Worth it for me Getting into Vinyl?

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by Noonie, Nov 29, 2019.

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  1. SandAndGlass

    SandAndGlass Twilight Forum Resident

    Then member @csgreene is not pushing the envelope. With audio, it's Top Gun or bust!

    Consider buying a nice preloved TT from on of our forum members. I did and lots of other beautiful quality gear. When I decide to move my geat along, it is always back to our appreciative forum members.

    True, but there is good digital and there is good vinyl. If you have both, then you have the best of both worlds.

    I don't personally yhink that ine format is necessarily better than the other, just different. The ability to do both gives you audio everything.

    No such thing as "just Altec Valencia's". There are Altec's and then there are just other speakers.

    My vintage Altec's, together with class "A" tube amplification, sound better than any of the new gear that I have heard.
     
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  2. bru87tr

    bru87tr 80’s rule

    Location:
    MA
    A decent starter preamp is 75-$100.

    If you wash by hand and mix your own it's next to nothing.

    Stylus force gauge $14 and you can get by fine without one.

    Alignment tools are cheap.


    For the OP, damn straight it's worth it. Shop records shows and salvation army and you can pick up quality vinyl for $1-5 each. Takes work but can be done.

    I own a ton of cds and sacds. I listen to vinyl 95% of the time since I got back into it years ago.

    You can get into it cheap and learn. I bought vintage to start and it was great for years. I just recently stepped it up TT wise.

    Go for it and don't look back. The digital game is expensive to get the right sound also and a lot of it can sound very bad. Most of the time an original vinyl will sound more pleasing.

    Vintage and a midrange stylus can sound great on the cheap.
     
  3. Strat-Mangler

    Strat-Mangler Personal Survival Daily Record-Breaker

    Location:
    Toronto
    Yep. I did my research and found out the same thing so I went straight to a VPI. Made sense to me. Otherwise, I'd be setting myself up for disappointment so I might as well ensure I put all the chances in my corner and do it well the first time.

    I keep repeating myself about how vinyl costs much more than digital if you want it to sound great but there are those who usually haven't heard or owned anything better who'll insist a 100$ cheap Sony from the 80s will sound terrific. Mind-boggling. To me, it just sounds like they're either encouraging people to take the plunge to join their ranks or they're incredibly easy to please, SQ-wise.
     
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  4. LakeMountain

    LakeMountain Vinyl surfer

    Location:
    Netherlands
    My own experience is that the vinyl fun starts at about 1000$/€. This were voices and instruments become really present in front you, sucking you into the music. This is fun.

    However there is much more. Adding few 1000’s and you get crystal clear background singers and you start to hear more instruments and details, while the leading voice/instrument is even more in your face. This is doubling the fun!
     
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  5. carbonti

    carbonti Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York County
    C’mon. You draw you own inference and conclusion to what I wrote as to be argumentative.

    The qualities of ‘not supposed to be easy’ and, what you added as ‘fun’, are not mutually exclusive conditions. Both can coexist in enjoying a hobby, often to the satisfaction and enjoyment in achieving progress at something one likes doing. I might guess you have never taken up the game of golf.

    I have no problem discussing with you, even debating you. All in good fun. Maybe I could learn something from you as you might have already gotten it all figured out. But if you wanna make me wrong about something I wrote, stick to what I wrote and not some conjured strawman for you to snark on.

    See you again out on campus. Peace.
     
    Strat-Mangler likes this.
  6. ayrehead

    ayrehead Forum Resident

    Location:
    Mid South
    This is my rig. I've found that this level is where I exit the equipment carousel. While not the best in the world it doesn't take a leap of faith to realize that what I'm hearing is real, better than any digital I've heard.

    [​IMG]
     
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  7. patient_ot

    patient_ot Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    Maybe they want to hear lossless digital through an actual stereo system, as opposed to car speakers or headphones.
     
  8. Kevin j

    Kevin j The 5th 99

    Location:
    Seattle Area
    sure, why not. you can get up and running for very cheap these days if you know where to look. do you have any friend who are into vinyl? ask them to keep an eye out for a nice used turntable. that can be the gateway to loads of adventures...
     
  9. LakeMountain

    LakeMountain Vinyl surfer

    Location:
    Netherlands
    I have the same feeling with my rig! After a long period of upgrading and experimenting I have the reached the level where I am fully satisfied! ...for as long as it lasts.
    It certainly sounds better than my digital music, more alive and involving, but in all honesty I admit that the vinyl rig cost quite a bit more.
    [​IMG]
    I should not forget to mention that I got there with the help of this Forum!:righton:
     
    Last edited: Dec 1, 2019
  10. punkmusick

    punkmusick Amateur drummer

    Location:
    Brazil
    If you like vinyl, yes.
     
  11. MattHooper

    MattHooper Forum Resident

    Location:
    Canada
    The thing is this "how much do I have to spend on vinyl?" thing is purely subjective.

    I used my old micro seiki turntable with a 100 dollar rotel phono stage for decades. Vinyl was always a nice "trip" to take, from digital. Sometimes I liked the sound better than my digital front end (Benchmark DAC). It's only because I'm a greedy audiophile and it's my nature that I upgraded to a more expensive rig. But many other people would have just stayed with the old one and been happy.

    Not everyone is as obsessively audiophile in their needs and upgrade itches and "it HAS to sound as good or better than digital!" There's vastly more people perfectly happy with cheaper set ups than I have, or that some have here. Depends on the person.

    It's best not to go in to it drinking the kool-aid "vinyl sounds BETTER" because that's a dubious claim in the first place and subjective (and, objectively, hard to defend). And if you insist your vinyl needs to sound "better" than digital, you may indeed be setting yourself up for throwing money at the issue.

