From: tlode@nyx.cs.du.edu (trygve lode)
Subject: Re: CD vs. LP again (was Re: Preamp and Amp)
Organization: Nyx, Public Access Unix @ U. of Denver Math/CS dept.
Date: Thu, 21 Jan 93 18:14:34 GMT

In article <3340410@hpcc01.corp.hp.com> kirk@hpcc01.corp.hp.com (Kirk Lindstrom) writes:
>>>How about if I have listened to $5000+ turntable system and still thinks
>>>CD sounds better. Email me if you want detail about my dad's system. I don't
>>>want to sound like a braggart to post what he has.
>>
>>M'dear, spending $5000 on a system isn't going to impress much of anybody--
>>I've got a couple of systems that cost considerably more than that and one
>>of my brothers has a stereo in which most of the components cost that much
>>apiece.  Worst of all, you can quite easilly buy a whole lot of crap for
>>$5000 and even $50,000 worth of very good components can sound abyssmal if
>>they're set up improperly (especially if it's a tricky room--and for
>>bipolar speakers, all rooms are tricky).
>>
>>Trygve 
>----------
>I just knew someone would bring this up.  Do you suggest that Kong's Dad
>has two systems:  one for LP and another for "those infidels that prefer
>CD"? 

Nope; all we know from Kong's post is that he's listened to his dad's
$5000 turntable system and liked CDs better.  This doesn't imply that
his dad had two systems, that Kong has listened to CDs on his dad's
system, that Kong has taken the time to get used to his dad's turntable
system, or anything else.  

>  I MIGHT be able to imagine that the TT "isn't set-up" right, but I
>know that for $5000, I'd have SEVERAL experts from the store I bought it
>from over at my home setting it up "properly".  Hell, they are even now
>doing this for inexpensive AV gear as most can't figure out how to do
>it. 

That's good to know that you would do that--on the other hand, most people
I know don't (in fact, I can't think of a single audiophile of my 
acquaintance that has). 

Even if he did take this approach, this assumes that the people at the
store he bought the stuff from (assuming it was bought at a store rather
than used) were experts--and I'm sure we've all run into plenty of high-
end stores that were staffed by people whose entire familiarity with the
field consisted entirely of an intimate knowlege of the profit margins of
the equipment they sold. 

>  My guess is that Kong's dad either 1) has it set-up properly or 2)
>has it around as art of status and I tend to lean towards door #1.  IF I
>were Kong, I'd sneek in and put a CD player in the system just to see if
>It sounded better even if that were against my Dad's religion, but that
>is just the way I am..... 

Well, I've known enough people of the #2 ilk to be unwilling to discount
the possibility so quickly.  (Indeed, a few years ago, I knew someone
whose father had a moderately expensive system (>$5000) which proudly
featured a pair of Acoustic Monitor DB-IV speakers that he bought out 
of the back of a white van and was so proud of because he had these
"expensive" speakers that he'd only paif $750 for....) 

> Getting to the point, How could he say something
>was better if the room acoustics were bad?  Are they only bad a problem
>for TT and not CD?  Jeeezzzz.

Actually, depending on the way the TT was mounted, that's conceivable;
however, Kong didn't say anything about listening to CDs on his dad's
system, or even if his dad's system has a CD player.

In any case, none of this matters--both CDs and LPs have their respective
strengths and weaknesses and different people will assign different weights
to their respective qualities and prefer one over the other on that basis.
There's nothing wrong with prefering CDs or prefering LPs--and there's not
even anything wrong with prefering the sound of a cheap boombox over the
sound of Krell-driven WAMMs (and plenty of people do); what's important
is simply enjoying the experience.

Trygve   (To whom the principal advantage of LPs is all the good stuff that
          has never been released on CD.) 
Newsgroups: rec.audio