Help for a vinyl novice

Awesome. Thanks for the advice, all. Look for an amateur review upcoming when time and kids allow.

So, the Pro-ject 5.1SE arrived a few weeks ago - a day after I had shipped off my LSA Signature to be upgraded to the Statement Integrated. Thus the Pro-ject sat idle for about three weeks until the amp arrived last Thursday, blinged out and resplendent in all its sonic, tube-hybrid, and wood-railed glory.

In the meantime I fastidiously followed the set-up directions, aligning the stylus, ensuring the tone-arm was parallel, getting the counter weight just right for the Sumiko Blue Point's weight, leveling the top rack of my Salamander stand (my listening room floor has a definite list to port, much like a slowly sinking ocean liner). I cleaned my vinyl and ordered a Spin Clean Vinyl Washer. I have no idea whether I'll stick with vinyl as a medium for playback, but if I do, I'll probably dive deep into it as I usually do with whatever pursuit catches my ephemeral fancy. I don't know if I'll go so far as to change cartridges each night based on which record label I'm spinning, but as a music/color synesthete, I do appreciate fidelity and dimension in my music.

Anyhow, I finally hooked everything up a few days ago, using my Clear Day IC's in lieu of the Pro-ject stock ones, but stuck with the 16v power supply (a Speed Box might be in my future?). I then, feeling somewhat foolish, donned the included white gloves and removed my first vinyl from its sleeve.

Actually, that's not true. I first found the corresponding cd's in my shelves to conduct the obligatory side-by-side comparison of cd and vinyl. Then I let the LSA warm up for about ten minutes or so until the Amperex 7308's were nice and toasty. THEN I played the cd versions first, followed by the analog versions.

1. Steely Dan - "Aja" (Aja, AB-1006): This was the best version of the vinyl I could track down online, with most reviewers saying the AB-1006 kept dynamics and presence consistent and pristine. I believe it was from the first pressing. Be that as it may, at first the vinyl didn't strike me as punchy or forward as the cd. In other words, it lacked the brassy balls of its digital counterpart. However, what I was impressed by as the song unfolded was how deep and wide the stage was through the Pro-ject. And when Gadd really got going, his drums cascaded around me in thunderous but tight swirls, with that iconic stick hit at the end of a fill pinpoint in the sound stage. Fagen's piano was similarly warm and open and wide, yet precise and distinct.

Nick Drake - "Fly" (Bryter Layter - LC-00407). This was the latest reissue of the album, I believe, and this track outperformed its cd version. Drake was right there, in the room, while his guitar shimmered ghostly slightly off to the left. The haunting strings were visceral in their presentation, playing in perfect melodic counterpoint to Drake's guitar. My de Capo i's can't really project past their lateral plane in my tiny listening den, but this music was deep and all around me I listened to the album twice before moving on. Isn't it a shame that absolutely no footage of an adult Nick Drake exists? No concert, no candid, nothing. In a world where image is icon, to have such an icon without image is a great loss.

10000 Maniacs - "Verdi Cries" (In My Tribe - Mobile Fidelity Silver MOFI 1-1013) The same as with the other discs. Merchant's voice and piano were palpable in the quiet room. Her notes hung in the air, decaying softly until the next notes rang over them and also faded out in the background. Some muddying during the more dynamic vocal sections, but I felt as if she were in the room, hopefully along with Nick Drake. The production of the rest of the album was somewhat less dynamic, but that could have been a symptom of 1987 standards.

A few caveats: My LSA has an MM phono stage, while the Blue Point is a high output MC rated at 2.5mV. I'm not sure how much this affects the sound. Would a MC phono stage improve things to any great end?

I'm loathe to use a sub, and my monitors can only go down so far (40Hz, I believe). I do have an ancient Velodyne 8" CHT sub I could hook up, but I'm resisting and, in fact, am in the market for a pair of Ushers Tiny Dancer 2's or Dali Helicon 400's or even Audiokinesis Jazz? I wonder how the TT would sound through full range speakers?

But I'm incredibly satisfied with the 5.1SE and the Blue Point. I know it's middle of the road as far as cartridges and TT's go, but it's fine for now. Especially as I haven't decided whether I'm sticking with vinyl for the long term.

So thank you all for your advice, suggestions, and guidance these past few months. You helped me along my musical journey.

simao

Simao - While the Blue Point is technically a MC cartridge, being a high output design it will work optimally into a MM phono stage as far as loading and gain is concerned. So while you could get a better quality phono stage, as long as you are using a high output cartridge (either MM or HOMC) you will not benefit from getting a MC phono stage. In fact it would be overloaded from the high output level of the BP.

Bill is correct. However the Sumiko recommends the BP be capacitive loaded at 100 pf or less. I own a BP but have it loaded at 100pf. I am not sure what impact on the BP the higher loading would have. Many phono stages are set to 200pf I believe. One advantage of many outboard phono stages is flexibility of loading.

The LP12 is a great TT. They are not hard to rebuild, and can always be upgraded. You need to be patient to get one at a good price. I sold one for 4500.00 a second for 3500.00 and have a 3rd one that I got for a steal. Before I got the 3rd one I had a Rega RP3 with the 303 arm. At first I thought I'd never miss the Sondek LP12, but after a few albums, I realized what a cheap piece of junk they are, especially the plinth. Easy to set up, so so sound, but not worth more than 100.00 bucks to me. Yes, I did get the deck and Ittock LVII with in your price range and it sounds as good as the more expensive Linns I had. Best of luck.