Rocky return to vinyl


I've recently moved from an integrated amp with no phono stage (Jolida 302B) to monoblocks and a preamp with phono -- Marantz 2s with a Marantz 7 pre. I've had an old Rega Planar 3 in retirement for a long time. It has what I gather to be the less respected RB200 arm, and I got a Shure M97xE, based on recommendations here at Audiogon. Most of my collection now is CD. My LPs are mostly high school stuff, and I got the inexpensive Shure just to take a small step into the world of vinyl with my new-to-me Marantz amps. As it so happens, the one LP I have that I also have a CD copy of is Earth, Wind, and Fire -- an anamoly in my listening, but fun and the CD sounds pretty good. (I have a Music Hall CD25.) Now, when I converted to tubes a couple of years ago, I got the impression my preference for tubes probably would translate into a preference for vinyl. And it still may. But I was VERY disappointed when I put on that LP. The instruments sounded muddled and congested, especially in direct comparison to the CD. I've tried a couple of more albums, but they all fall way short of what I'm used to from my decently recorded CDs.

I'm assuming the most common response I'm going to get here involves my spending several hundred dollars. But could I just be missing something basic? Should the difference with this Rega/Shure setup be THAT different from the Music Hall CD player?
judasmac

Showing 1 response by jimrick1

UHF magazine had an excellent article on DIYing a record cleaning machine. Their website has an index to back issues, so you can figure out which issue to get. Their machine uses an inexpensive shop vac.

I doubt that using a turntable to spin the records will give acceptable results. The VPI RCMs run at 18 RPM. If this speed was wisely chosen, even 33 is too fast. No problem, rotate the platter by hand. I got a good deal on a used VPI several years ago because the motor unit was not rotating the platter. I turn the platter by hand, and it's no big deal - I would've ordered a replacement motor if I thought I needed one.

http://www.uhfmag.com