Considering analog...but nervous

I havent purchased a CD in this century and the only CD equipment I own is a CD recorder where I record my vinyl to CD for playback in my car or to transfer to I-tunes in full apple lossless format. Everyone I have played my recorded CDs or Ipod to has commented on its superior sound to what they are used to. So, if CDs recorded from vinyl sound better than store bought CDs, how much better do you think the vinyl played directly is.

My girlfriend, who is from New Orleans area and loves music was astounded when I first set up a vinyl playback system at her house. Now her 30 year old son has been bitten by the bug after I gave him a decent turntable setup.

If you are going to actually listen to your music, and listen hard, then vinyl is the obvious choice. If you just want to play background music while you do something else, then you can get by with CD. It is clearly more convenient.

You say your system now seems too bright. That may be a function of digital distortion, which seems worst in the high frequencies. That may be especially true if you can hear up to 19khz. I know it would drive me to turn it off.
Is there a way you can try a decent turntable system in your setup to see if it is your system or just digital that make your setup seem shrill.

Wow...wonderful responses. Despite my initial reaction to the first wave of posts, and in the words of Michael Corleone himself "Just when I thought I was out....they pull me back in" :-)

So I think the final decision is that I'm going to give it a shot and if it doesn't work, so be it. I don't know anyone with a good analog setup in the area and even if I did, the odds that they have a high-end digital setup in the same room on the same path of equipment (pre and amp) is probably slim-to-none. Most of (make that ALL of) my peers are digital people (my generation...I know...) and while many of them love music, none of them appreciate the sound quality.

Going to a HiFi store to hear it is always misleading. The only high-end place around here that sells Turntables (that I'm aware of, anyway) is a store called Overture and if I go there to listen, it's going to be on $30k Wilson speakers and $50k worth of amps and cables...a far cry from my system here at home.

For $1,500, I'll take the plunge and if it doesn't suit my fancy, I'll just put it back up and resell it again.

I used to LOVE going to CD stores to buy used CDs cheap but sadly, they've all closed down. The only decent joint nearby is the Princeton Record Exchange (www.prex.com) which is about 1 hour from where I live. It just so happens that they have a MASSIVE Vinyl selection as well (about 60,000 LPs). I used to go there once or twice a year to stock up on CDs, but now I'll have another reason to keep going.

As far as the cleaning/preparation rituals, that part doesn't bother me at all. When I go downstairs to listen...it's all about sitting down with the music and listening...Picking out the LP and wiping it down, then flipping sides when it's over sounds kinda fun actually.

So, now that the decision to move is out of the way, I need to focus on my specific purchase :-). a few people have thrown around the Rega P-3 and P-5 models as suggestions. I'm really keen on going used because I really feel I can just get that much more for my money by going that route. Having said that, I don't want to lose out because of an improper setup. I also don't see any Rega P-5 for sale currently on Agon so perhaps I'll just keep my eye out.

Any opinions on the VPI Scout as a good starting point? There's one for sale at http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?anlgtabl&1300589670&/VPI-Scout-/-Rega-700-Sumiko-Bl that looks intriguing...

And another question, the whole MM vs MC...I know this is a topic of huge debate, but does it matter that I match to my phono input on my preamp (which happens to be an MM)?

Thanks again everyone, you're responses have been very insightful (and have started getting me really excited about moving in this direction). With smoe more research, a little luck and a few months time, I should hopefully be spinning black discs alongside my silver ones :-)

-gh0st

Raquel: Firstly, thanks for the lengthy and incredibly detailed response :-).

You mentioned that you didn't think my current equipment was a "very good" match to Vinyl. However, you continue to describe my setup in a positive light so I was just a bit confused and wondered if you could elaborate a bit more on your thoughts. Do you have concerns about my speakers being too bright or were you simply suggesting that my equipment is probably more tailored toward a good Vinyl front-end rather than the digital that I have now?

Just curious really...

-gh0st

gh0st,

This thread of yours sure generated a mixed bag of reactions: C'mon in, the water's fine! Don't do it! Join us! Keep away!

I probably would have logged on to drphil.com by now.

I agree and disagree with much of the advise you have been given, and after all that you probably don't need any more. So here it is anyway (and it's worth exactly what you're paying for it) - Vinyl can be wonderful. Vinyl can be frustrating. Vinyl is almost always a PITA. But... vinyl can be wonderful.

I DO agree with the posters who urged you to start out carefully and get an "entry" deck. Find a dealer or a friend that will help you and is willing to transfer knowledge. Don't be afraid to experiment and yes, you are probably going to break something. Probably a cartridge stylus. And it's going to be expensive to repair or replace.

But most importantly, spinning vinyl has to be more than just about the music; you have to like (or at least be willing to tolerate) the process. I firmly believe that I enjoy better sound with vinyl, and I get to hear a lot of music that I can't get in other media. But is is worth the extra work? To me, yes. To some of my audio friends, no. It has to be fun or it's not worth it.

Raquel:

Enjoyed reading your detailed response to the OP. But holy molee (sic) when I noted your comment that the entry level VPI HW-16.5 retailed for $650, I thought it was a typo. So I went to VPI's web site and you were right. The current retail price is $650. That's a big price jump from the prior retail price of $540. I'm glad that I already have one.