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Is it worth expanding into Vinyl???

I've been kicking around the idea of going vinyl for awhile so I figured I'd post some questions. I understand the difference between Vinyl and Digital from a sound recording and reproduction standpoint and the pros/cons of it, but I guess real world opinion specific to my situation is what I seek.

I was born in '79 so by the time I got into music, Digital had already taken over. As such, I was never exposed to Vinyl as a child and have been raised on the digital "sound". At this point, I have a fairly substantial collection of SACD and DVD-Audio which serve as my primary listening material. Genre's are very dispersed including just about everything.

If I decided to venture into Vinyl, I would want to do so with a minimal investment up front (for the hardware)...perhaps around $500-$600. I also see that one can spend over $30k on a turntable with tonearm and cartridge, so that's a little intimidating to me. I don't want to waste even my measly $500 on getting into vinyl if I need to spend substantially more to get sound that exceeds that of my current all-digital setup.

Here is my current setup, so the only addition would be that of the turntable itself, played through these components. I suppose I'm just looking for opinions from anyone who has one regarding whether a ~$500 turntable on this system can yield sonic results that equal or exceed my current capabilities (realizing that the recording itself plays a tremendous role in the reproduction).

SACD/CD Player: Music Hall Maverick (stock)
DVD-A Player: Denon 3910 (stock)
PreAmp: Outlaw Audio 950
Amplifier: Outlaw Audio 750
Fronts: Axiom M80 v2 (Bi-Wired)
Center: Axiom VP150 v2
Rears: Axiom QS8 v2
Sub: Axiom EP500 v2
Interconnects: Outlaw Audio
Speaker Wire: Monster M1.4s BiWire

I should also mention that a nice, wide and open soundstage is the most important characteristic I look for in listening. The more "real" it all sounds, the happier I am.

Any opinions or feedback would be greatly appreciated. Turntable recommendations would also be greatly appreciated!
fatgh0st
buscis2's avatar
buscis2
468 posts
 
Tvad, you just hit the nail directly on the head.

Many of us consider our turntables or CDPs our sources. It's the actual records or CDs that are the actual sources. It's the recording that stirs the emotions. The electronics are simply the carrying vehicles.

Bad recording = Bad listening experience. An extremely important thing to keep in mind is that only CLEAN records sound good. And there are only a few record cleaners that do the job properly. Take some time and also investigate the costs associated with the proper cleaning equipment/supplies.

Anyone on this thread will tell you..... Dirty records sound really bad.
tvad
9,467 posts
 
An extremely important thing to keep in mind is that only
CLEAN records sound good. And there are only a few record cleaners that do the
job properly.
Buscis2 (System | Threads | Answers)
Furthermore, no
amount of quality cleaning will repair damaged vinyl.

Microscopically damaged vinyl is the number one cause of surface noise, IMO.
Damaged vinyl is very common in the used record bins where I buy 95% of my
records (damage is often impossible to detect by looking at the record surface).

Vinyl newbies, who are unexperienced in the realities of vinyl playback, are led
to believe cleaning will rid records of noise. It simply isn't the case in the
majority of instances, IMO.
newbee
4,093 posts
 
Tvad, I think you are right, but would add -Microscopically 'damaged' vinyl that is not visable to the naked eye is, however, as much a matter of poor pressings in the first place, not from misuse/storage. And yes, there is no remedy for it.

When I first started to collect vinyl it seemed as if American pressings from the late 60's onward were plagued with poor pressings, from, especially, the majors like Angel, CBS/Sony/Columbia, RCA etc.

I was amazed when I bought my first 'Import' recordings from EMI, Decca, Phillips, DG etc and found them to be amazingly clear and quiet. I was also amazed to hear the same thing on early RCA Living Stereos along with the sonics in the grooves.

I was not amazed that folks rushed to digital when it arrived because these exact problems were epidemic. That folks are now buying these lemons in the used bins is not surprising - I gave all the crap away to Salvation Army long ago and its probably found its way there.

Now if I get into a used record store I will only buy 'Imports' and a few other labels I know have the same consistent quality, which have unblemished surfaces. I've had good luck so far, but I'd be lying if I said there were many of these out there to be found. I think most have stayed in someone's library.

BTW, FWIW, if you like jazz and see any recordings put out by Concord Jazz buy 'em. Some American (non-audiopile labels) seemed to have almost always gotten good pressings, as have audiophile labels like TELARC(if you like the bass drum!) and Reference Recordings, to name a couple.

FWIW.
tvad
9,467 posts
 
I agree with TELARC. Columbia three eye (or six eye) jazz has also been consistently good.

Also, ECM vinyl has always been spectacular in my experience. For some reason, owners of ECM vinyl seem to take excellent care of the discs.

I'll keep my eyes open for Concord.
steveaudio
328 posts
 
Like some others here have mentioned, you WILL need a good LP cleaning machine--I had a VPI HW16 that I paid about $400 for. Takes a few minutes to clean EACH Lp.

You will want to buy high quality inner sleeves if you have older LP's w/o them.

You WILL need a good phono stage if your amp or pre-amp doesn't have one. I'd budget at least $500-$1000 (it's as important as your cartridge or TT).

A good cartridge alone might start at a few $$hundred. And if your $700 Benz cartridge fails after a few years, you might not be happy. And if you're not good at installing & aligning cartridges, that's another issue.

IMHO, (I hope the vinyl addicts don't shoot me!), digital players & CD's & SACD's have improved so much, that it would be very difficult to best a $1000-$1500-$2000 CDP with the same amount spent on vinyl equip.

OTOH: If you find a used rega p25 w/cartridge for $500-$600, spend a few $$hundred on a phono stage, & get some used vinyl, have fun with it!! This is a hobby after all. Like in the move "Risky Business", where Tom Cruise's friend says to him: "Sometimes you just gotta say, What the ----!"
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