I have just heard the MOST heavenly Ava Maria of my life

[Pierre.Suave]

short of the Live performances I have seen that have been world class, this is a very close second.

I recently picked up a new record player/cartridge/phono pre-amp and some records.

to say I am stunned is an understatement. This is pure audio bliss.

This audio equipment is by far the best investment of my life.

Simply amazing.

edit: It was sang by The Cambridge Singers directed by John Rutter.

[Kutjara]

1. Isn't it amazing how good a...

...vinyl setup can sound? After years listening to nothing but CDs and MP3s, I dusted off my old, what had once been high-end, turntable and preamp, set it up and played a few records I hadn't heard in awhile. It was as if I'd been walking around with cotton wool stuffed in my ears for twenty years, and it had suddenly fallen out. The warmth, clarity, tone, and just general feeling of the records was orders of magnitude better than anything a digital processor can recreate. Suddenly, all my high-tech digital audio gear looks like a waste of money.

[Pierre.Suave]

3. The most complimentary thing I can say

is that it sounded like MUSIC.

Which I can no longer say about my digital sources. No matter how good they are, I can not.

[Kutjara]

5. You hit it right on the head:

Digital reproduction just isn't music.

[grannylib]

2. My husband yearns to go back to vinyl. There really is another

dimension to the sound, and with a high-quality cartridge and a good system, I agree...
When I was about 3 or 4, I used to have a little yellow record, Dale Evans, singing Ave Maria on one side and The Lord's Prayer on the other :-) It didn't sound too good though *lol*

[Elidor]

4. I'll have to keep an eye out for that

My favorite is Aaron Neville.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2lSakixuQg

[graywarrior]

6. Is it this one?

http://youtube.com/watch?v=qHm--j_jRy4

[tjwmason]

7. Which composer?

I love to see how different folk approach the same (relatively short) text in very different ways.

[applegrove]

8. I walked into Notre Dame one day as they were singing that from the balcony.

It was just a chance thing. A friend and I were in Paris walking home from the left bank when we saw a few people go inside. It ended soon after we arrived. But it was heavenly too.

[bif]

9. Most of John Rutter's stuff is great.