Worth it for me Getting into Vinyl?

Boy, are you painting with a broad brush. The medium itself doesn't but can it lead to better sound most of the time if gear is well chosen and good pressings are chosen? Absolutely, without question.

 

Reference Recordings are good. I just downloaded the True Concord Christmas recording in 24/96 from HDtracks (with Turkey day discount). I'm sure it will be good. Looking forward to some audiophile Christmas tunes.

I'm still working on doing what I consider acceptable DSD playback. Sucks that my favorite DAC is kinda schitty and doesn't do DSD. I'm gonna give HQPlayer a try as a way to convert DSD to PCM. If that doesn't do the trick for me then I'll have to consider some bigger budget options.

My quest for better SACD and DSD playback is a mirror of my quest for acceptable vinyl playback. I've become accustomed to a certain style and level of playback and I can't go less without being disappointed. In general doing DSD to PCM conversion using the free SoX resampler is fine. For others. But it's not a suitable solution for me. I need better.

 

You know, I recently purchased the Marantz SA-10 and the company seems to do a lot of double talk in regard to "exactly" how the SA-10 SACD player handles DSD. I don't know exactly what conversion is going on with that player when I play an SACD disc. I don't think it converts to PCM, but I don't think it passes straight DSD either, are you possibly up on what technology Marantz uses on the SA-10 SACD player? Oh, have you listened to True Concord yet, what is your impression, I was going to order through Import CD's tomorrow, they have it for like $11.60 each.

 

I don't know how Marantz does DSD.

I just poured a small glass of wine and started listening to the True Concord Christmas album. It sounds good. set-back and deep soundstage. Though the choir and organ is slightly deeper in the soundstage than I would prefer, it is still a very good presentation. HDtracks has a 20% coupon good through the 30th "TurkeyHD20". The download is available in 24/96.

 

The “should I go into vinyl?” question seems to come up more often lately. I thought that some kind of decision tree could be fun to start off with. Here is a first simple attempt:

Should I go into vinyl?
1) When I listen to music I do it a 100% without distraction, often with eyes closed.
Yes: go to 2), No: go to 5)

2) I own or have or will get access to reasonable collection of vinyl from the pre-digital age.
Yes: go to 3),No: go to 5)

3) I have time! and budget of 1000+ €,$ £ to spend on a vinyl system.
Yes: go to 4), No: go to 5)

4) YES, you should!

5) I don’t care about these questions because deep in my heart I have already decided that I will go into vinyl.
Yes: go to 4), No: Enjoy what you have got now!

 

I own about 1500 LPs, 1500 CDs, and I subscribe to Tidal and Qobuz. I can only speak for myself and my experiences, but I usually try to steer people towards digital and away from the temptations of analog.

As for cost, I started with a Rega RP1 fitted with an Ortofon 2M Red, and plugged into whatever phono stage was included in the 1970s vintage receivers I used, and then later, the built in phono stage of my Rogue Sphinx. My digital setup was a Schiit Modi 2 Uber DAC, and then a Schiit Modi Multibit. My digital setup sounded better than the analog setup at this time.

I replaced the analog setup with a Rega RP6 fitted with a Rega Exact, into a Lounge LCRIII phono stage. This easily bested the Schiit Modi. I recently upgraded to a Chord Qutest DAC, and now my analog and digital sound equally good to me. Different, but equally good.

That having been said, I listen to vinyl about 70% of the time, and really enjoy both mediums. I think you can spend a bit less on digital to get a setup that sounds equal to analog (as I did.) But I think you have to spend WAY more on quality records to best digital. Especially if you’re interested in jazz. Much of the best music is on labels like Blue Note, Impulse, Prestige, etc. These are priced insanely - even the higher quality modern reissues done by Music Matters and Analogue Productions are super pricey. With a bit of research (ie. avoid the Rudy Van Gelder remasters of the late 90s/early 2000s), you can find very good digital reissues of these titles. Most of the recent Tone Poet reissues are available to stream.
Also, LPs take up a lot of space. I live in a NYC apartment, and I’m completely out of space for any new LP acquisitions.

