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 2 responses by liv2teach

Looks like I can’t respond individually, so I’ll just go down the line...

Cleeds....I had to ask

russ69...it’s not the size of the collection that counts...LOL, I had too. I actually have about 400 records. I bought out what was left of an older gentleman’s collection a few years ago and parked in my "media" closet. Just opened it and started going through it a while back. I have about 16 MFSL, half a dozen 200 and 180 gram, a number of Pink Floyd unopened and what looks like an original pressing of The Wall... I’m still sorting as I clean my way back through the closet.

elliottbnewcombjr... I live in Washington state, about 60 miles north of Seattle...use to be called the Emerald City...now it should be called the brown pile city. I agree with you, if I can find someone to help me dial this in, it would be worth trying. I did have a friend who put the tt together and got it up and running, but I’m not so sure he really did his best work.

coys21...good thought, I bought the cartridge used from a dealer...it’s in good shape, but I’m sure it’s well broken in at this point.

ebm...I want to believe my friend.

mijostin... I hear you, that’s kind of the thing. I tend to use my music as an escape after work and I often fall asleep for awhile. With records, I’d have to get up about 20 minutes...not to say I don’t have those time when I just sit and listen and would love to hear good vinyl playing.

knotscott....agreed, thanks

dekay....huh? LOL... I’ll try the first thing you suggested and work my way from there. Thanks

vinylzone... I’m always in trouble, staying or going...LOL. Actually told my girlfriend’s 17 year old son the other night he should check out the Clash, Combat Rock.

tom2015...you summarized the situation succinctly. I’ll invest some time and effort into seeing this through...

Thanks guys for the help and advice... Skip
Wow...great advice here. I’ve read through it all in detail...

I can’t respond to each person individually, but here’s what stuck and some steps I’ll take before pulling the plug...so to speak.

I’ve had two generous offers of help from people on here who live in the area, I’ll be contacting them... Thanks

The Oppo 205 I use as a DAC is not just an Oppo, it’s a Modwright which is a whole different animal...not looking for a debate, just stating a fact.

The Manly Chinook is considered a top of the line phonostage, so I’m not suspecting it.

I believe the problem lies in the setup (overall), the cart, and I’m suspect of the "Zorin" tonearm and possibly the records I chose to listen too. I have better records in my collection, but was hesitant to play them until I had the time to clean them and insure I wasn’t going to do damage by playing them...by the way the Kirmuss mentioned on here looks interesting.

I’m currently selling off a bunch of "stuff" I’ve gathered over the years. It’s just money laying around and filling up closets. When I’m done with the sales and depending on what I find out about my system from those who offered help, I may sell off parts of the record collection "MFSL" and the tt and reinvest the money into a new and improved system.

Thanks again