I don’t know why you get those results (esp on streaming), and my being a big fan of LZ IV doesn’t mean it’s exactly an audiophile test piece to me (apart from the drums on Levee perhaps). However, it doesn’t matter because you clearly have the right answer for your ears/ room/ system / preferences, which is as much as any of us can hope to achieve. Moreover I think everyone who has heard an MG-1 rates it highly, even if they didn’t like it quite as much as you. Let’s just label the whole exercise a big success.
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My intention isn’t to highlight the components. Although I’m happy to answer any questions as the sources are not Naim therefore people may not be familiar with them.
My point was regarding the medium of vinyl. Just a very surprising result for me.
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ND555 owner here with 2 power supplies, Chord Music IC/ETH cables. It is the best digital source I’ve heard (and I’ve heard all the usual suspects at many times the price).
Since purchasing a Solstice SE vinyl has become my main source for critical listening. There’s magic in those grooves that digital can’t touch. Granted not all records exceed their digital counterparts, but a well pressed vinyl recording takes me places digital can’t.
In defense of digital I have access to a vast catalog and it is my main source for classical. That’s the beauty of the current state of hifi. Never before have we had access to such high quality sound in our homes.
I think that’s pretty cool.
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I also was pleasantly surprised. I had purchased a naim unity star to replace my chord dac and i was biamping with a very good integrated and power amp. The Naim was far superior in every way. Tidal and cd playback were great and no way my RP3 turntable could come close. Then i purchased an Oracle Turntable from Don at Corbys and could not believe how much better the music is. My main source of music will now be Vinyl
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Thank you. A lot of my kit is second hand too. The MG-1 will be my biggest HiFi purchase by cost to date, by quite a margin. By contrast at the other end of the system are a pristine pair walnut SBLs which were a bit of a bargain for which I paid £340.
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The CAD employs the same dac chip as Naim. Or very similar. TDA 1543
Looking at the DR loudness wars database, more often than not vinyl has a larger dynamic range compared to digital for the same piece of music and I wonder if that could be a large part for folks preference to vinyl?
Personally, I have CD, digital and vinyl. Although my vinyl collection is smaller, it tends to be what I put on nowadays.
Nick
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Do you really believe that? I think there are a number of reasons for preference but not due to extended dynamic range. Possibly the same piece of music has been mucked up in the process
Remember that nearly all modern vinyl is digital.
So when one says vinyl vs ‘digital’ one is really comparing digital direct vs digital indirect via an electro mechanical reconstruction filter - ie ‘vinyl’
Almost certainly the the vinyl digital chain filters the chain and sound certain attractive distortions over a more pristine direct digital playback. I do think the RIAA eq filtering helps as well and provides an attractive warmth and a gentle roll off in the higher frequencies - which is probably more system and room friendly and I suspect on some system gives an impression of so called increased dynamics - but in practice is more about a tonal eq shift.
Of course there are relatively poor direct digital converters and reconstruction filters which don’t sound attractive - and also the eq compression applied or required for most streaming providers can sap enjoyment on higher end equipment. I find often a CD copy can sound preferable as the master tends to sound more natural to my ears… certainly not always - but enough to be noticeable.
I do like listening to much vinyl although I don’t find it as insightful, detailed or life like as a high end direct digital converter - although currently my vinyl is without record player… I did have frustrations with vinyl playback though - and that is the relatively higher inner groove distortion and reduced dynamics of inner groove compared to outer grooves on many pressings… but the outer grooves usually tended to sound pretty sweet.
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Does it? Where is the evidence, please?
Roger
I’m intrigued to know your record player/phono and DAC setup please. If you’re happy to share
Sure - I had a NA Spacedek and NA arm with a Lyra cartridge - can’t remember my phono stage - but into a 552 and 252 before that.
DACs I used a Hugo mk1 for several years - and then a Chord DAVE - again into 252 and then 552
hmm - not sure you can tell too much about loudness from dynamic range alone - a bit of a school boy error, it’s not meaningful as a measure to define the loudness of audio material. The key thing is short term variation between low and high dynamic ranges of different frequencies over a period of time, specifically every three seconds as used in the LUFS measure. (Loudness Units relative to Full Scale)
What is interesting that these days much music is processed to sound impressive and loud but still exhibit good dynamic range. In fact compressive codecs work best with this mode.
You will find much music that is streamed and mastered will be set to a loudness value of -14 LUFS but still exhibit good dynamic range ie 6 to 12 DR over average. If a master I much louder than -14 LUFS then streamer provider may adapt the audio with a limiter.
Downloads have been notorious for low DR ie < 6. If the same mix master is used for other formats that will become the lowest common denominator.
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Unfortunately, the DR readings found on the DR database aren’t an accurate measure of dynamic range when it comes to vinyl. Mastering engineer Ian Shepherd created a YouTube video about it many years ago. He can explain it much better than I can but my understanding is that the extra noise associated with vinyl (i.e. ticks, pops, general surface noise) will affect the readings.
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So it’s no good for loudness (wrong measures), and not accurate for dynamic range… what is its point?
I find that it is bit of a source arms race, with analogue and digital sources leapfrogging as I upgrade. I love both, CD’s ripped to NAS have the edge for convenience, but you can’t beat a good dedicated vinyl listening session.
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I have to say I prefer my Pink Triangle/AO modified RB300/Rega Elys2 to digital sources. It certainly is not as convenient as my Roon based system, DSD512 sounds excellent.
Could it be possible, that your Digi-Equipment is not combined at its best way?
Please tell us your Digi-Components and their Cable and Tweaks.