Can I get sound "AS CLOSE TO PERFECT AS I'VE EVER HEARD" with vinyl on a budget?

Not to disagree with you, but can you identify better sounding digital versions of the music I identified in Post #67? (Of course, if that's not the music you listen to, then never mind )

 

technics put a lot of money into the development of their TTs in the 70s. lots of bargains to be had.

 

I love the Fish People remasters for the Kate Bush discs, some of the Stones discs I have mastered by MoFi on Decca, I have the original Zep discs mastered by Barry Diament. I know the latter are often dismissed by listeners as being sub par, but they work nicely for me. Then again, pretty much anything Barry Diament's done, I'll go for.

 

To me they were all really good except for Houses of the Holy which has a lot of tape warble.

 

So my question is, can I get decent sound without spending thousands? Can I pick up a vintage table, mount a fresh cart on it, set it up and get quality sound?

YES! Its easy, and very enjoyable!!

 

Maybe so, but a quick search of the music threads reveals plenty references to "total silence" with such and such pressing.

 

Vinyl can be more or less quiet of course, but 'total silence' isn´t going to happen. For much music it doesn´t matter much though, but for soft classical music it can be important finding records that have low noise pressings.

 

"total silence" it a bit of a slippery slope with vinyl if not a relative concept. There are mechanical noises or resonance issues that are present in vinyl that simply do not exist in the world of 0's and 1's. Any record can be turned up loud enough that you can hear something other that the music that is playing.

 

As one who grew up with vinyl and practiced for 30 years this is what I knew was the case. But I keep reading it. My favorite answer in this thread so far is this:

 

I can get pretty silent up to about 90 bd on a good clean pressing. After that I am just looking for trouble.

 

I can't help but be curious here: Are you asking for @Brother_Rael's opinion on which they think sound better, or what versions are 'universally better'...?? It seems pretty clear to me that they think CD wins every time. Sorry but it just sounds like you believe that there is some sort of objective measure for the 'better' version of an album that everyone should and will agree on...?

I have digital (and vinyl) versions of many of the albums you have listed that I think sound great, though my guess is if I recommend them to you, you won't agree (you seem pretty firm in your preference of vinyl).

 

Funny thing: the less I pay for an album, the more tolerant I am of pops and ticks.

 

Right, I think being hung up on silence between tracks is a pretty clear indication that vinyl might be a problem for the OP.

 

For a budget perfect vinyl playback is not going to happen. You can get good and often enjoyable sound for not very much money, but to reach the peak - like anything - requires some serious money.

I've owned several budget turntables - from a Thorens TD-166, to a Rotel RP2, Dual CS5000, and then a VPI HW19 Mark 3 with a RB300 tonearm. Each sounded different but had issues with mechanical noise, or a "wash" sound at higher listening levels. It wasn't until I stepped-up to a VPI Aries 1 that I began to not hear so many of the standard issues with analog.

Of course the Aries had a 25 pound platter and a massive heavy plinth. Add in the SDS power supply and you are talking at least a $3000 table - used. It had a rock steady - deep! - bass, and traced the grooves without any of the "wash" noise I had heard before. It had an almost digital type character in that regard - that's how quiet it was.

I've heard countless turntables on many different systems. The very best of these stereo systems had a lot of money thrown at their turntable and cartridges. Of course these were the same guys with electrostat speakers and thousands of dollars worth of tube gear, along with the very best NOS valves. Add in their obsessive nature to buy the best quality vinyl and the use of record cleaners, and you're talking about a high level of expense and detail.

But heck - I still enjoy vinyl now even though I've downgraded my system. The Dual CS5000 with a Shure M97xe cart is not high-end, but it sure is fun. It tracks well and minimizes ticks 'n' pops to the point where I rarely notice them.

 

Are you saying that I'm as stupid as a good number of the people around here and that if you named a particular CD to me, and if I never heard that CD, that I would claim to know how it sounds? You're being absolutely ridiculous.

Also, this..."you seem pretty firm in your preference of vinyl" is absolutely wrong; you have no idea what you're talking about and you're starting to make things up.

I'd be very interested to hear from everybody what are the best sounding releases, in any format, of my favorite albums.

You 100% do not have a digital "The First Songs" by Laura Nyro that sounds better than the AF vinyl.

 

There is, in principle, no best sounding record, or CD; it will mostly depend on what we like, and are looking for.
E,g, I can sometimes like an Lp more if the crest factor is higher, than on the CD, someone else might not be listening for that at all.

 

Nonsense.

And, you also do not have a digital "First Songs" that sounds better than the AF vinyl. Do you?

 

Audiophile Nervosa yields heaps of good used gear.

Get some decent stuff and you'll hear how records outperform cds.

 

no, cheap used old vinyl will sound horrible, guaranteed.

 

There's the rub then. The reason I sold off my vinyl rig is my digital rig bettered it. If I gotta spend $3K, it's not happening.
There are some great looking tts in the classifieds here. Just not willing to spend that kind of money to play my 60 lps.

 

Yes, you can get a really good DAC for $500 these days but excellent vinyl playback costs as much as it always has. It's not just a table, tonearm, cartridge and preamp either, you need the right accessories and cleaning too. You can spend $3k really quickly.

 

Sure. Still waiting for that bus to pass!

 

Perhaps you can find a decent used TT for $400, new MC cart for $300, receiver (w phono stage) for $300? $1,000 might sound quite nice.

 

Nonsense is something else completely, You´d be hard pressed finding that in my posts.

Can You explain, very slowly, what Your agenda is in all this.

 

Sounds like you've done exactly the right thing, and have let your ears be the judge. It's OK to stop and just enjoy the music. Maybe a new DAC to liven things up.

Hmmmm... 60 LPs is kind of a nice small-sized collection to consider finding a friend with a better-than-average vinyl rig and arranging to needle-drop them, and then, if you don't care to play files, burn them to archival-grade discs.