in comparison to their originals.

Yes, still play lots of vinyl - I've a pretty large collection, mostly older stuff. Hugely enjoyable, lots not available as digital copies.

I was happy to stick with vinyl over CD, but only because I liked the sound quality. The medium itself, I saw as bulky, fragile, prone to scratches, static and dust. Then there is listening to the opening bars of music with your back to the speakers while returning to the sofa, getting up again half way through, etc. I mostly tolerated, rather than enjoyed it. Sold the LP12 and jumped straight to streaming. 

For 60’s, 70’s albums, I have never heard a cd that can match my satisfaction with the original lp.  But I confess that i have not tried also a hundred of the albums remastered on cd.

The cd i had was a medium quality CD player at that time, but the turntable was also entry level, with a entry level cart.  It was around 1988.

Next, around 2000, I had a rega jupiter and a rega rp5.  The lps still sounded better as some cd remasters I bought for the fun.

Today, some hirez are very near the lp, but can’t match the sound I have on my rega rp10, vs nds/ 555dr.

Alley Cat posted:

David O'Higgins posted:

French Rooster posted:

You are more and more to own the nd555.   Can it give the same satisfaction for sound quality as a top turntable, like linn klimax lp12 or other, in listening 60, 70’s albums?

Some nd555 owners sold their turntable.  Are you all ready to sell your turntable and keep only the nd555?

Since I got an NDS I hardly ever played my LP12. Since I got the the ND555 I haven’t even thought about it ( Was a good setup, Linn Ekos. Armageddon, etc. , but now a memory).

What are you playing David?  CD rips, hi-res downloads or streaming Tidal etc?

CD Rips are the backbone, followed by hi-Res downloads. I use Tidal to try new releases and abstruse stuff. I have 1500 LP’s, now in storage. I have CD or Hi Res versions of the vast majority of those, and my house is not big enough to keep them all readily accessible. 

Always good to have more than one source especially when our streamers won’t play ball. I have many LPs and they’re here to stay.....along with my NAT01 and reel to reel deck. I also keep an Oppo 205 which isn’t a half bad CD spinner. 

I’ll let you know my experience when the ND555 arrives, which I expect in the next few days. Currently my vinyl set up, Origin Live Resolution/Conqueror/Cadenza Bronze/S’line/Supercap, is significantly better than my NDS.

I've had vinyl replay since before I can remember but this is the first digital device that gives me a similar satisfaction from listening to music played on it. I won't be getting rid of my turntable any time soon but if I didn't have much vinyl on the shelves it might be a different matter.