2. analog
  3. 1295820131

Considering analog...but nervous

Well, I've been here before. Once again, I'm thinking of venturing into the Analog world, but before doing so, I wanted to pose a few questions to fellow agoners to make sure my head (ears?) are in the right place.

Some Background: My current setup consists of a Modwright Transporter, Musical Fidelity KW 500 (hybrid tube pre/SS Amp), and Focal/JM 1027be speakers. My entire current collection is digital and I have NEVER owned Vinyl before NOR have I ever heard a high-end Analog setup.

My Tastes/musical likes: I am all about soundstage and imaging. Vocal accuracy is hugely important and instrument placing (hence, imaging) are part of what I look for when listening. Genre wise, mostly rock, folk, acoustic and blues. Some jazz as well. I generally try to stick to labels that produce good-sounding material...not over-compressed garbage.

On with the questions:

1. One of the biggest things that has kept me from trying Vinyl thus far is the concern of excessive hiss and crackle/pop that vinyl is known for. Is it safe to assume that purchasing new Vinyl and played on a higher quality setup will reduce (eliminate?) the pops and crackle sounds? I have no problem purchasing exclusively new vinyl, knowing full well that the process of shopping used is what draws so many to this market...

2. If I purchase new vinyl, only play it on a decent player, and store it properly, will I still have to clean it? How expensive is a cleaning machine? Are there (reasonable), less expensive alternatives to a cleaning machine?

3. Based on my integrated (tube-pre,SS amp) and speakers, are these a good match for Vinyl? Does anyone know if the KW 500 Phono input is adequate for a good turntable? My digital system has a tendency to be on the bright side for a lot of material, but not everything. Strangly, even at 31 years old, I can still hear up to around 19Khz so I'm a bit picky about the highs...

4. How complicated is the setup of the TT? Being that I've never worked wtih it before, I'm somewhat intimidated by the "setup" requirements of the equipment. What are the core requirements/knowledge to properly setup a TT.

5. And finally, the most subjective question of all. If I had a budget of about $1,000-$1,500 for a TT, Tonearm and Cartridge, what would be a good starting place? I'd obviously be looking for used here from Agon.

I know this was a long post so thanks for hanging in and reading it all :-). Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

-gh0st
fatgh0st
chayro
1,801 posts
 
Vinyl absolutely requires more of a commitment than digital, but many feel it's worth it. Yes, there will always be some noise somewhere on the records, but if you're buying new vinyl, it should be minimal and outweighed by the better sound - assuming YOU think it's better.

I would not buy a used tt, as there are too many things to go wrong. My advice it buy a Music Hall MMF5 or MMF7. They come all set up and ready to go. When I got back to vinyl, I purchased an MMF5, which was not as nice as the one they have now, and I felt that it gave me a decent taste of what vinyl was about.

As to cleaning - at first I bought only new vinyl and used Gruv-Glide to clean them. It was OK for starters, but I think you will need to eventually buy a machine. They go for between $350-$600 for a decent one. One other idea. I buy a lot of vinyl from Better Records. They have some very expensive records, but plenty of reasonably priced stuff as well. And, for $5, they will machine-clean your records, so you really don't have to worry about it. Unless you mess it up, one cleaning will last a long time. Oh, you'll probably need a phono preamp. Ask underwood about it. Probably $150-$250, depending...

I would check out Underwood HiFi here on A'gon for the Music Hall. He usually has perfect trade-ins at fair prices and you'll have some support when you have questions. Well, that's my opinion anyway.
isochronism
1,447 posts
 
All very good points! Plus, probably 98%+ of my records were found used.
albertporter's avatar
Ag insider logo xs@2x
albertporter
4,927 posts
 
In response to your question:

On with the questions:

1. One of the biggest things that has kept me from trying Vinyl thus far is the concern of excessive hiss and crackle/pop that vinyl is known for. Is it safe to assume that purchasing new Vinyl and played on a higher quality setup will reduce (eliminate?) the pops and crackle sounds? I have no problem purchasing exclusively new vinyl, knowing full well that the process of shopping used is what draws so many to this market...

I have my vinyl playback pretty much 100% free of all noise. It's possible to do but requires a lot of work.

I had a couple of Audiogon members here yesterday and they were literally laughing out loud at how quiet my LP playback was. That being said, analog playback is very important to me and I have a lot of years invested at making it right.

If you want simple, this is not it. CD is simple and why it has succeeded so well. Download is simpler still and will likely displace CD. Most people don't care enough about playback quality to invest the time, effort and money.

Second part of my response to your question concerns the music.

Mostly you can get anything that's on LP as digital but not the other way around.

Sure, there are rare records and some great out of print music but that's pretty much what Elizabeth suggested with shopping used.
lindisfarne
507 posts
 
Quick answer is "no". Anyone who buys music for soundstage, imaging and sticks to labels that produce good sounding stuff does not like music. And vinyl is all about music.
fatgh0st OP
43 posts
 
Thanks to all for their brutal honesty. I may shelve the idea again until the "urge" returns (which it inevitably will). At least I have more opinion to move forward with.

But I cannot leave without just saying to Lindisfarne...how little minded your statement was. Clearly, someone has p!ssed you off one too many times (perhaps me?) and it shows. Just becuase I enjoy soundstage and imaging and generally enjoy music from audiophile labels does not mean I don't enjoy music as a whole. As a matter of fact, I have found copious amounts of amazing MUSIC through audiophile and independent labels, that I would have otherwise never found by sticking to mainstream labels.

I listen to plenty of other music under non-critical listening situations (and will also play mainstream labels on my main rig if they are recorded well). I am a music fan at heart, but am hindered by the sheer fact that most modern, mainstream music is not cared for properly at the engineering/mastering stage and thus sounds mediocre (at best, sometimes unbareable) on a highly-resolving system. These types of recording tend to sound MUCH better on a standard playback system that wasn't specifically tailored around resolving EVERY little detail.

At the end of the day, if I could block out the imperfections in the recordings and suppress the desire to enjoy soundstage and imaging, I wouldn't even be here on this site. I'd be happy with a $300 hose wave radio (sorry, had to throw a jab at Bose) and a stack of CDs. Unfortunately, neither of the above are possible for my ears and listening. Still yet, it means nothing toward my joy of music and the art.

So please, keep your condescending comments to yourself and if you have nothing of value to contribute, just pass the thread by.

To everyone else who contributed with genuine substance, thanks again!

-gh0st
More to discover