Vinyl Dysphoria

For the longest time I wanted to get into the vinyl game. I've always been attracted to the medium. Last year I was given a turntable (Technics SL-Q2, $200 value) by a co-worker who was moving. I decided to go ahead and pull the trigger. I went ahead and selected my gear:

Speakers: Ascend Acoustics CM-340 Tower Speakers, $650 value
Receiver: Denon AVR-X3400H, $600
Phono Preamp: Micromega MyGroov $300
Cartridge: AT-VM540ML, $250)
Platter Mat: Hide in the Sound Leather Turntable Platter Mat, $30

Over the last year I fell pretty deep into the hole. I have probably close to 200 records at this point. I've gravitated mostly toward jazz, soul and funk records. I'm really into the Analogue Productions and Blue Note reissues and labels like Mr. Bongo, Numero Group, Light in the Attic, Speakers Corner, Mobile Fidelity.

However over the last several weeks a darkness has crept in. I'm constantly comparing my gear to the gear I see in YouTube videos and read about on forums. Yesterday I was listening to a review about speakers that sounded really awesome, went to look up the speakers only to find that they cost $10,000. I think about that in terms of upgrading my system altogether and it just gets me down. I won't have that kind of money to throw down on speakers for a very long time, possibly ever.

I guess this line of thought gets to you after awhile. You start to wonder if your gear is even doing you any good. Am I getting the most out of my vinyl with the near $2000+ I've dropped so far? Is Vinyl truly a rich man's game? Am I fooling myself by thinking this sounds good? Am I wasting money? When will I stop wanting what I don't have? Endlessly searching for gear that I think will make me happier? Constant gear envy has sucked a lot of the fun out of this for me. Every time I buy a $50 audiophile record, it comes with a feeling of silliness due to the gear I'm going home and playing it on. How did I get here? How did I come to be so insecure about something that was suppose to be fun and bring my love for music to a higher level. Don't get me wrong, it has given me a lot, but right now I just feel stuck in this place of wanting what I can't have.

I wanted to reach out the the vinyl community to see if anyone else has gone through this and what advice they may have to give.

Appreciate ya letting me spill my guts for a moment.

Best,
Mark

 

If your system sounds good to you, then don't worry about all of the above. Of course $10k speakers are going to sound better than $650 speakers but it's really all about budget and the enjoyment you get within that budget.

 

The link below is an interesting podcast from John Darko on the subject of Vinyl playback and price. If you can find the time .. it's a good listen.

Metaphorically speaking .. as for myself "I'll never get to the top of the mountain but that's okay .. I'll just set up basecamp along the way and enjoy the view from where I am".

#14 - Vinyl

 

T

Thank you!

 

If I had lottery winner money I would have a lottery winner system. I don't. Back in the real world I've come to believe that it's all about diminishing returns. At some point my 55-year old ears, battered by unwise entertainment choices in my younger days (Motorhead live, anyone?) won't be able to tell the difference between a 2k speaker and a 4k, or 10k speaker. I got back into vinyl about a year ago now, starting with a decent system that cost about 2k. I've been upgrading it since, replacing the cartridge/stylus, sub-platter, adding a dedicated pre-amp, bi-wiring the speakers and so on. My next upgrade will be a better amp. I'll see if I'm satisfied then-if not, probably a better turntable. I don't know yet. What I do know is that at some point I won't be able to hear the difference, or it won't be significant enough to justify the additional cost. I'm happy with what I have (about 3.5 k worth so far) but there's still room for improvement. I doubt very much that I'll find it necessary to spend 10k on a set of speakers to reach my personal audiophile Nirvana. Unless I win the lottery, of course.

 

I appreciate your perspective here. I need to be more accepting of the process, making progress when I can but ultimately always enjoying what I currently have.

 

Most people don’t have $10k to spend on speakers, $5k to spend on a turntable or $1k to spend on a cartridge. Remember that most ‘normal’ people in this day and age have a relationship with music that’s often limited to car stereos, iPhone headphones, and Amazon Echo speakers. Many of them wouldn’t understand spending even $500 on a turntable, $250 on a cartridge, or $35 for a record.

