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
Get a proper Belt Drive turntable.
Miller is right, streaming sucks. There is not a single note reproduced right. Or even a single silence in between notes. In other words, streaming is not even wrong. And the rest of digital is about the same, slightly better.
Good point about second rate pressings.
Your turntable and cartridge must be replaced if you want to upgrade. You need a high resolution MM or MI cartridge with advanced stylus profile, and a proper Direct Drive turntable like Technics SL1200GR if your budget is limited, but you still want the best for less money.

Also you have to try ORIGINAL pressings instead of re-issues. Try to find vinyl made from analog mastertape, not from digital master. Vinyl itself can be bad, pressing can be bad, mastering can be bad too. You have to find your reference vinyl first (make sure it’s good).
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.


op

what are your speakers?

the hegel h95 has their latest dac implementation... it should sound very good indeed

there is a recent thread, well commented and discussed, speaking on the subject what it takes to have top performing streaming digital vs analog front ends... might be good reading for you
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The weak link is you are using digital as your reference. While it is possible to make your analog rig sound as bad as streaming (sorry Mike, but your level streaming and his, come on! At your level everything even streaming sounds good!), why? Don’t put legs on a snake. Learn to recognize and appreciate what your analog rig is doing. Because I assure you, it already sounds leagues better than streaming.

Now as far as how to go about making it even better- always work to get the most out of what you have before paying for upgrades. Because upgrades are sunk, while other improvements are forever.

Something like Synergistic Research PHT for example will be equivalent to a better cartridge, but with the advantage they do not wear out. Your table is a little light for Townshend Pods, and they are also a little pricey for your system. So you might want to wait on that. But Nobsound springs are perfectly affordable and will make a huge improvement. Another good one, TA-102 or fO.q tape. Put this tape between the cartridge and head shell, run a strip along the underside of the arm tube, use some under the platter and on the plinth, around the motor, and hear a huge improvement in presence, clarity and inner detail.

Note: Nobsound springs $30, fO.q tape $60, PHT $200.

Definitely do all these first, and only then look at upgrading components. When you do, I suggest taking a long term system building approach. In practical terms this means one thing at a time and big leaps not baby steps. So for example your next move could be to something like a Decware ZP3 phono stage. A big jump up in price, but huge in quality, and lifetime warranty so no worries there. The phono stage is a huge factor in analog sound quality. Your jaw will drop as you hear performance never dreamed of coming out of your little table.

Most guys will upgrade the cartridge, or table, or phono stage, but in tiny little increments so you get a little improvement but never anything like what I’m talking about here. A killer phono stage is a game changer.

But again, seriously, stop comparing your phono to your streamer. It’s the other way around.


you got it; you need to see if you can go to a local dealer or someone where you can hear decent quality analog, before you invest in it.

it might be you still prefer the streaming. it’s not hard to acquire good streaming. good analog has a higher upside, but steeper learning and investment curve.

enjoy the streaming until you get your world rocked with analog. there is no hurry. OTOH if you have a wild hair to jump into analog you will get lots of help here to spend your $$$'s.