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155a cluttered record-care corner with brushes, sleeves and a cleaning machine on one side and a single phone resting on a bare armrest on the other.The Daily / Opinion

No. 155 / Opinion

Digital wins on paper, and I still drop the needle

Digital beats vinyl on fidelity, wear, noise and convenience, and I still choose the harder format when I listen critically.

The Sound Lab · 2 November 2026Read the note

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155 notes · newest first

November 2026 · 2 notes
  1. Digital wins on paper, and I still drop the needleNo. 155 ·
  2. I placed my speakers with my own voiceNo. 154 ·
October 2026 · 31 notes
  1. Klipsch magic, Wilson truthNo. 153 ·
  2. Boomy bass, new amp; harsh treble, tubesNo. 152 ·
  3. The free cables that were not cheapNo. 151 ·
  4. Three songs, one hug and tearsNo. 150 ·
  5. Not a hundred times betterNo. 149 ·
  6. Control against commandNo. 148 ·
  7. Give it six monthsNo. 147 ·
  8. The closest to the master tape I have heardNo. 146 ·
  9. Do not jump straight to a $3,000 cartridgeNo. 145 ·
  10. $25,000 of cable in the system, $10,000 in a boxNo. 144 ·
  11. So quiet the system disappearsNo. 143 ·
  12. Boosted 20 dB, then cut againNo. 142 ·
  13. The price tag as a self-fulfilling prophecyNo. 141 ·
  14. Three tracks I trust more than a spec sheetNo. 140 ·
  15. Execute the cloth or fire your cleaning ladyNo. 139 ·
  16. Built like a tank, sounds like life itselfNo. 138 ·
  17. A Japanese original against a new reissueNo. 137 ·
  18. Bass traps before a subwooferNo. 136 ·
  19. Answering Omar without the word betterNo. 135 ·
  20. The implementation, not the chipNo. 134 ·
  21. Great sound at any budgetNo. 133 ·
  22. I destroyed a $500 cartridge with a clothNo. 132 ·
  23. I never gave them the room to prove itNo. 131 ·
  24. The handshake between the groove and your earsNo. 130 ·
  25. Your streamer is not the bottleneckNo. 129 ·
  26. $3,300, and I am almost buying itNo. 128 ·
  27. GZ codes: proceed with cautionNo. 127 ·
  28. Positioning costs nothing. Start there.No. 126 ·
  29. $2,000 of cable on a $3,000 system is insaneNo. 125 ·
  30. Under $10,000, buy the small boxNo. 124 ·
  31. Light at the end of the bias tunnelNo. 123 ·
September 2026 · 30 notes
  1. The honest case for digitalNo. 122 ·
  2. A flagship turntable into a $500 amplifierNo. 121 ·
  3. Every word in the lyric mattersNo. 120 ·
  4. Is this a hobby or an obsession?No. 119 ·
  5. Butterfly layout, rectangle, 1,000 square feetNo. 118 ·
  6. What the hell cables are you using?No. 117 ·
  7. Ordered by wire transfer within minutesNo. 116 ·
  8. Where diminishing returns stop workingNo. 115 ·
  9. Massive, noticeable, subtleNo. 114 ·
  10. 800 square feet, L-shaped, one positionNo. 113 ·
  11. $13,000 or $25,000: the question nobody asksNo. 112 ·
  12. Not watching the performance: in itNo. 111 ·
  13. The price of a small family carNo. 110 ·
  14. A speaker built for a treated roomNo. 109 ·
  15. Separates win, at five times the priceNo. 108 ·
  16. This is not a hit piece on vinylNo. 107 ·
  17. Clap before you buy softwareNo. 106 ·
  18. The real snake oil is certaintyNo. 105 ·
  19. The everyday listener and the audiophile toolNo. 104 ·
  20. Buena Vista at 45, one level higherNo. 103 ·
  21. Bias exists. So can the difference.No. 102 ·
  22. My next system, and the one I keepNo. 101 ·
  23. A 911 Turbo already does 90%No. 100 ·
  24. A glorified LCD, I saidNo. 99 ·
  25. The first $500 goes on the wallsNo. 98 ·
  26. The helicopter finally flewNo. 97 ·
  27. My cable curve, in four stepsNo. 96 ·
  28. A $1,070 gap that sounds smallerNo. 95 ·
  29. When the pressing is rightNo. 94 ·
  30. The 3-metre rule, notarisedNo. 93 ·
August 2026 · 31 notes
  1. Do I have the foundation?No. 92 ·
  2. A chain built to show no mercyNo. 91 ·
  3. One hero component cost me yearsNo. 90 ·
  4. If it looks like a studio, you won't sit in itNo. 89 ·
  5. The full stop and the footnoteNo. 88 ·
  6. Three problems no amplifier will fixNo. 87 ·
  7. A Formula 1 engine in an ordinary carNo. 86 ·
  8. 300 records, 250 SACDs and over 1,000 CDsNo. 85 ·
  9. The audition that keeps knockingNo. 84 ·