 

The simple answer is audition some turntables. If you're convinced enough to like it, you'll buy one. You don't have to go crate digging. Today, you can buy things over the internet. Discogs makes thing very easy to find affordable vinyl. It's not going to be as cheap as it was for us who have been into vinyl before it again became fashionable. Because we bought vinyl when it was cheap, similarly to how CDs are cheap today. But there is still plenty of affordable vinyl. The majority of the expensive vinyl is the stuff that is well known. I don't go crate digging because the effort isn't worth it for me to find the few bargain that are out there. My goals are much different from someone who doesn't already own 2000 records. Just browsing through the standard record store bins, I still find bargains. I find a lot or records that I would buy if hadn't already had a copy. Some are a cheap as CDs. Reasons for owning both vinyl and digital are simple. Today there are recordings that exclusive to each format. There are far more recordings on vinyl that there are on CDs. But, there are also 30 years of recordings that were never cut to lacquer. Owning gear that plays both analog and digital gives you access to your choice of mastering.

I will state that I have my doubts that vinyl is the right solution for the OP. But there seems to be curiosity. So satiate that curiosity. Go audition some gear. Ask your dealer about trade ins. I would state that you should bring a CD of a record that the dealer will use in the audition. Work this out when you set up the appointment. If you're unwilling to go this far to find out, you already have your answer about vinyl. It's not for you.

 

If less than $5,000 is "on the cheap", then I'm on skid row with a system that costs around $1000 for vinyl AND digital. I find that people who have multiple thousands of dollars to spend on systems inevitably think that multiple thousands of dollars to build a decent system. I stopped taking this "If you want acceptable sound from vinyl you need to spend thousands of dollars" thing seriously when another member who is CD-only said that if you really want good CD sound you need to spend well over $500 for your CD player, and his was $10,000. All this says to me is that people who can spend ten thousand dollars on their entertainment will do so, and then think that their choices are the measure of all things.

 

My own experience is that owning a TT is more about the experience of re-enacting a decades old ritual and reliving old memories than being able to sit back, relax and enjoy the music.

 

I think this is very well said. When I was 22 (1973) I finally had enough money to cobble together a system. I had an inexpensive Kenwood receive, a basic Pioneer TT (the 12D), and a pair of cylindrical Panasonic speakers and some cheap Sony bookshelf speakers. I stacked them on top of each other and ran them through the A and B channels. It was a college kid system. I kept it for well over a decade (when I got a better turntable and speakers). Point of the story, it was cheap, sounded middling at best, and I loved buying and playing records on it (most of which I still own and play today. While I would never encourage a new person to "get into vinyl", I believe that if they really want to for some reason, a $500 TT with cart, a $500-600 amp with phono stage, and $200-1000 for speakers will do nicely. This doesnt include the cost of records, basic cleaning equipment, and all the fiddling around setting up the TT. Today, I'd suggest getting a good amp, speakers, and a digital source (CD or tablet). I spend more time streaming Pandora and Spotify (subscription accounts) through my iPad Mini 2 through the USB input on my Marantz CD6004 into my Marantz PM8004 and out of a pair of NHT SuperOne speakers. However, my vintage Technics linear TT (the one I got back in the mid-80's) is also hooked up to that system's phone stage. The CDs and streams *sound* better but playing the old records is more fun.

 

This is possibly the most relevant. The fact that anyone asks the question if he/she should get into vinyl, suggests that he/she would like to do it. So, just try it.

 

If mainly for Jazz, man i'd stick to digital. Search out great mastering's, would be way less expensive than trying to find old 'clean/quiet' cuts priced at an over-premium.

 

Have you tried edibles?

At 50, I received my first record player 46 years ago, a hand me down Westinghouse from my eldest sister. So I have the decades-old ritual and I have the old memories. But man, when my wife and I sat down this morning with the new The Comet Is Coming release from yesterday's RSD (they're calling it an EP, but it's over 30 minutes long, which puts it squarely into LP territory as far as I'm concerned), or later when she put on one of her Cajun albums on Arhoolie, it had FA to do with ritual or nostalgia. It had to do with awesomeness.

 

Jazz can be a minefield, particularly if you want the same records every one else does. The prices on 50s and 60s hard bop, cult spiritual jazz and free jazz, etc are out of control. The only stuff I buy anymore for jazz on vinyl are lesser known albums from the 70s mainly and the occasional audiophile reissue. Most of high dollar stuff I'll just buy on cheaper CD reissues.

 

You're all set. Don't waste your money.

