2. analog
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How much do I need to spend to make vinyl sound better than digital?

All,

I have a solid vinyl setup that I like to think of as entry-level “plus:” Project Debut Pro with Sumiko Moonstone cartridge.  I enjoy vinyl for the ritual but find that my digital gear - a $400 ifi streamer and the AKM DAC built into my Anthem preamp - beats the analog rig in most ways.  Far better imaging/soundstage and much tighter bass without the occasional distortion/sibilance/warbling of the vinyl rig.  I haven’t messed with cartridge setup other than to check the factory-performed alignment, which looks perfect.  The table is perfectly balanced, counterweight set correctly with an electronic scale, etc - so I have no reason to think there’s a setup problem.  
 

Is this par for the course for this level of vinyl gear?  What do I need to spend to get my vinyl gear to match the performance of decent digital?  I’m thinking of upgrading to a Clearaudio Concept, perhaps with a Hana SL cartridge, but I want to make sure doing that is going to deliver a fundamentally different experience than what I have right now with the Project/Sumiko combination.

 

No interest in flame wars or rehashing the vinyl/digital debate.  I know vinyl can sound wonderful and am simply trying to decide whether I can afford the price of entry for a system that can gets the basics right (no audible distortion/sibilance, decent imaging).  I thought the Project/Sumiko would have gotten me there, but for whatever reason it hasn’t fit the bill.Thanks for any insights. 

lousyreeds1

Showing 4 responses by unreceivedogma

unreceivedogma's avatar
unreceivedogma
1,131 posts
 

These are the critical variables, with what mine sell for approximately (not anywhere near what I really paid) at retail:

- cartridge - $9,900

- tonearm - $900

- table - 2,400

- phono stage - $900

- tubes for phono stage - $1,200

TOTAL: $15,300  

Synergy MATTERS.

Milage WILL vary: I’m guessing entry to what you are looking for is $10,000. A lot less if you are patient, like I was, and CAREFULLY buy floor demos or used. 
 

I have 6,000+ LPs. At $25 an LP (many worth less, many worth more, some worth much more), that is about $150,000 worth. 
 

I listen to vinyl 95% of the time. CDs 4%. Online/streaming: 1%. I have so much invested in vinyl that I don’t have time or interest in exploring other platforms. 

unreceivedogma's avatar
unreceivedogma
1,131 posts
 

@r27y8u92 

“I cannot say possession of $150,000 is stupid, but also I refrain to say that was wise.”

Is that directed at me? You are making a value judgement on how many records someone owns? Really?

I hesitate to suggest what you may think of one friend of mine who has 14,000 LPs, all Afro Cuban. Or another friend, a famous and highly regarded journalist, who has 27,000 LPs. They must both be at the very least, very very very unwise? 

For the record, I have been collecting since the age of 11. I will soon be 71.  So that’s about 100 a year. 

 

 

unreceivedogma's avatar
unreceivedogma
1,131 posts
 

I’ve spent about $55,000 on my system over 57 years. 

Not only does the vinyl sound much better than digital, but I can hear when an LP is AAA vs ADA or DDA. 

To  be fair, I’ve invested more - way more - in the analog end than the digital end. I have 6,000 LPs and 400 CDs. 

Digital beats vinyl when the budgets are smaller. As the budgets get larger, then vinyl tends to win out. 

And don’t waste a whole lot of money on cables. Cables should have good enough shielding to deliver a signal efficiently, without degradation especially from RF interference. The rest is audiophile voodoo.  

In my experience. Mileage may vary. No. Mileage will vary. 

And take care of those LPs. An original press in NM condition is always better than the reissue, and almost always better than the remastered version. 

theaudioatticvinylsundays.com

unreceivedogma's avatar
unreceivedogma
1,131 posts
 

@inagroove 

What is the point of spending $100,000 on a vinyl front end when one can bring one’s listeners to tears with only $16,000? 

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