My Analog Journey - Opinions Sought

@bipod72  great post.  As one just getting into vinyl (i’m set on dig rig) I’m still in very early stages deciding on weather to make the jump as it is very $ to match a good dig rig, but your approach is really spot on.  One doesn’t need one format/medium, it’s not a competition between formats.  Use them all (if you can).  
 

I like the idea of compiling some albums on vinyl that the counter part in other formats are just plain crap and vice versa.  There’s more to it than that of course, but no reason to be strictly all one format.  
 

Having invested a ton into dig and a good size local library, I’m enjoying the alternate format, shopping for albums, learning all about the analog side of things etc..  no doubt vinyl rig is or can be depending on one’s goals.

Funny how streaming fans like to hang around here. Perhaps they think they are missing something...

It's not streaming fans liking to hang out on the analog forum, it's people who browse All Recent posts.  That's the way I browse the Audiogon forums and I rarely pay attention to the specific forum something is posted to.  So don't let it bug you, it's all good.

I agree with some of the comments here. Digital is great, but with the right setup and the right mastered record (or original etc) , its really tough to beat records.

Great to hear everyone commenting has an opinion (usually) based on their experiences (and  Most sound interesting and positive). The OP has made a “turn” in The Road, doesn’t sound like his First and guaranteed to not be his Last… 

…and the entire Hana Line still represents Great value (I have 4 Friends, all with different Hana models)

I have a very nice vinyl setup, Technics SP10 MkII, complete rebuild, 100lb custom plinth on Steelpoints, sits on  100lb component stand, Jelco TK-850L (knife edge bearing, 12"L), Korf ceramic headshell, Audio Technica ART9XA cartridge, Zavfino Gold Rush tonearm cable, Thoress phono stage. Grew up with vinyl, have over 3k albums, historically vinyl was my gold standard for sound quality. Started streaming aprox. 10 years ago, went through a number of streamers, interface and network equipment over those years to the point where I've optimized streaming such that sound quality is competitive with ripped cd's (over 3.5k) and my vinyl setup. Not saying vinyl and digital have exact same sound qualities but my digital doesn't have the digital artifacts that set it apart from my vinyl. Not difficult to get the resolution/transparency with digital, hard part is getting presentation correct, clocking  is critical throughout the entire chain, timing errors are the cause of much of those digital artifacts.

Bottom line is both my digital and vinyl fully immersive, each completely satisfies both the music lover and audiophile in myself. Digital and streaming has improved a great deal in recent years, no need to put up with digital artifacts, optimizing every single link in digital and/or streaming chain required to get there.

In regard to keeping both vinyl and digital setups. If I didn't have a large number of albums I'd give up the vinyl. Having to provision funds for both vinyl and digital setups means I've had to forego some upgrades in the past. With only a single format one can use all their audiophile funds on the one format. At this point in digital and streaming development it can provide everything a music lover and audiophile seeks.