Dyed-in-the-wool Digital boy wants a turntable.

I knew this day was coming and frankly, I can only take the hint for so long that my incessant itch to read about different turntables is going to bear fruit soon, most likely with some Christmas money.

Some facts up front:

I have a very lengthy digital collection
I have a very quiet, well-thought out digital front end (Audio PC with LPSUs everywhere, i2S connection to DAC via Cat6e cable)
I am balanced from DAC to Amp (may come into play?)
I am sensitive to "digititus" in that compressed digital music sounds like garbage to me, ear fatigue is high, etc...
I have a budget of $2000
I have three vinyl records to my name; my parents will gladly let me "borrow" their collection to get started
My preamp - a Bel Canto Pre1 - has no phono input
I want to start above the "beginner" level

Ok, so with that out of the way, I would be remiss not to say I'm a little overwhelmed by everything I read. I have the gist of MC vs MM, but how things like tracking force, Azimuth, anti-skate (sorta), alignment, stylus replacement, overhang, etc... all work together to define quality of playback. Most of those things I understand on their own (except azimuth, and I'm not even sure if I'm using the right term here), but how they all work together is a bit mysterious to me.

I bring up the quality of my current gear because I think it's relevant. I don't think I should reasonably expect a cheap table and bargain phono pre to give me a realistic yin to my digital setup's yang. I feel like I have a good ear and I've spent the last three days really locking in the speaker setup in my little room. It's a night and day difference, far greater than any equipment upgrade has ever provided if I'm being honest.

I need to guard against going too far out of the gate. For instance, I think a Clearaudio Concept MC, while a budget stretch when factoring in a compatible pre/SUT, would maybe not be the best idea? Also, I'm not opposed to buying used.

I intend to put the table and preamp on a wall shelf, so I have to factor that into my budget as well. I am not currently factoring new vinyl into my budget, but I will obviously do that once I have everything set up and good to go.

On the preamp - assuming I can't put a balanced phono preamp in place, I have to research on whether or not I can feed a single ended input in, and have the preamp convert that to balanced to use the existing output to my amp. That's honestly a non-starter, unless I want to trade out the preamp I have for one that has a better phono section built-in. Given my proclivity for separates, I'd rather keep those things separate, for whatever that's worth. And yes, I have a very good reason for requiring XLR connections - the DAC sits nearly 50' away from the preamp (in wire terms) and I don't want to have an RCA connection that long.

So, this went far longer than I expected. What would you buy if you had $2k to spend on your first turntable?*

This actually isn't my first turntable, but it's the first one when I can afford something nice, and have a room setup to do it justice.

 

Don't do it

 

LOL, I'll take that under advisement

I did a little more research and it would appear that my current preamp converts everything to SE anyway, so basically I'd just switch from XLR out to RCA out which is completely fine in this case.

 

If you are looking for a good phono preamp in this price range, I recommend the PS Audio GCPH. This has balanced outputs and quite a bit of flexibility. It sounds good also.
These can be found for around $350 with a little searching.

 

Marantz TT-15S1 $1499
Project TubeBox $449

Bam! Done!!!

OK you have to be able to build a shelf for $52.

 

RP6. Good base and very upgradable.

 

Shelf budget can go up - they have two of these refurbished on Amazon for $1099.00. Hmm.

 

I found the Concept MC to go surprisingly well with the inexpensive Emotiva phono stage. Definitely a good starting point and keeps you close to budget.

 

If you need a budget phono stage I hear the Ifi phono is a stellar unit.

 

My first reaction to this question from "digital" guys is don't do it. The sound will be different, not necessarily better; a matter of taste really.

I bought my first lp back in 68', Magical Mystery Tour, and loved my albums. The one day as we were packing to move in to a new home I realized how much space (an entire coat closet) my albums were taking up. They had spent a few years untouched and unnoticed until it was time to lug them out. Shortly after we moved I decided to get rid of all the vinyl with the exception of maybe 75 sentimental treasures. Of course I kept the well worn Magical Mystery Tour along with the other Beatles albums.

If you are going to buy music you already have and want to listen to the media then go for it. If you want to have the vinyl experience then go for it. My advice though, is to buy used as much as possible in case in a year or so you decide it's more hassle than it's worth. And I wouldn't put any credence in anybody who says it's not a hassle to get it sounding better than your digital setup. Whether it's worth the hassle is up to you.

 

Get ready for disappointment.

 

Great insight as usual, Tim - thanks. It's a matter of discovery for me. I'm not looking to convert per se, nor am I out to prove one is better than the other - different is the best I can hope for I've basically reached what most would consider a "stopping point." Feels great until I realize that I am, at my core, a tinkerer. I love music, don't get me wrong, but just as much as I have a passion for the music I listen to I also have a passion for the journey into something new. You touch on a good point - re-buying media does seem to me a bit redundant and frankly I'll never have the same analog collection I currently have scattered across 1.5Tb of SSDs. But, I can think of 10-20 albums I'd seek out immediately on vinyl that would be awesome to put up next to my digital rig. Or, just spin a record and not worry about what song I might want to hear next. I've already changed my listening habits a great deal and with respect to those changes I think I can actually "handle" vinyl now.

