2. analog
  3. 167187-88202

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
lewm
12,551 posts
 
Dear Mijostyn, was your last post directed at me? I am not here for a cure. Although I probably should divest a bit in turntables tonearms and cartridges. First I’d have to choose between two completely different speaker systems, and I like them both. I have two very good one box CD/SACD/DVD players (3, if you count the OPPO that I use for movies), more than I need for casual listening, and none remotely tempts me to dump vinyl. These are already too many words for this thread.
hshifi
572 posts
 
Hello,
Unless you need the space or money I would get the TT tuned up. Plus, Knowing it all works properly makes it easier to sell. Most people do not listen to their whole collection. Some are not being streamed or the pressing is not being streamed. Sell off what you don’t listen to anymore or the duplicate pressings. As far as the sealed albums I would sell them. You are deciding to sell stuff anyways so why keep the vinyl you won’t open anyway. I have purchased three sealed Pink Floyd albums and listen to them. Some can be worth good money. Your gear is really nice and can be sold at anytime. I think you should do this in phases so you don’t get buyers remorse. I love streaming too, but there is something about playing a record that I love. To me the sound is different. It should not be an all or nothing decision. I hope this helped. 
midareff1
182 posts
 
@elliottbnewcombjr   me thinks vinyl always sounds better at your house because your vinyl gear is far superior to your much older digital stuff.
larsman's avatar
larsman
1,771 posts
 
Looks like you've got a really good system with that Chinook and all; I'd expect that vinyl would sound great on there, depending on your other gear. I've got a big vinyl collection but hardly ever played any records for years, just because they sounded so lifeless and dull. Recently upgraded the vinyl system, and now it's a whole different experience altogether - I love it!! 
slimpikins5's avatar
slimpikins5
191 posts
 
Hands down, no comparison.... vinyl should easily outperform your digital set up.   
I am in agreement, your cart may well be your problem.   I replaced a shibata stylus on a beryllium cantilever with a new old stock one I hunted down from overseas; OEM AT-20ss mm and wow!   What a night and day difference that made.   Then I replaced the wonderful AT20ss with an Ortofon A 90 MC and that stepped things up to another level (not that the AT 20ss was a slouch, it is 95% of the A 90 MC).  But if your stylus is worn, you have no idea of what information you are missing.
 
You do need a good over-all set up to enjoy the complexity of what is in the recordings, it makes a huge difference, especially the phono stage.
I have been through a bunch of phono stages until I found nirvana with my Whest custom built PS 30RDT SE 2019.  It transformed my music into another world.
More to discover