Vinyl - One Word - WOW!!

Vinyl is VERY expensive, a TON of work and it takes up WAY too much room. It really IS a colossal PITA, as noted. BUT... it's totally worth it. Music is by nature an analogue and when you digitize it, you lose the realism that it captures and conveys. I have never had anyone listen on my system to a piece on vinyl, followed by digital (and I had a better and more expensive digital setup than the vinyl) and in EVERY instance the vinyl was the clear winner in terms of naturalness, openness and realism. Digital was always described as being "in a box" as compared with its vinyl counterpart.

I'm not such an absolutist, I love both formats.  I have some titles where the CD sounds better, and some where the LP sounds better.  Even multiple versions of CDs will sound different, and of course various pressing of LPs will sound different.  I have 5 versions of Supertramp's Crime of the Century, and they're all different!!  My favorite version is an early Mobile Fidelity pressing. (1978 I think)  My newest version is a HiRes version on BluRay, and it's boring.  The transients are much better on the OLD MoFi pressing because the master tape was 40 years newer!  

@mambacfa , I can record records in 24/192 and snap back and forth between the actual vinyl and the digital copy. Nobody can hear a difference. If there is a difference in mastering between the digital and analog copies that will make a difference and it can go either way. Gains have to matched carefully or the louder version will sound better. If your digital performance is always behind the vinyl then you have work to do on your digital side. It should not be!

I spent a few hours today comparing streaming with vinyl.

Vinyl wins easy. The sense of space, air, and speakers disappearing was much better with vinyl.  One record of electronic music by Klaus Schulze sound as good steaming it. But comparing things like Blue Notes records it’s not even close. The sound stage is much more open and reaches out into the room with vinyl. In comparison streaming sounds dry, dead, with all the instruments smaller and stuck way behind the speakers 

Dive in man. The water is fine yet quite deep…..

What's a vinyl?!

Some experience no difference between the sound of vinyl and digital, while others say that vinyl is more open, lively and realistic. Interesting to hear of such opposite experiences. I wish I heard no difference, because a vinyl setup could easily cost 5x what a comparable quality digital setup costs. You could spend $5K to $10K and get a VERY nice digital setup, where you could easily spend that on a phono cartridge, or a tonearm, or a phono preamp... and you still don't have a turntable!

My jaded and jaundiced take is that one day you listen to a record and you are in heaven, smiling ear to ear. The next day not. One day you listen to your very good digital set-up and you again smile ear to ear, the next day not. Some days you try both and nothing. Time to go get a book or hope to find a good movie. With all that said, I am the first to admit that when my substantial investment in my two 'tables sound "on" it is extremely gratifying. The fact that such old and basic technology can touch the soul in a way that digital never does (for me) is magical.

demo that project debut carbon evo, but dont buy it. 

again, DONT buy it. table is garbage, but the cartridge that comes with it, the sumiko ranier, is very good. they were smart to pick a very good cartridge on a junk table.

even after claiming they did, the debut evo STILL has motor noise and way too much rumble in many of the tables. i got one of the bad ones. 

 

@tubeguy76 "Vinyl is pure nostalgia, don't get too wrapped up into it.  "

reel  to reel can get expensive, but thats pure BS. i hope no one else steps in it. 

😂

I also have a nice collection from the 70's. Some of them still sound good, others don't. But even some of the new albums I bought, even the 180 gm ones often have sound issues with clicks pops etc. I have a very nice Nessie record cleaning machine that helps, but...

My current setup is a Music Hall 5.1 with upgraded acrylic platter, a Grado MC Sonata cartridge mated to a Musical Surroundings cream, and it sounds darn good on a good amp/speaker setup. But I just heard a new Project X2B balanced system and it takes it up another level! I may upgrade to that upstairs and move my Music Hall downstairs.

@marcdds77 you need to upgrade your turntable. Even the MH7.3 is better. I had the 9.3, then moved up the chain to a $3k turntable on the used market. Even $3k isn’t much to spend on a turntable!

I partially agree with you and understand your point completely. I hate the pops and clicks on many of my LP's, but when I get a good one and clean it properly, there is just a nice feeling to putting it on the turntable and sitting back between my speakers and just listening for 20 minutes.

However, when I'm multi-tasking I mostly listen to Roon like you. With a good setup, my DSD files sound especially good. There are so many songs to listen to it's crazy. But you can't beat the nostalgia sometimes.

Coltrane1 is right, I am going to have to upgrade to a better turntable if I want to listen to my better LP's and compete with my digital collection. Ah, the nostalgia of it all.

I just returned the Project Debut Carbon EVO and bought a Technics 1500C. And I upgraded the cartridge to the Ortofon Blue.

Very happy with it. 

Thanks everyone for your insight and help!

:goodtimes:

Vinyl: guarantied degradation of the original medium upon continual use, in need of frequent maintenance, friction based in the 21st century, limited data retention and mechanically based for reproduction, not to mention the sound, as of late totally sucks.