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Arizona Audio Video Club Event | Thursday October 23rd @ 7 PM
Event Announcement: An Analog vs. Digital Vinyl Shootout!
Vinyl lovers, this one's for you! But digital enthusiasts, you won’t want to miss this either.
Join the Arizona Audio/Video Club on Thursday, October 23rd, for a special vinyl playback event with a fascinating twist. We encourage you to bring one or two of your favorite albums to share as we explore some of the biggest questions in audio.
Our demonstration will feature a Rega Planar 3 turntable with a classic Denon DL-103 cartridge. From there, the signal will face a crucial fork in the road, pitting two distinct phono preamp philosophies against each other.
Round 1: The Phono Stage Face-Off
We will conduct A/B comparisons between a traditional analog phono preamp (Cambridge Audio CP2) and a modern DSP-based phono preamp (Parks Audio Puffin). This comparison gets to the heart of a classic debate: Which approach adds more undesirable character to the sound? Is it the subtle phase errors and distortion inherent in analog RIAA equalization circuits, or the act of analog-to-digital conversion itself? We’ll find out which device provides a better match for the venerable Denon cartridge and which sound signature the group prefers.
Round 2: The Ultimate Question – Purity vs. Power
For our main event, we will take the comparison to the next level. We'll pit the pure, untouched analog signal path against a sophisticated digital chain featuring state-of-the-art digital room correction.
Using the Puffin’s digital output, we will stream the vinyl signal into Roon, apply powerful 66,000-tap room correction filters created with Acourate, and play it back through our reference DAC. This raises the ultimate question for analog loyalists: Is the benefit of correcting for loudspeaker and room interaction "worth it," even if it means converting the precious analog signal to digital?
This second signal path challenges the "shortest path is best" mantra, traveling through a Raspberry Pi, a network, a Roon server, and the Diretta protocol before reaching the DAC. For many, this may seem like heresy, but the results might just surprise you!
The System:
- Turntable: Rega Planar 3 with Denon DL-103 Cartridge
- Loudspeakers: JBL 308P MkII Active Monitors
- Preamplifier: Topping Pre90
- DAC: SMSL D-6s
As always, the primary goal is for Phoenix area audio enthusiasts to enjoy fine music, fellowship, and fun. Come with open ears and an open mind for an evening of great tunes and lively discussion.
We look forward to seeing you there!