Is it worth expanding into Vinyl???


I've been kicking around the idea of going vinyl for awhile so I figured I'd post some questions. I understand the difference between Vinyl and Digital from a sound recording and reproduction standpoint and the pros/cons of it, but I guess real world opinion specific to my situation is what I seek.

I was born in '79 so by the time I got into music, Digital had already taken over. As such, I was never exposed to Vinyl as a child and have been raised on the digital "sound". At this point, I have a fairly substantial collection of SACD and DVD-Audio which serve as my primary listening material. Genre's are very dispersed including just about everything.

If I decided to venture into Vinyl, I would want to do so with a minimal investment up front (for the hardware)...perhaps around $500-$600. I also see that one can spend over $30k on a turntable with tonearm and cartridge, so that's a little intimidating to me. I don't want to waste even my measly $500 on getting into vinyl if I need to spend substantially more to get sound that exceeds that of my current all-digital setup.

Here is my current setup, so the only addition would be that of the turntable itself, played through these components. I suppose I'm just looking for opinions from anyone who has one regarding whether a ~$500 turntable on this system can yield sonic results that equal or exceed my current capabilities (realizing that the recording itself plays a tremendous role in the reproduction).

SACD/CD Player: Music Hall Maverick (stock)
DVD-A Player: Denon 3910 (stock)
PreAmp: Outlaw Audio 950
Amplifier: Outlaw Audio 750
Fronts: Axiom M80 v2 (Bi-Wired)
Center: Axiom VP150 v2
Rears: Axiom QS8 v2
Sub: Axiom EP500 v2
Interconnects: Outlaw Audio
Speaker Wire: Monster M1.4s BiWire

I should also mention that a nice, wide and open soundstage is the most important characteristic I look for in listening. The more "real" it all sounds, the happier I am.

Any opinions or feedback would be greatly appreciated. Turntable recommendations would also be greatly appreciated!
fatgh0st

Showing 2 responses by buscis2

I might suggest spending time with some friends who own both formats. Make an attempt to match your CDs to friends LPs and listen to them A-B. You will probably walk away from such a comparison being better informed and more than likely even more confused.

I'm 49 years old. I have been playing vinyl since I was preteen.

My opinion?

Digital has really become excellent. I owned an original Sony CDP101 during the original release. It was absolutely horrifying digital. Back then, the sound of vinyl was very, very different compared to digital. At this point in time, I have to very carefully question if the sonic differences between vinyl and CDs isn't slowly beginning to diminish and minimize.

But do also consider that low end analog provides low end results. A good analog front end is a substantial investment. I feel an important consideration would be the cost of investment. I promise you...... If you're bitten by the analog bug, you are not gonna stop at a $2k rig. You'll also find that your record collection will begin to represent a huge outlay of money.

A quality digital front end properly connected to a Tubed-pre is a very fulfilling and satisfying sonic presentation. I'm gonna put my neck out here and state that some will rival analog all day long in terms of tonal accuracy, texture and holographic imaging characteristics.

Boy..... Am I gonna catch Hell for that one. :>)

Tvad, you just hit the nail directly on the head.

Many of us consider our turntables or CDPs our sources. It's the actual records or CDs that are the actual sources. It's the recording that stirs the emotions. The electronics are simply the carrying vehicles.

Bad recording = Bad listening experience. An extremely important thing to keep in mind is that only CLEAN records sound good. And there are only a few record cleaners that do the job properly. Take some time and also investigate the costs associated with the proper cleaning equipment/supplies.

Anyone on this thread will tell you..... Dirty records sound really bad.