And almost assuredly, I'll buy used. I will in all likelihood jump on the Marantz on Amazon. It gets stellar reviews and being a ClearAudio product, basically, I'd expect resale to be fine, I think.

 

If I didn't have any vinyl records, I wouldn't start now. When I went back to vinyl I had a large collection (1000) records to start from.

 

I agree. If I didn't have my existing collection I would not jump in. But as long as I am n the fold, I have been exploring much nicer gear than I was ever able to afford in my youth.

 

And joy. Lps provide plenty of both.

OP, if you appreciate why early CDs are so prized by many on this forum and have spent time chasing down different masterings and comparing them in the pursuit of sonic satisfaction, adding a turntable to your arsenal is a logical choice. A $2000 budget is more than sufficient to reveal the glory and the agony of lp playback.

As a newbie (and with serious money to spend), I suggest you purchase from a reputable local dealer and let them handle the set up. It will save you a lot of frustration. Just look at all the threads in the hardware forum started by guys who can't figure out why their turntable sounds bad.

 

With your digital Bel Canto, I would focus on some warmth from the vinyl setup:

Turntable: VPI Scout (used, $1200 +/-)
Cartridge: Ortofon 2M Bronze (New $440 - moving magnet, great sound, easy to replace if you break it!)
Phono Preamp: PS Audio GCPH (used, $350-$400)

This setup punches wayyyy outside of it's weight class. Please do give yourself plenty of time to acclimate yourself to the vinyl sound, though. Also, have a professional set up the table for you...makes a big difference, and it is an art.

 

It's true. Prices are out of control right now. The idea of building a collection at current prices is a little daunting. But . . . I have to believe a "market correction " is coming

 

As far as table setup goes, I've got that part under control, having a friend who is far more anal and knowledgeable when it comes to setting up such things. He would be delighted to teach me a few things about table setup, so I should be good there.

As far as media cost goes... yea, that really is a thing isn't it. Ultimately that is the voice in the back of my head shouting at me not to venture down this path, I'll be completely honest. I mentioned my parents have a number of vinyl records but I highly doubt any of those will align with my taste in music, well outside of their copy of Thriller.

 

Just go for it. Its work, its some $$, but its rewarding when you get it dialed in.

 

Not sure how one can do the table, phono pre, wall shelf, cables, and maybe a cart for $2,000, not one that would compete with your digital end. I would say you would need to invest nearly as much in your analog game as you did on digital to feel satisfied.

 

That price point is very competitive and opinions will be plentiful. The good news is that at that price it is hard to go wrong.

The thing that you will have to learn over time is what your preferences are for a cart and phono stage. Coming from all digital I think the ortofon 2m bronze has the detail and clarity to make you happy right out of the gate, the blue it no slouch at about half the price.

Enjoy, it's all good. I have about 10,000 cd's and I haven't listened to many of them since I bought my first table less than three years ago and I spend much more time listening to music now that I have a turntable

 

Buy used as opposed to new reissues wherever possible, don't buy into the 180g hype. There is a huge reservoir of secondhand vinyl out there. The hunt whether online or at thrift stores and the like is part of what makes vinyl fun. You don't have to spend a fortune to compile a decent collection.

 

Different it will be Todd, there's absolutely no doubt about that. You have a good attitude for a little jump in the analog pond. Go for it and please keep us posted on your progress. I'd be interested to read about the journey.

As for the "tinkerer." I have noticed that for sure. I'm the same way.
I keep an extra set of speakers on hand as well as an extra amp or 3 to keep things interesting. In my room I rarely keep the setup the same for more than a couple months. Through all the messing around though, music listening is always the prime objective.
I wish you luck.

 

Do it!

You may not get better, but you will definitely have different, and that is additive. Plus, you are in a college town with access to big city stores - you will definitely find media, and that is part of the fun. I have reconnected with album listening over song selecting and it really is engaging. Plus, sometimes that big ol plastic-containing piece of cardboard grabs you and says "listen to me" in a way that is just not accomplished by a bunch of zeros and ones in a mass storage device.

 

I'd give all of the above statements serious thought, esp. the last one. You (seriously) might be turned off at the first noisy pressing you play through your exquisitely digital rig.

Personally I went digital after my record collection was stolen and just a year after that I got myself a nicer TT and started buying vinyl again because there were SO many titles I used to own that never came out on CD (yes even to this day !). In the process I discovered I liked my analog music better than my digital one (still do).

If you really have those 2 grands to painlessly part with I'd say go for it, just don't get obssessed.