Well, yes and no. I had my vast collection of second-hand classical records, and I still hold that string sound from the best of the vinyl ones surpasses anyth

Well, yes and no. I had my vast collection of second-hand classical records, and I still hold that string sound from the best of the vinyl ones surpasses anything off a CD. Whether that was a difference in studio techniques and philosophy is another matter — I imagine that Walter Trampler was miked differently in 1975 than Yuri Bashmet in 2001, for example — but the sound from my prize vinyl was warm, full, and smooth, without a hint of the near-imperceptible metallic rattle I hear in even the best of my CDs. I may, of course, be imagining it. But I still bear a grudge against the people who stole my collection. I should work on that. EDIT: I'm certainly no audiophile, and my equipment was nothing special.