  10. Hundreds on the room before thousands on cableNo. 83 ·
  11. A Corneliani suit at 70% offNo. 82 ·
  12. Better speakers, bigger room problemsNo. 81 ·
  13. Four people to carry itNo. 80 ·
  14. I blamed everyone except myselfNo. 79 ·
  15. 37%: the highest correction I ever recordedNo. 78 ·
  16. Appearances matter. Sound matters more.No. 77 ·
  17. Most of the Amethyst at a quarter of the costNo. 76 ·
  18. The dealer who tried to protect meNo. 75 ·
  19. Nobody judges a driver without its cabinetNo. 74 ·
  20. Tell me the plant, the album and the soundNo. 73 ·
  21. A dealer who treats the curious like buyersNo. 72 ·
  22. From 25% correction to 7%No. 71 ·
  23. Years of Klipsch on a Yamaha receiverNo. 70 ·
  24. Mistakes are the only real teacherNo. 69 ·
  25. The A8 won, and the Rose was still betterNo. 68 ·
  26. A digital master with vinyl's limits addedNo. 67 ·
  27. Paying for the last 3 to 5%No. 66 ·
  28. I over-treated my roomNo. 65 ·
  29. Break a moving coil and there is no simple fixNo. 64 ·
  30. Upgrade fever, and the six-month testNo. 63 ·
  31. More correct, less aliveNo. 62 ·
July 2026 · 31 notes
  1. At $80 it should beat a used copy from the '70sNo. 61 ·
  2. Nothing in the chain changedNo. 60 ·
  3. Amazon to $300 beats $300 to $1,000No. 59 ·
  4. Cleaning reveals the pressing; it cannot fix itNo. 58 ·
  5. Absorption or diffusion? Neither.No. 57 ·
  6. 19 dB, or a hundred times the powerNo. 56 ·
  7. Before $5,000 on a component, stopNo. 55 ·
  8. The better the system, the less forgiving the recordNo. 54 ·
  9. $100,000, $1,000 and a Happy Meal voucherNo. 53 ·
  10. You are in the churchNo. 52 ·
  11. Cables: real, and not always worth itNo. 51 ·
  12. 44 million records, and the standards slippingNo. 50 ·
  13. The gear serves the musicNo. 49 ·
  14. The sound I had chased since I was a kidNo. 48 ·
  15. An excellent moving magnet beats a poor moving coilNo. 47 ·
  16. The first listen, aloneNo. 46 ·
  17. If it has XLR, use itNo. 45 ·
  18. Thirty seconds of coolingNo. 44 ·
  19. Over $150,000 in ten yearsNo. 43 ·
  20. A Wilson-sized speaker in an open fieldNo. 42 ·
  21. Learn to read the dead waxNo. 41 ·
  22. What better means at The Sound LabNo. 40 ·
  23. If it sucks, at least it looks goodNo. 39 ·
  24. Headphone texture, with real pressureNo. 38 ·
  25. Bits are bits. Well, not exactly.No. 37 ·
  26. A $25,000 bargainNo. 36 ·
  27. Treated, but still a living roomNo. 35 ·
  28. From AliExpress fakes to Transparent ReferenceNo. 34 ·
  29. When not to buy separatesNo. 33 ·
  30. The $10,000 you find by moving a speakerNo. 32 ·
  31. Never buy because a reviewer told you toNo. 31 ·
June 2026 · 30 notes
  1. A $10,000 system in a 10 by 7 metre roomNo. 30 ·
  2. Stop buying blindlyNo. 29 ·
  3. The house comes before the hobbyNo. 28 ·
  4. The bass took a day offNo. 27 ·
  5. Four albums, and the dearest was the worstNo. 26 ·
  6. $40,000 to the point of no returnNo. 25 ·
  7. They cannot sell you a roomNo. 24 ·
  8. Before the hi-fi, a PlayStation 3No. 23 ·
  9. My first thought: the dealer cheated meNo. 22 ·
  10. $500 of power cable or $500 of panelsNo. 21 ·
  11. $100,000 of gear, a terrible new recordNo. 20 ·
  12. A preamp is a discussion. A house is a marriage.No. 19 ·
  13. Not struggling. Pushing its limits.No. 18 ·
  14. And then I became insufferableNo. 17 ·
  15. Broken before it left the factoryNo. 16 ·
  16. My best upgrade had no gear in itNo. 15 ·
  17. I heard nothing. I assumed.No. 14 ·
  18. $40,000 of sunk cost in my own headNo. 13 ·
  19. The upgrade that never depreciatesNo. 12 ·
  20. Weeks back in vinyl and already overspendingNo. 11 ·
  21. 250 times more for the same copper?No. 10 ·
  22. Two 40-amp circuits, one per monoblockNo. 9 ·
  23. Bad Guy and the clip you always rememberNo. 8 ·
  24. I would gladly use the $20 cableNo. 7 ·
  25. I said nobody moves house for speakersNo. 6 ·
  26. My single best purchaseNo. 5 ·
  27. Listen to the outer grooves firstNo. 4 ·
  28. Measure first, and do it for freeNo. 3 ·
  29. Casual or critical: choose the format by the jobNo. 2 ·
  30. In Dubai, the grid is quite cleanNo. 1 ·

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