    But if you simply accept that "vinyl tends to sound DIFFERENT" than digital, then that in itself allows for preference. You may end up actually preferring the sound of vinyl, even on a cheaper rig. Or you may end up preferring the sound of vinyl sometimes, other times your digital rig. Or, you may just enjoy the experience of spinning record and it sounds good enough to make it fun, and different from using digital. I've seen a wide range of attitudes by people who really enjoy owning vinyl, either in large or small quantities.
     
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  12. Sterling1

    Sterling1 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Louisville, KY
    You want to explore Jazz. Just sign-up for Apple Music.
     
  13. saturdayboy

    saturdayboy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago
    I would agree with this statement 5 years ago, I don’t anymore.
     
    MusicNBeer likes this.
  14. LakeMountain

    LakeMountain Vinyl surfer

    Location:
    Netherlands
    No issues with what you are saying, perhaps that I would not dare to say that vinyl and digital are DIFFERENT, but that they are simply different media.

    I also did not read anywhere a statement that vinyl is in general better than digital. I only reported my own experience and perception that I prefer vinyl over digital in my set-up.

    The only personal observation I have is that I seem to read more often personal preferences for vinyl than for digital. BUT that could also be due to the fact that I mainly read vinyl threads:sigh:.
     
  15. Litejazz53

    Litejazz53 Perfect Sound Through Crystal Clear Digital

    I do believe this is the VPI Prime Signature, and I agree with you 100%. This is exactly where the turntable madness would STOP for me, this is all any normal person would need for spectacular results, with a nice cartridge. I wonder how this table would compare to the Rega Planar 10 with it's newest model III cartridge?
     
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  16. ayrehead

    ayrehead Forum Resident

    Location:
    Mid South
    That would be an interesting comparison. Two different schools of thought.
     
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  17. Litejazz53

    Litejazz53 Perfect Sound Through Crystal Clear Digital

    It is a good question, Rega is using their minimalist approach, and I am "almost" convinced, but just not yet??? Aesthetically for me, the VPI Prime Signature is top shelf, it's a beautifully designed turntable, everything about the table looks right. Another is the same turntable in that Rosewood style base, magnificent.
     
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  18. csgreene

    csgreene Forum Resident

    Location:
    Idaho, USA
    As I think has been posted here, as long as you get a table that spins at the right speed and is quiet, you don't need to spend a fortune. To my way of thinking, the cartridge matters far more on a lower cost TT. I would think the $500 Fluance 85 could be a good choice with a decent cart. The AT and Pioneer stuff that are clones of the Technics 1200 should be decent as well.

    I still wouldn't recommend starting out with vinyl today unless you already had a record collection because it is fraught with peril where CDs and streaming are easy. I'm fortunate to have all my records from the old days but, in spite of a new 1210GR, I still stream and play CDs more hours of the day than vinyl (although I'm playing my records more than I have in some time as well). Part of it for me is that I'm not as into head banging rock as I was in my teens through 30's and most of my records are rock with some blues and jazz and even a few classical. My tastes now are primarily jazz and I want whisper quiet when I listen to that genre.
     
  19. Sterling1

    Sterling1 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Louisville, KY
    That's a nice SACD Player.
     
  20. Litejazz53

    Litejazz53 Perfect Sound Through Crystal Clear Digital

    Thanks so much for the compliment, I just hope the laser holds up for a few years. The operation is so smooth and quiet, all functions make complete sense, well designed, great headphone amplifier, beautiful exterior, it's just a great product, and honestly, I just love the finish so much, it's a keeper for sure.
     
  21. Noonie

    Noonie Exploring music is a gift Thread Starter

    Location:
    Toronto, Canada
    Ended up seeing the audiophile friend of a friend who I purchased the speakers from earlier in the year...and I got a JVC QL-Y55F with an Ortofon OM10. It was well cared for and had some service done and electrical parts upgraded. Also solved my space issue in my room with a separate side table for the TT. Been playing it for a couple of hours and I really like it. At my budget it was between this and a new Rega Planar 1 (I paid less than I would have for the Rega). Overall pretty happy!

    The jazz records I've played have so far sounded great to my ears. Warm, nice range (I won't try and explain further as I'm not up to speed on the lingo, yet).

    Thanks again for the feedback, and the humor which surfaced here and there :rolleyes:
     
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  22. ayrehead

    ayrehead Forum Resident

    Location:
    Mid South
    Congratulations!
     
  23. BillWojo

    BillWojo Forum Resident

    Location:
    Burlington, NJ
    That's a very nice table, you did very well and don't need to upgrade for a long time or at all. Be aware to better that table new your looking to spend some serious money.

    BillWojo
     
  24. Muriel Heslop

    Muriel Heslop Night is young and the music's high

    Location:
    Canada
    While I enjoy both analogue and digital playback,there is generally something "missing" for me with digital.Don't get me wrong...I spend many hours a day streaming.....but when I really want to LISTEN,the vinyl comes out.My system is rather revealing and nothing I have heard in the digital realm comes close to my vinyl experience.

    Congrats on your turntable acquisition.Enjoy in good health!
     
    xfilian likes this.
  25. Bill Hart

    Bill Hart Forum Resident

    Location:
    Austin
    Sounds like you threaded the needle well. Congrats. Post pics-
    Welcome to record land.
    One of your tasks will be to search the threads- probably easier done on a search engine which will land you here- for 'best vinyl pressing' fill in name of album/band/whatever. Wade through some of the older threads, particularly those where people have directly compared various pressings of well known records. Some are still cheap and you'll be digging down into deadwax nomenclature, the merits of different pressings, plants, countries of origin, etc. Much fun if you have nerd tendencies with the reward of better sound.
    Looks like a good table.
     
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