It’s very easy to fall into upgrade-itis in this hobby, and I speak from personal experience. Hell, I’m there now. Something that may help is keeping your online review activity to a minimum, and spending more time focusing on purchasing records at an appropriate pace and simply enjoying the beautiful music that your system allows you to listen to. Upgrade here and there, when you have a good idea of exactly what you’ll be getting out of it and can afford it. Not ogling at expensive audio products online (fun though that may be).

 

Also, some cheap upgrades make a big difference. Filling my speaker stands with cat litter actually did snap the lowest frequencies clearly into focus! $15!

 

Thanks for saying this. I needed to hear it!

 

I recall from the dark recesses of my mind being of a similar disposition.
Lack of knowledge, which alas comes with time, and undoubtedly a lot of misappropiated funds.
The turning point for me, was hearing and enjoying a pair of speakers that had some years ago been given a poor
Review.
It was then that the penny dropped.
YOU, ARE THE REVIEWER. ULTIMATELY,
YOU WILL BE LISTENING TO THE EQUIPMENT YOU ARE BUYING.
Now, if you enjoy your system why keep looking at other gear.
An example, I recently bought a Linn
Basic turntable minus arm.
For years I wanted to audition a Hadcock
228 tone arm. Being, a unipivot it intrigues me. So I bought one, rewired the tonearm and installed an A&R P88
That I had.
Reviews are mixed on the Hadcock.
Let me say this.
Deeply impressed. So much that if someone wanted to swop with a ,top flight turntable I would decline.
It does what I value better than most
Others, and I have heard some costly
Turntables.
This is my point. If you are truly delighted with your system you would not be tempted to chop and change.
Putting curtains behind your speakers
Can make a huge difference. Diffusers
On sidewalls again stop unwanted reflections so, for the first time you hear your system working properly.
I also watch youtube videos. They can be
Useful.
But once you get your system right you will get the pleasure you deserve and
Not be so tempted. Its not down to cost.
There is a lot of expensive rubbish out there believe me. Synergy, where everything is well balanced is the key.

 

As Sheryl Crow sings

"I don't have digital
I don't have diddly squat
It's not having what you want
It's wanting what you've got"

For me it's all about the music.

 

Do yourself a favor and stay away from the Audiophile record labels for now. Seems like you have a lot of them. I'll state that $2000 isn't really that much. But when you start 2nd guessing what you've already done, you need to take a break and rethink things. If those expensive records are putting doubts into your mind, the step away from them. You've got 200 records, ones you've probably barely listened to, I bet. Take a breathe and just enjoy what you have. If you can't because your system is somehow deficient, take the time to learn something. Figure out exactly what's wrong with the system. I'll tell you that I could slap together a system I would still enjoy for $2000. This is because I have an idea of what I want. I've upgraded my sound system a few times. But I don't go around 2nd guessing myself. I built the system to listen to the music. While I think there are some really good records from MoFi, AP, and Speakers Corner, I don't limit myself to them. There are bargains out there for half the price. At the point I get the system to where I want it, I just stop and go back to enjoying the records. Your goals with your system shouldn't be much different. Your system should just be the thing that allow you to enjoy the music. So just try to enjoy it.

 

By purchasing the best, or at the very least, very well mastered albums - you're on the right track.
With your gear and ears - you're probably listening to the best that equipment will sound.
So there's that.

If you want to go down the rabbit hole of chasing better sound - do it incrementally, and slowly.
Unless you've hit a lottery jackpot - don't go from a £200 piece of equipment to a £10,000 piece of equipment, for instance.
Set yourself sensible "next level" targets - do it one piece at a time, and leave plenty of time before you replace anything else in the chain.

It always makes me smile when, for example, people on certain headphone audiophile forums change headphones more often than they change their underwear - and often it's for the next "TOTL" headphone, or often (and more accurately) the current flavour of the month, costing thousands each and every time.

Appreciate what you've got - take time with any upgrades, and get to know your local hifi dealer(s).

