high quality turntable setup vs high quality cd setup?

Question

What will give better sound? A properly setup turntable with quality components or a properly setup cd player with quality component? Also.... i saw this denon cd player from im guessing the 90s at goodwill. Were vintage cd players good or no? Fwiw the cd player was ten bucks. Should i have bought it?

Answer 1

For anybody old enough to have actually owned a decent turntable, the answer is...

The turntable has MUCH better sound, and the CD player is not even close, as far as sound quality goes.

Distortion is almost non-existent with CD music. But the problem is, much of the MUSIC is missing from CD Music. So you have less distortion...and also less sound that you want to hear!!!

In contrast, a good turntable will have all the sound that the artist laid down...with very low distortion to distract you from enjoying it.



Over time though, records do wear out. So over time, the CD will start to sound better...just because the CD sound does not change. The record will sound much better when it's new...and much worse when it's close to worn out...

Answer 2

A lot depends on the recording and how well it was transferred Both CD and vinyl can sound quite good if done correctly with care...CD is actually a little harder to do correctly because the window for error is greater and getting it right is a smaller window for success than analog on vinyl although vinyl also has many limitations that have to be considered... .what I have found with my meager listening system and also listening to other high-end systems is that Vinyl can sound incredibly good with natural instruments Acoustic Guitar; Violin cymbals saxophone the human voice etc..while CD will sound better with electronic music or Pop that has a steady repeating beat...Piano is the Battleground where it can go either way and usually if done right CD might win out....Errors in CD tend to be errors of omission not enough detail, not enough ambiance; too dry, lack of air etc...while errors in vinyl tend to be distortion which is easier to detect immediately and therefore correct in a recording session before the record gets pressed...Some of the errors in CD may not be detected until the CD has been released; and listened to over a long period of time...hence the number of re-masters that a lot of CD's have gone through...in order to try and get it right....One of the problems with CD is that the bit rate and frequency response is just on the minimum edge of acceptability leaving no room for error at all...the bit rate needs to be twice what it is and the frequency response needs to be extended at least an octave on both ends.. then the chances for success would be greater...

Answer 3

Analog records still provide the best overall sound, in terms of sounding the most natural. Digital has improved significantly with the availability of high resolution music downloads. It certainly has bridged the gap somewhat, but with that said most audiophiles who really now high end sound prefer analog records.



Now of course it does all depend on the source material and how it was recorded and transferred to either Lp of Cd. So you cant always say records are going to be better, so you do have to be aware of that.



As for looking at a old cd player, like I said earlier cd players and digital has made significant improvements over the years, so no its not a good idea to buy a old cd player.



Kevin

40 years high end audio video specialist

Answer 4

While some like the analog sound of vinyl, digital sound from sources such as CDs provides more overall sound range, from the quietest to the loudest.



How do you know that the CD player at Goodwill even worked ?

Answer 5

You don't seem to understand the phrase "high quality".



A CD player for $10 will not be "high quality" in any way shape or form. Even when they are new, Denon CD players are only basic, budget models.