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Help my analog sound as good as my streaming

Hi all - total newcomer here, really enjoying the forum and looking for some advice.

Relevant details: Pro-ject Debut Carbon EVO w/ stock Sumiko Rainer cartridge, into a Hegel H95 via a Parasound Zphono XRM. It sounds great-ish, but doesn’t blow me away like Qobuz via Bluesound Node 2i into the Hegel DAC. I’ll acknowledge that this entire system has a lot of room to improve in the eyes of many here - while I suppose I’ll eventually want to upgrade, I am absolutely thrilled with the streaming sound for now. 
Question: is the cartridge the weak link here, or am I expecting too much out of the PDC EVO? If the former, does the Ortofon Bronze seem a good option?

Many thanks for any suggestions/thoughts!
coys21

Showing 2 responses by ihcho

ihcho's avatar
ihcho
612 posts
 
I think your goal is flawed. I would set a goal of a good vinyl system that allows you to expand access to recording that may be pleasing, no matter the source. Don't expect to be blown away by vinyl, expect to be blown away by certain recording on vinyl that for you are enjoyable.

I think this is a very good point.  
ihcho's avatar
ihcho
612 posts
 
If you play records manufactured recently, very few of them will blow you away because most of them would sound not much different from streaming. It does not matter how expensive your cartridge, phono stage, and turntable may be.
Today I bought 4 LPs (costing $130). New Nora Jones, new Andrea Bochelli, Queen's newly made Bohemian Rhapsody, and Dire Straits So Far Way (2021 issue). Only Dire Straits album was far better than streaming and blew away streaming by a wide margin, but the rest sound so dull, and sound almost like streaming.
So, just in case, test your LP system with a good recorded LPs (most 70's Rock, 60's jazz, or hifi audiophile recordings, for example).
Then, follow suggestions on phono stage and cartridges. IMHO, $100 cartridge (like Grado Black) and $200 phono stage (like Belari) would be enough to blow away streaming by a mile.


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