bhaskar@fluke.UUCP (K.S. Bhaskar) (01/23/85)
My neighbor bought a Sony CDP-111 CD player recently, and we hooked it up to
my stereo system for a side-by-side evaluation with my turntable. This was
not a double-blind test, but, I believe experimenter effects were eliminated.
The levels were subjectively balanced by adjusting the output control on the
CD player. The procedure was:
1. Synchronize the music from the two sources accurately so that the pre-amp
could be switched back and forth without discontinuity in the music.
(This proved to be very easy with the multiple fast forward / backward
speeds on the CD player.)
2. Listener to sit in position with eyes closed. Even with the eyes open,
the switcher's body was between the listener and the pre-amp, so that the
listener would not be able to determine the source selection. Switcher to
randomly switch hit several switches so that the listener cannot know
the initial selection (all switches make the same sound). Switcher then
turns up the volume control to listening level.
3. Listener periodically says "switch", and the switcher switches to the
other source. This happens as many times as the listener wants.
4. Listener gives a report.
The selections compared were Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" (Mobile
Fidelity 1/2 speed mastered) and Cyndi Lauper's "She's so Unusual" (yes, I
know this isn't a great test, but those were the only ones of which we had
both the record and the CD).
Both sounded good but different. We were consistently able to distinguish LP
from CD. Bass and imaging were virtually identical. The sounds of the clocks
in DSotM was the same. Some specific comparisons:
0. The CD was quieter, but not by much. But then, even normally, needle on
vinyl is pretty quiet on my system anyway. The voices between tracks on
DSotM were equally intelligible.
1. On DSotM, the CD sounded a little more muffled; conversely, the record
sounded a little more open. However, the CD sounded a little smoother.
This could be either better high-end in the record (since it is not
band-limited and does not have any low pass filters) or more peaky
cartridge response or both. There was not much to choose between the two
overall.
2. On SsU, the record was better. Cyndi Lauper's voice was occasionally harsh
and unpleasant on the CD, but only if I listened for it. However, it was
a very distinctive harshness, and did not need side-by-side comparison
tests to be noticed.
I will probably buy a CD player in the not-too-distant future, but not because
of any audible improvement. On the other hand, there is no reason not to buy
one: the sound is very good. The convenience of a CD player alone justifies
an eventual investment. If a CD player purchase is inevitable, any money I
invest in vinyl is wasted, so it makes sense to buy a CD player sooner rather
than later. (Hopefully this logic is not as warped as a record left in the
sun...) I'm thinking of the Revox. Does anyone know the lowest price it can
be acquired for?