 

I want that "sounds like they're playing in my living room" feeling. I want to hear jazz in a way that is entirely soothing. I want a natural sound, to hear what the songwriters themselves intended but with a sense of clarity and depth that it creates those spaces to truly be immersed in the music itself.

 

"Vinyl dysphoria". LOL, good one!

Try and enjoy your music. This hobby can take us to weird places. NO MORE AUDIO PORN FOR YOU! Maybe even refrain from these forums (they can enable the addict in us), and just breath deep and listen to the magical music emanating from your system.

My new addiction theory, based on Gabor Mate's work:

All Addictions are rooted in trauma
Almost everyone is addicted to their identities
Identity Addiction is rooted in trauma

MAKE OBSERVATIONS, NOT OPINIONS

 

What puts gear into perspective is realizing what BB King had as a young child for his system.

 

Something to think about here. Thanks for your reply.

 

Very well said, thank you!

 

This indeed is a tricky one, i spent a lot of money on the Amp, turntable from e bay (Linn ) , speakers also from e bay, my set up is MA252, Linn AXIS, Ortofon super OM30, meridian A500 speakers' have only just purchased the super OM carts must say the difference was incredible from the standard OM cart, and I'm really pleased with the set up, would i like to upgrade to higher spec speakers and turntable? sure yes, but to what cost, ill never stop , and your left pulling your hair out and blowing your bank account for what may not make a huge differance anyway, unless you get lottery money come your way, its best to make what you've got do, it sounds a nice system, my wife pulls her hair out with me, as I've changed the stylus 4 times in as many months, but now I'm very happy, at last. that is until i buy the 40.

 

Based on how you feel I suggest doing yourself a huge favor and get off the forums and off the youtube audiophile videos. Even if you had the $10K to spend on the speakers, guess what? They make speakers that are "better" than those. And guess what else? All the other components are in the same boat! This is an endless game you will never win and you will always be chasing your tail in a dismal, frustrating display of human futility. You have become too consumed with equipment and have lost track of the beauty and enjoyment of the music itself. Just enjoy what you have and don't look back.

 

Vinyl playback is much more expensive than digital. It is all about precision mechanics, not electronics. And precision mechanics is much more expensive. Just compare mechanical to digital watch. First will be 100 times more expensive, but 100 times less precise in keeping time than second. The same is about vinyl vs. digital playback. Recently prices on everything around vinyl raised 2-3 times. It used to be a $1000 enough to get a decent vinyl setup, now it is close to $3000. But think about quality of vinyl media too - one out of 10 is actually sound decent, if you compare with digital record. The rest are poorly mastered and pressed. If you buy vintage vinyl, most is damaged by poor playing equipment before it gets into your hands.
I do have relatively good vinyl playing system, but only use it for vintage vinyl to be able hear record how it was sounding at the time of first release. I do not buy any new releases on vinyl. Absolute majority were made in digital studios and available as high-res downloads. But when I put 1950s record and play it through SET tube amplifier, I often feel that this is how it has to be played. Digital transcription of the same material played through modern solid state system does not give me that "original" feeling.

 

Let me tell you my experience for a moment. About eight years ago, a little after I joined this forum I was looking for the best audio system I could have, seeing as how I almost exclusively listen to music on Audio Technica NC headphones playing my CDs on a cheap SONY discman. Thanks to this forum I read amazing reviews on some headphones HiFiMan HE-6 which were crazy expensive to me. I think I spent like $1200 on just this pair of headphones and no longer had much money on my budget (I was a med student back then, so I didn't make any money). Then I spent money on a decent headphone amp and an Oppo BR player and I ran out of money. So I have (what I consider to be) a near top of the line headphones, a great CD player and nice headphone amp and the results were unbelievable to me, until I read that I needed to buy a more powerful headphone amp to really drive the monster headphones I bought. Unfortunately it would cost me around 1500 bucks and that's where I drew the line. To this day I never "expanded" this listening system.

What I did instead was buy 400 dollar headphones (Grado RS2 open headphones) to match the amp I have and those cans really sound great, but different to the HE-6 which I prefer. I still listen to my CDs with this setup to this day, rotating headphones between albums and enjoying the different sounds that these two headphones offer.

