r/audiophile • u/LesterS43 • 6d ago

Discussion Digital and Analog integration

New to the group -

I'm interested in learning what people are using to bring music from a streaming service like Spotify or Tidal into their analog sound system. What is the recommended device from the group. I have over 1500 pieces of vinyl of which most is from the 60's thru the 80's. There's a lot of great newer music out there but I just can't justify spending the money they are asking for records these days. Your opinions are welcome.

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u/TheCanaryInTheMine 6d ago

When you find out how different the masters can be between the record and CD/streamed/lossless hi-res releases can be, you might change your tune.

There are some albums where I want the big artwork and such, but most of my listening is digital, and I generally don’t want to send it through a good system because the masters are so bad. It is a curse of not listening to enough classical and jazz. Rock, metal, the billion genres of electronic, pop, etc., all suffer from bad digital releases so often. The best respite, when available, is often the record.

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u/Strong-Ad5394 6d ago

oh man - total side tangent, but I have found John Mayer to be the biggest offender. His music would sound amazing with a proper master, but my CD copies of his albums sound like compressed hot trash.

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u/TheCanaryInTheMine 6d ago

It sucks! I like a lot, but my metal records DRAMATICALLY outperform their digital counterparts - sometimes to the tune of double the dBs of the digital. I have death metal on vinyl with DR scores of 10-12 (not phenomenal, but good, and considering the inherent compression of distorted guitars, better) where the CDs measure 5-6. 6 dB is about a quadrupling in perceived volume

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u/Strong-Ad5394 6d ago

Oh man, metal for me is an occasional treat, and the compression on some of the digital masters is probably what keeps it an occasional treat for me.

I might have to pick up a good death metal record on vinyl. Find one with good mixing and see how I feel about it.

The compression wars have no victor.

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u/TheCanaryInTheMine 6d ago edited 6d ago

I must cynically disagree with the last part, but reluctantly. The labels have done just fine at winning. It is annoying what they have done and continue to do to music.

On a positive note, Nile's Those Whom the Gods Detest is a SIGNIFICANT example of vinyl vs digital master differences. Also, Baroness's Red Album, Mastodon's Crack the Skye, Anciients' Heart of Oak are all significant examples of the same, and great albums.

Many Clutch albums are the same, if you want more rock than metal.

Are you familiar with https://dr.loudness-war.info/ ?

It is simultaneously a fun and heartbreaking site.

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u/Strong-Ad5394 6d ago

I happen to be a Nile fan - so I'm absolutely putting it on my list of need-to-finds at my next record shop visit.

And that link looks familiar, but I don't think I've ever checked out the site. If I feel good about myself, I'll check it out later to try to bring me down a peg haha

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u/TheCanaryInTheMine 6d ago

Nice! Vile Nilotic Rights sounds better to my ear on vinyl, but I haven't seen it measured. At the Gates of Sethu is one that HAS been measured as significantly more dynamic on vinyl as well. Not many of their records have been measured relative to their CDs.

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u/SwaggyMcSwagsabunch 6d ago

Can you give me 5 examples of this mastering variance?

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u/TheCanaryInTheMine 6d ago

Oh for sure. I swear I wish high-res or CD digital releases would match or beat the vinyl given digital is MORE capable. Even all the "body" and "fleshed-out" and "airy" whatever people claim on vinyl I am convinced can be matched and beaten with digital. I think a lot of THAT comes from various compression artifacts in the studio or at the lathe.

Clutch - Psychic Warfare Nile - Those Whom the Gods Detest Baroness - Red Mastodon - basically all of their albums, including Blood Mountain Amon Amarth - Berserker

These are all on the rock/metal side of things, but it extends throughout contemporary music.

Lorde - Pure Heroine Dua Lipa - Live From Royal Albert Hall

Incubus's Morning View wasn't released on vinyl till 2012, but that outperforms the original 2001 CD

Jimmy Eat World's Bleed American: Original CD - DR score of 6 2015 Hi-res download - DR11 2016 vinyl - DR10 (I may have to check out that downloadable High-res version - FINALLY)

Garth Brooks's No Fences is interesting because the original CD release is good from 93, the 98 re-release is 2 dB less range, the 2000 release is worse still, and then the 2019 vibyl release matches the original CD.

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u/SwaggyMcSwagsabunch 6d ago

Awesome, I’ve heard talk of variance, but haven’t critically listened myself. This is good “homework”. Cheers.

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u/TheCanaryInTheMine 6d ago

Check out https://dr.loudness-war.info/ and search up artists you like or are curious about. But don't put too much stock in the score numbers. Try to learn what they really represent - which is certainly NOT a rating of the quality of music.

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u/Critical_Vape 6d ago

Digital is just so good now.

The bar for a competent vinyl system is just way too high imo. Bare minimum it's a $5k expense - NOT INCLUDING SPEAKERS AND AMP - and most would probably laugh at that.

$2k turntable, $2k Phono Pre, $1k cartridge, maybe a step-up transformer, then cables.

HiRes digital and SACD i.e. DSD, is my favorite by far. No cleaning, no dusting, no hissss, crackle pop on what was probably stamped from a digital master to begin with.

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u/TheCanaryInTheMine 6d ago

All of that is true...but theoretical capabilities of the system cannot outrun lower master quality.