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
raquel,,, you scared everybody!!!! ha. nice letter and i agree. very nice to read an expert opinion. what do you think of the sub 100 dollar record cleaner all the magazines are recommending? i don,t remember the name but it is bright yellow.
Go spend some time with someone with a good vinyl set-up and really observe what it is all about from both a logistical and enjoyment perspective. If it floats your boat and you can make the commitment then strap-in and get ready. I don't believe your initial budget is high enough to realize a better and high level of performance when you include cleaning systems, good TT, cart, phono (not sure how decent the MF is). I think $5K would get you a pretty good vinyl playback system if you were careful. Then you would be in heaven.

I LOVE having a vinyl set-up and it now is probably 95% of all the listening I do. If I couldn't have vinyl, I probably wouldn't bother with a system at all. It does not seem like a pain to me, it is just part of the routine of listening to music at this point. I recently had my phono out for upgrade and never listened to my system until I got it back.
Hotmail,

The record cleaner you note is the SPINCLEAN Record Cleaner. I bought one recently and it works quite nicely. For $79.95 US it's a good value.

I have tried my own DIY vacuum system which though bulky , noisy and clunky worked good. I have tried a steam cleaner and it too worked well but again is a little noisy (when steaming) and can be messy with steam vapour settling on tables etc. I have tried DIY kitchen sink washing and that worked ok even with its mess and IMO waste of water. The Spin Clean is easy to use, quiet and not messy. It is the best setup I found short of investing into a good commercially made record vacuum machine.

For anyone who wants to take up their record care a notch above just using a brush without spending much money the Spin Clean is a good unit. For those of you here who have consumer concerns with where products are made, this cleaner is made in the USA. They could probably off shore it to China or Malaysia etc and drop the price. For me if I can't get it made in Canada it's a nice change to get a product I can easily afford made in the USA. I have nothing against any products per se made in Asia, I have many but it's just nice to get a product I like that is made in North America.
It is worth it, trust the majority here. Those who think that it is too much work or that if you have no LP collection it would be unwise are saying nonsense. If you mostly listen to rock, blues and acoustic music recorded quite some time ago, there is no comparison - vinyl is so much better even played on a very modest rig with the cartridge less than perfectly aligned. Problem may be the cost and effort to find records in excellent condition.
If I were you I would get Rega P3 or Pro-ject Xpression new with Goldring 1042 cartridge from Needledoctor, have them align the cartridge and be done with it for a while. They would also guide you through setting up VTA, VTF etc.
You don't need a vacuum machine to begin with. Good manual cleaning or that yellow spin-it thing for $79 would do.
Then get a few records and see what your rig does.
BE AFRAID. BE VERY AFRAID! Don't get into anything you have reservations about. If you don't feel deep down that analogue is the superior medium and you can't do without it stay with digital.