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Vinyl...should I stay, or should I go?

I've sort of hit a crossroads and have decided to part with my turntable, all accessories which go with the turntable, and my record collection. However, before parting ways with my analog gear I wanted to gather some feedback and make sure I've given vinyl a fair shake.

My setup is a VPI HW-19: a Zorin tonearm and a Dynavector 17dx cartridge, with a Manly Chinook phono-stage, It plays through Primaluna dialogue Pre amp and amps. The speakers are Goldenear Reference. 

Confession, despite this setup, I've mostly streamed Roon music through an ultraRendu into a ModWright oppo 205. It's just recently I decided to give listening to vinyl a try. I'm pretty much a novice to the finer points and nuances of getting the best out of vinyl.

Experience: I'm finding the streaming music seems to be more centered with a deeper and more textured soundstage. When I stream, no matter what era the music is from, the singer/music is front, center, deep and wide. On the other hand, the last couple of records I've tried. A very old and somewhat used Alan Parsons Project lp and Jim Croce, Don't Mess around with Jim 180 gram lp, have not presented the same quality soundstage. In fact, in both cases while much of the music is centered, the singer's voice is coming mostly from the left side (speaker). Also, I'm finding the bass to be lacking. Last night in a side by side comparison, I was taken aback by how much better sounding was the streaming music.

Question: Is this typical of vinyl or is there something in my setup (again I'm a novice) I'm overlooking? With all this said, any advice on what to check or look for would be much appreciated. I'm not trying to start a debate about the merits of vinyl vs. streaming. I'm really just trying to find out if what I'm experiencing is typical of the vinyl experience or if there's something I should be correcting before pulling the plug and selling off the analog gear. Thanks
liv2teach

Showing 1 response by alvinnir2

alvinnir2's avatar
alvinnir2
129 posts
 
I went though the same process as you. One thing to consider is that every cartridge has it's own sonic profile. Your particular Dynavector is generally very detailed but lean and lacking bass. I once owned one and never could get it to satisfy me and moved on to a cartridge more to my liking. That being said, I recently did sell my vinyl set up and the remaining 200 or so albums I had. Vinyl ,when everything lines up perfectly, and you have a great recording and pressing is pretty hard to beat. That happens less often than I would like to admit. Most modern pressings (180gm) have gone through a digital remastering anyways and loose the analog magic. Personally, I prefer having the huge variety that streaming offers. I can tune into the music I like that is also well recorded and sit back and enjoy without the hassle that vinyl brings to the table.
I have friends who have 1000s of records, listen to only the few hundred favourites that truly do sound great, while the rest collect dust...yet they can't give them up. 
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