question about the "analog sound"


Hi all-I am an analog newbie with a very modest setup; Project DebutI, Grado Platinum cart, Bellari phono preamp. The sound I am getting is very natural, but lacks the fullness, richness, and overall oomph that my digital front end delivers. My question is, am I hearing a representative analog sound, or simply hearing the weaknesses of this setup? Or, do I perhaps have a phono preamp/cartridge mismatch?

Please, no advice to buy a whole new setup, as I don't wish to do that right now. I would, however, make changes such as a new cartridge, if folks thought it might make a difference.

FWIW, the rest of my system is as follows: AES tube preamp, B&K ST-140 amp, GMA europas, HSU subwoofer, Arcam cd-72.

Thanks much for your thoughts!
douglasmkatz

Showing 1 response by shadorne

I think Vinyl is a bit laid back compared to the "dryness' of digital, which is why many people like it. I am not surprised to see you comment that it lacks the "ooomph" you are used to hearing on digital, which some would call "harsh".

My experience with Vinyl was that you could get "oomph" on 12" 45 RPM singles made for clubs....just as good as digital. However, LP's were just a tad bit polite...I used to buy only Japanese pressings because of these issues. Although Vinyl quality variablility was not as bad as modern pop CD's ...