HiFi Subjectivist ¦ Audio Forum ¦ NVA User Group

It's finally got to me - analogue fever.

After decades of being a hard-line digital fanatic / CD-worshipper, I have seen the light and returned to my first love, the place where it all started, the mighty and oft-maligned (by me!) LP record.

And yes, it is that hoary old chestnut, the inescapable audiophile staple, played-to-death, heard-it-soooo-many-times : Supertramp's magum opus 'Crime of the Century' that has provoked this revelation. I have had just about every CD remaster / reissue of this classic - longing for an edition that would bring back the spine-tingling teenage shivers I experienced with 'School', 'Bloody Well Right' and Dreamer'. And it has taken me to a bog-standard, old but well-preserved and secondhand vinyl copy to achieve this. Back to square one and wondering "Why the hell did I ever leave?".

Then I put on 'Crisis? What Crisis?' - and a wave of nostalgia washes over me, this was the very first 'rock' album that I ever really listened to. At the age of 12/13 I had a cassette copy of this that was played incessantly, needing to soak up every note, word and inflection. This was new, this was music!

I have spent (too) many thousands of pounds/euros and agonising hours acquiring a seriously large CD assortment - basically to replace and expand on the (2500+) LP collection that I sold off when I moved to Holland. And I have been pretty successful in doing that, (digital) Hifi has also improved dramatically along the way and everything was fine. However, the better the CD and Digital playback became, the more I began to realise that I was trying to recapture that 'analogue' feeling and my choice of DAC shows this. The NOS models have a roundness and fullness of sound that oversampling DACs lose in favour of a drier and more 'accurate' character. The Metrum Musette, Teradak Chameleon and, now, Denafrips Ares II have all played a part in building up a desire for the 'analogue feel'. The obvious next step? Analogue itself.

So it was back downstairs to the old NVA amps and Arcam One speakers that I have now had for 35 years, turntable on and it sounds marvellous to my digitally-orientated ears. So I am revelling again in Alan Parsons 'Pyramid' and 'I Robot', Jean-Michel Jarre, Mike Oldfield, Camel, Saga, OMD and other life-changing LP's that I had never realised I would want (need!) to own again.

Ah well, 'Easy Does It' as they say.

If your a 70s rock fan , you owe to yourself to listen on vinyl

Daniel Quinn wrote: ↑Sat May 15, 2021 9:42 am If your a 70s rock fan , you owe to yourself to listen on vinyl

Too right DQ.

And a major Genesis revisit is in the planning.

I have to say, some modern repress vinyl is nowhere near as good as the original.

One example is the remaster of The Smiths The Queen is Dead. I bought it when it came out a few years ago, I’ve only ever played the first side, then buried it in my collection. It’s almost pressed too hot, it’s like the headroom is compressed, and the sibilance on Morrisey’s S sounds is bloody awful.

After listening to that, I set my turntable up again, carefully measuring everything, checking stylus angle, alignment, VTA etc, no difference. It’s just a terrible pressing.

That’s the only thing about vinyl, you can’t tell if you’re buying something that’ll be great to listen to, or awful until you get it home. Many new presses sound flat, dull, no dynamics. They sound digital, you receive no benefit from vinyl format, probably sound better as a digital source.


One of my favourite pressings of recent years is B.C Camplight - Shortly After Takeoff. That sounds wonderful on vinyl. But, a lot of new vinyl these days is not mastered properly for the format, with very disappointing results for such an increasingly expensive format.

Totally agree with the variance in quality.
I have been unimpressed with some of the 180gm vinyl which is supposedly a higher quality product. The only benefit of 180gm appears to be less warping if badly stored.

70s rock classics remastered usually involves digital.

Analogue or digital boils down to subjective opinion. What cannot be disputed is that digital has made great strides in recent years and it is a no brainer in terms of convenience. I have grown acustomed to controlling everything from my phone without leaving the sofa and having more or less everything available at my finger tips via Qobuz and the NAS. Whilst convenience is a big plus, simplicity is not. I have acumulated quite a collection of boxes, filters and cables, so many that I gave up having an equipment signature. Thankfully most of the boxes are on the small size. They all enhance the enjoyment of music to a greater or lesser extent, mainly in proportion to price, the Cisco switches being something of a give away.

I ripped and sold my large CD collection, which was taking up far too much space, some time ago. The vinyl, far less as I stopped buying it in the mid 80s, remains. I would say that it is in the cupboard, but I have not thrown away the key.

Glad to hear U have enjoyed your ‘return’ to records.
Records have always been my number one source with any equipment purchased to aid its progression.
I do love this modern world with the technology for digital and streaming it brings- plus a good sound as well.
My passion for a new record purchase remains strong but buyers remorse does creep in when I buy one album at £30 when I know for £1 I can get at least 6 cds or £10 gets me a monthly subscription
We are being penalised for favouring vinyl

Discogs rules. I'm paying about the same for used near-mint vinyl as I have to for new CDs from Dodax.

Congratulations Fret

I can't wait to get my vinyl source going again, be it LP12 or PL71. I can't say I care which one makes it first although it would be nice if the Pioneer was to be my favourite, just for RD and his memory. I have a few first pressings from led zep, beatles, stones, santana, the wurzels and a few others.

There is no contest for me as regards anologue vs digital for outright enjoyment. Anologue every time as long as it was recorded via anologue means. Anything recorded digitally then you might as well stream it or play the CD.

Carry on the enjoyment