 

It's always a pleasure to read that music makes everything more enjoyable and your are lucky to be able to share it with someone important. But you and I are different persons and we experience life differently. I can't relax during a record playtime because I feel that almost as soon as set in my place I have to get up and flip sides or change the disk. As a result instead of enjoying listening to music I find myself spending too much of my time dealing with the preparations and so for me a TT is a detraction. I keep it only because I have to not because I'm particularly found of the media.

 

You don't need to spend $8,000 to get into vinyl. The VPI Cliffwood, with a 9" Gimbal Tonearm and a pre-mounted AT-VM95E cartridge included, is listed for $1,000. The $1,600 VPI Player has everything you need to play vinyl, including a tonearm, a cartridge, a built-in phonostage and even a headphone amp.

 

I kinda miss my LP collection, but not enough to get back into it. Nostalgia is a wonderful thing.

 

I think you need to hear a vinyl system first, since you like CD and do a lot of listening on the move. Only you can judge if it’s worth the coin to you. If you like the research side it may be worth it for you. If you like it maybe think about a nice used deck, otherwise you probably need to spend close to $1000 for starters.

 

I can't tell you how much I like just streaming most of the day like I am now. Listening to Jazz 24 through my ipad into my living room system. Sounds great, wonderful mood, and easy peasy. If I didn't already have a lot of records, this is what I would do along with playing my CDs.

https://www.jazz24.org/

 

My experience is completely the opposite.

I'd jumped in to CD early and enjoyed digital sources for decades. Eventually, like many, I ripped my CDs and streamed them with a server to my DAC. Then added Tidal streaming.
Wow, it was so cool at first to have an ipad (or my iphone) with a nice interface and instant access to my entire library, and then to the massive Tidal library! But I noticed after a while that with zillions of tracks at my very fingertips, I tended to "surf" music more than really dig in, forget about the interface, and just listen. It would be "this song is great...but I wonder what this one is like.."
and with the next song a finger flick away, I'd move on. So the initial rush of having the world of music at my fingertips become more of a fidgety listening experience.

And I noticed that when I occasionally spun records on my old 80's turntable, all that would go away. I'd just enjoy whatever I put on, not do too much thinking about the sound or looking for the next song, or audiophile concerns. I'd play at least a side of the record, often the whole thing.

When vinyl started coming back I found myself buying more new vinyl - wonderful soundtrack releases especially. Then, being an audiophile, I upgraded to a new, much better turntable/cartridge/phono stage. At that point the sound was so good that it also re-invigorated the vinyl experience.

These days the vast majority of music I listen to is on vinyl. Not because it's technically superior (obviously, caveats in place, it isn't). But it so often sounds glorious, I think my turntable is a really cool object to interact with, and I love the artwork, physicality etc. I find myself more easily connected to and focused on the music when I'm spinning vinyl, and I routinely listen to whole albums instead of jumping around play-lists or whatever.

So for me getting back in to vinyl cured my "Music ADD" and generally enriched the whole experience of using my system and collecting music again.

 

Playing records is nothing like CDs, playlists, or even streaming full albums like I do on Spotify. There is a special interaction with the listener by the very act of cleaning, dusting, playing, and flipping to the other side. It's simply more involving and engaging.

There was never a time in my life where my records got binned, sold, given up for the latest tech. Still, today, I wouldn't start or collect vinyl. I'm a man who is a product of his age (both the times and my actual age). Not having my record collection would be anathema to me. And while I won't buy a new record, I still poke around the thrifts hoping to find the occasional gem.

 

At this point the OP has not only given up on vinyl but on all music and he has joined a monastery.

 

Is vinyl a medium, or a state of mind?

 

I have an Oppo player that I use as a transport into the DAC in my Peachtree iNova. I have a Vinyl Nirvana Thorens TD-160 Super, with a Ortofon 2M Black cart and a Decware ZP3 tube phono preamp.

Even so, I completely enjoy streaming Pandora every bit as much as I do playing CD and records.

Quite possibly, it is both.

To the OP, as others have suggested, going vinyl does require a commitment of both time and money. If you are not ready to commit to both, then vinyl is not your audio destiny.

But, if you do decide that you might go down the vinyl rabbithole, if nothing else, it will be an interesting trip.

Vinyl adds but yet another dimension to audio.