What did I learn? First of all, if you're going to spend big bucks on your setup you have to spend big bucks on each part of the system and not only on a couple of things, that way you get a well-balanced music experience and take full advantage of your setup, no matter if your setup is high, medium or low budget. I learned this the hard way. Sounds like you have a very nice system that I'm curious to listen, but if the music sounds great for you, try to upgrade or switch up speakers, your stylus, headphones and whatnot to enjoy your favorite music in the most possible different ways you can.

Always remember that there is a plateau between how much money you spend and how much your system will actually improve. Say you're setup is 70% amazing and it cost you 1500 bucks total... would you pay 3000 bucks more to get 80%? I would spend that money getting records, box sets and whatnot. The key is that you are satisfied with what you're listening and upgrade little by little.

 

Yeah, well audio nervosa is a well-known condition, as is upgraditis, FOMO (fear of missing out), subjecting yourself to the endless onslaught of advice from professional commentators, audio chat boards and self-proclaimed gurus.
Having been messing around in this sandbox since the late '60s, I can tell you I probably know less now than I though I knew and all the time, money, effort, research, listening and yakking has led me to the conclusion that there is no nirvana, no perfect system, no absolute sound (sorry HP) and the real question is where you, personally, want to put your energy.
Nothing wrong with being a gear head, it's a legitimate hobby (and cheaper than collecting vintage Ferraris for the most part);
There's no shame in buying some audiophile reissue or record touted for it sonic splendor, but, at least in my case, that wore thin a long time ago.
If you are building a record collection, that's different than filling in gaps in a mature collection, but I can suggest that you'll find some pretty amazing records and music for less than 50 bucks a pop if you are willing to trade tips, hang out in record stores (not so easy during plague) and go to record fairs with somebody more knowledgeable than you.

I've gotten turned on to a lot of great records from people who don't necessarily own fancy stereo systems and from ardent collectors who spend every waking (and sleeping) moment living and breathing this stuff.
The only bit of real advice I can give you is that this is supposed to be fun, educational and add to your overall appreciation of music in general; in other words, your window for what is worth listening to should get wider, not narrower, the more you chug along. (There is a guy who has devoted his career to Elmore James. God Bless Him. We need people like that).
But, for the average music lover/audiophile/LP accumulator, our knowledge (I think I can say this with some confidence) is spotty; we may know a few genres well, or have great familiarity with certain records and know zip about other music, recordings and artists.

To me, the real adventure is the exploration of unknown terrain, obscurities, unknown unknowns (as opposed to the known unknowns) and doing it in a manner that is not obsession-based dis-ease. I'm still working on that, btw, because when there is a record I decide I want, I become a relentless hunter, which is part of the joy of this game.
Learn, listen, get every opportunity once we get this Covid thing under control to hang with others, listen to their systems, their record collections and learn to trust your own judgement. Reading about it is great as entertainment, but it isn't a substitute for your own ears. Listening to a clip on the Internet may tell you a little bit, but it still isn't as informative as having the record or several different pressings at hand when it's that kind of record. (The stuff that gets reissued tends to be popular stuff with a history of reissues so you have multiple choices, some of which can get expensive).
And if you take my word for it, you should believe not a thing I've written above. Good luck and welcome to the insane asylum.

 

Have you optimized your speaker placement, and to a lesser degree, room? If not, don't underestimate the improvements that can provide; for FREE. This has been the biggest revelation for me over the past few years. I have a pair of inexpensive NHT SuperZero 2.1 speakers that sound amazing to me when I use them. And this in comparison to speakers costing 50 times the price of the NHTs.

 

Don't worry about buying those records now. You'll pay more for them later on the secondary market if you really want them. So it makes sense to get them now if you can afford them and like the sound.

Now, gear lust is something every one has at some point in every hobby. I learned to get over this a long time ago in a different hobby so it doesn't really affect me anymore.

If you want better gear, put some money aside and figure out what makes sense for you. Then keep your eyes peeled for deals.

In the meantime, stay away from YouTube which is mainly just thinly veiled advertising these days. Enjoy the gear you have for now also.