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Is it worth expanding into Vinyl???

I've been kicking around the idea of going vinyl for awhile so I figured I'd post some questions. I understand the difference between Vinyl and Digital from a sound recording and reproduction standpoint and the pros/cons of it, but I guess real world opinion specific to my situation is what I seek.

I was born in '79 so by the time I got into music, Digital had already taken over. As such, I was never exposed to Vinyl as a child and have been raised on the digital "sound". At this point, I have a fairly substantial collection of SACD and DVD-Audio which serve as my primary listening material. Genre's are very dispersed including just about everything.

If I decided to venture into Vinyl, I would want to do so with a minimal investment up front (for the hardware)...perhaps around $500-$600. I also see that one can spend over $30k on a turntable with tonearm and cartridge, so that's a little intimidating to me. I don't want to waste even my measly $500 on getting into vinyl if I need to spend substantially more to get sound that exceeds that of my current all-digital setup.

Here is my current setup, so the only addition would be that of the turntable itself, played through these components. I suppose I'm just looking for opinions from anyone who has one regarding whether a ~$500 turntable on this system can yield sonic results that equal or exceed my current capabilities (realizing that the recording itself plays a tremendous role in the reproduction).

SACD/CD Player: Music Hall Maverick (stock)
DVD-A Player: Denon 3910 (stock)
PreAmp: Outlaw Audio 950
Amplifier: Outlaw Audio 750
Fronts: Axiom M80 v2 (Bi-Wired)
Center: Axiom VP150 v2
Rears: Axiom QS8 v2
Sub: Axiom EP500 v2
Interconnects: Outlaw Audio
Speaker Wire: Monster M1.4s BiWire

I should also mention that a nice, wide and open soundstage is the most important characteristic I look for in listening. The more "real" it all sounds, the happier I am.

Any opinions or feedback would be greatly appreciated. Turntable recommendations would also be greatly appreciated!
fatgh0st
ponnie
233 posts
 
You got alot of advice and good advice. Is vinyl worth it yes. If you like the convenience of compact disc you may have a problem getting up and changing the record over. You may have occasional pops and ticks. No vinyl is perfect for ever. And neither is CD! But vinyl has a sound that is different than Compact Disk.
I would go to a friends house and listen to some of the CD's you have on vinyl before getting into vinyl. See if you think the medium is worth it.

If you want a real nice turntable that has been respected for many years look at a Rega turntable with a RB300 tonearm. The table with the RB250 will be fine to. I think Rega has the RB301 out now oops!

See if you appreicate the sound first then ask us the question of really good table that will compare to your current digital setup. I'm sure there are some that will trounce your current CD Player but digital has come a long way and something as simple as a tube Dac could improve your digital front end even more. It all depends on how critical your listening is and your preferences a well.

Good Luck
rlwainwright
1,904 posts
 
Save your time and money. You'd be better served by investing in improving the sound quality of your listening room. In any case, IIRC, the Outlaw does not have a phono preamp, so you'd need to budget for that.

Frankly, you already have a very nice digital source and adequate preamp and amp sections, I used to own a Denon 3910 and loved it. The Outlaw 950 and 750 combo is a good one. Not stellar, but good enough, nonetheless.

Unless you are willing to replace ALL of your speakers and your preamp/amp, upgrading your *room* is your wisest move - by far. Have an acoustician come in and give you an audit of your room. And then implement the changes he suggests. The cool part about this is that ALL of your sources (CD, DVD, FM, etc.) will instantly sound better.

You CAN achieve better sound than what you currently have, but adding a turntable is NOT going to do that for you...

(Feel free to contact me offlist if you have any other questions.)

-RW-
buscis2's avatar
buscis2
468 posts
 
Tvad, you just hit the nail directly on the head.

Many of us consider our turntables or CDPs our sources. It's the actual records or CDs that are the actual sources. It's the recording that stirs the emotions. The electronics are simply the carrying vehicles.

Bad recording = Bad listening experience. An extremely important thing to keep in mind is that only CLEAN records sound good. And there are only a few record cleaners that do the job properly. Take some time and also investigate the costs associated with the proper cleaning equipment/supplies.

Anyone on this thread will tell you..... Dirty records sound really bad.
Post removed 
newbee
4,751 posts
 
Tvad, I think you are right, but would add -Microscopically 'damaged' vinyl that is not visable to the naked eye is, however, as much a matter of poor pressings in the first place, not from misuse/storage. And yes, there is no remedy for it.

When I first started to collect vinyl it seemed as if American pressings from the late 60's onward were plagued with poor pressings, from, especially, the majors like Angel, CBS/Sony/Columbia, RCA etc.

I was amazed when I bought my first 'Import' recordings from EMI, Decca, Phillips, DG etc and found them to be amazingly clear and quiet. I was also amazed to hear the same thing on early RCA Living Stereos along with the sonics in the grooves.

I was not amazed that folks rushed to digital when it arrived because these exact problems were epidemic. That folks are now buying these lemons in the used bins is not surprising - I gave all the crap away to Salvation Army long ago and its probably found its way there.

Now if I get into a used record store I will only buy 'Imports' and a few other labels I know have the same consistent quality, which have unblemished surfaces. I've had good luck so far, but I'd be lying if I said there were many of these out there to be found. I think most have stayed in someone's library.

BTW, FWIW, if you like jazz and see any recordings put out by Concord Jazz buy 'em. Some American (non-audiopile labels) seemed to have almost always gotten good pressings, as have audiophile labels like TELARC(if you like the bass drum!) and Reference Recordings, to name a couple.

FWIW.
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