Sorry, 3000 miles is bit far : )
Vinyl is not always better than CD.
Recording:
Recording itself has a lot to do with it. If the recording is originally from Analog and then re-mastered into digital then Vinyl can be better ( but not always.) Vinyl press can vary from one batch to another. i.e. My friend borrowed a copy or the Nora Jones LP and he swears that it is better than his CD play back. Once he bought himself a copy, we did A/B comparison immediately. Guess what, the CD sound better this time.
TT setup:
This is quite complicate process. The result can vary a lot with different table, tonearm, cartridge, tonearm cable, motor, motor speed, and output cables. The easiest setup I've done so far was buying the EMT 930ST broadcast TT setup. It was truly plug and play. The only issue I had was the 50 hz motor. I traded it for something else that's more flexible and allowed me to swap to different cartridge, tonearm, cables and even phono preamps. It took a lot of effort to finally outperform the EMT 930ST setup.
Phono preamps:
This also play a big role. It varies a lot from one to another. There are many good ones out there to try but it will cost you.
Phono pre-preamp: ( step device for MC cartridge )
Cartridge compatibility was an issue for my favorite MC head. I was limited to only Active type. There are big difference betweent SS and tube pre-preamps. There are only a hand full of these tube pre-preamps, most of them are ok. I prefer it over the SS ones out there ( except I never get to try the super expensive one like Expressive Audio SU-1 or the PH-D.)
Phono cables:
I tried half of dozen top of line and decided to stick with the best of the bunch and stopped doing more comparison. The sound surprising varies a lot in cable technology.
Vinyl is not always better than CD.
Recording:
Recording itself has a lot to do with it. If the recording is originally from Analog and then re-mastered into digital then Vinyl can be better ( but not always.) Vinyl press can vary from one batch to another. i.e. My friend borrowed a copy or the Nora Jones LP and he swears that it is better than his CD play back. Once he bought himself a copy, we did A/B comparison immediately. Guess what, the CD sound better this time.
TT setup:
This is quite complicate process. The result can vary a lot with different table, tonearm, cartridge, tonearm cable, motor, motor speed, and output cables. The easiest setup I've done so far was buying the EMT 930ST broadcast TT setup. It was truly plug and play. The only issue I had was the 50 hz motor. I traded it for something else that's more flexible and allowed me to swap to different cartridge, tonearm, cables and even phono preamps. It took a lot of effort to finally outperform the EMT 930ST setup.
Phono preamps:
This also play a big role. It varies a lot from one to another. There are many good ones out there to try but it will cost you.
Phono pre-preamp: ( step device for MC cartridge )
Cartridge compatibility was an issue for my favorite MC head. I was limited to only Active type. There are big difference betweent SS and tube pre-preamps. There are only a hand full of these tube pre-preamps, most of them are ok. I prefer it over the SS ones out there ( except I never get to try the super expensive one like Expressive Audio SU-1 or the PH-D.)
Phono cables:
I tried half of dozen top of line and decided to stick with the best of the bunch and stopped doing more comparison. The sound surprising varies a lot in cable technology.