My Analog Journey - Opinions Sought

The convenience of streaming is fantastic. The sound is great as well.  Then you have that ONE record you play and it turns it all the way you describe. It's not every record. It's not EVERY time but it's real.

The sound quality you retrieve from vinyl versus digital is competely dependent on your components. Spending more money on the correctly chosen digital will eliminate the difference in sound quality. Sometimes, it is just swapping components to get the same sound. 

Unless you really like fiddling with vinyl and all the extra cost. I would sell your analog rig and carefully upgrade your digital rig to achieve the sound quality you want. 

Or do just the opposite of ghd’s advice.

Funny how streaming fans like to hang around here. Perhaps they think they are missing something...

I have to add the obvious comment: there are recordings so good that they stand out almost whatever you play them on. But if you know that recording well from streaming it and it is that much better on a relatively simple vinyl rig, you are entitled to draw your conclusions.

@dogberry I am first and foremost a music fan. I didn't realize this was an exclusive group. I was just excited to share my experience. 

there is no exclusivity in my mind… a Hana ML would work well w your TT and your Herron…IMO

Enjoy the journey… wherever it may take you.. all who wander are not lost

@tomic601 +1 on the Hana ML.  For the money, I think it's a great cartridge.

I'm an old guy who grew up on vinyl, CD, and reel-to-reel.  I've been streaming my music exclusively for about the past four years or so.  Whenever I attend audio shows or visit my local audio shops and they play vinyl or CD, of course, it all sounds just wonderful.  Still, when I'm at the shows or audio shops, I just smile at the thought that, I managed to put together such an incredible sounding streaming only audio system, that's so very satisfying to me, I still have no desire to return to either vinyl or CD.  But, that's just me.  The world of high end audio includes vinyl, CD, streaming, reel-to-reel, etc., or whatever tickles your fancy.  It's a wonderful world!!!  Happy listening.            

+2, Hana ML. This cart will further elevate your listening until you’re ready to upgrade your TT.  

Yes and for me streaming is like a kiss on the telephone.

Music is awesome- I have analog music and it’s something I enjoy for a small percentage of my listening. Yet it’s always satisfying and shocks some of my guests if they aren’t aware of how good vincas sound. 
 

Enjoy your journey! And I don’t think you must choose digital vs analog…it’s an option. 

@billstevenson 

Hah! I like that!

FYI. I have an outstanding vinyl rig... top contemporary Linn LP12, Koetus Rosewood Signature cartridge, Audio Research Reference 3SE Phonostage. You can see my system under my UserID. Absolutely top rate and fabulous sounding, I’ll play a great audiophile recording... and think, wow... no way my streamer can compete with that. So I’ll find the same recording on Qobuz and low and behold... it sounds just as great... sometimes better if it was far down the list of pressings. I’ve stopped the comparisons and just listen to streaming as my great collection of albums and turntable collect dust.

Since I have a 2,000 album vinyl collection, containing many audiophile recordings and mostly pristine and great albums. I may go ahead and invest another $12K on a cartridge, which will allow my analog leg to pull ahead again... it will add additional detail, not really change the tonal balance. Without my album collection I wouldn't consider putting any more money in my analog section. I'd put it in the rest of my system. 

I have an excellent digital front end (Naim NDX2/XPSDR) for streaming Qobuz over Roon (running on an Intel NUC with ROCK). I just never play it. I play records, old and new. They're awesome. They make me tap my toes. 

+3 for Hana ML.

Congratulations on keeping the Herron Phono, I've always been on the lookout for a used one since it's no longer in production. Never had the luck. Also if you decide to go the route of LOMC, using a SUT into the MM stage of your Herron should be the bees knees.

Demo a Lumin X1. I’ve got all my vinyl in a Qobuz Favorites list now and the very nice vinyl rig (Well Tempered Verselex, Shelter 501mk3 cart, Line Magnetic tube phono stage... etc. a pretty quiet setup) sits there looking pretty. The X1 is simply a better "analog" source...

As someone, like many here, who have gone through the various ways of listening to music from my first Sears 3-in-1 stereo system I got from Santa at age 8 to a rack system in college to a striped back system of a receiver and CD player to purely streaming for years (starting with low-quality MP3s ripped and traded with friends) while DJing in grad school, until now. As a middle-aged gGen Xer, I never really got rid of my vinyl and CDs through all my listening stages of life,

I would recommend not going with the either/or approach. Keep the vinyl rig and the streaming rig. I still buy music in digital, CD and vinyl format. And enjoy listening to all 3 formats all the time. Sometimes to compare sources, sometimes for critical/purposeful listening and as wallpaper for around-the-house activities.

Enjoy both for what they offer. I've made the decision that for some artists I want to collect, I choose a format. For example, I'm a big New Pornographers fan and have albums in all 3 formats but the digital copies were never great. So I choose to reinvest in getting their catalog all in vinyl. Every album came w/ a digital download so I have copies for streaming convenience. For other artists, they may only be in the digital or CD format domain so I go that route. 

I won't make recommendations on gear because my price range and needs are very different from yours and others on here. Some with deeper knowledge and experience in niche/boutique brands I'm only now hearing about. But I will say, don't paint yourself into one corner or the other. Be a music-first audiophile! And enjoy your collection on the vinyl and streaming set up you have. Don't limit your experiences. Variety is the spice of life!

I agree with you fellers.....

I listen to streaming, CDs (got a new CD transport in the last year or so), and vinyl, and all of the formats, utilizing my well sorted system, sound astonishingly good. They don't compete with each other and seem to get along. I have lots of great CDs and vinyl collected for many decades with no desire to dump any of it to just stream...the gear doesn't care, the CDs and vinyl just sit and wait for me to listen to them and don't seem to mind my streaming (they're inanimate objects by the way), and it all provides music somehow...who knew?

+another for Hana ML. My ML/Pro-ject/Aria analog combo easily bests my Aurender/Qobuz/Qutest digital combo for about 2/3 the price. 

Thanks for sharing.  I think Going back to vinyl triggered your love for listening to vinyl.  I find different platforms can sound different depending on the source and setup.  I started with 45s, then 8 track, albums, cassettes, CDs and now streaming.  I find the portability and convenience factors matter the most to me.  On top of that streaming has me listening to new music and new to me old music for the price of a CD or album a month.  My main system now is the best I’ve ever had.  It’s amazing how good it sounds streaming whatever song I want to play.  I still play CDs for physical music but only stuff I can’t find online.  It’s a great time to love music and stereo equipment however you choose to listen.  Things members of this site appreciate and share.  

Nice O Brother, Where Art Thou reference @reubent. 

In my journey, I finally decided to stop selling gear that I liked but tired of and put back in the box. It costs nothing to keep it, it's properly stored so it doesn't go bad, and when the 'something different' bug bites me, I have gear on hand rather than adding more to the already long list of gear that has gone before. I will inevitably hook something up and think, "damn, I forgot how good that sounds." Besides, it's never a bad idea to have spares on hand.

Thanks for the great responses, everyone! In a forum where opinions vary on almost everything, it's refreshing to see the Hana receive such widespread praise.

I'm so happy with my system right now that I'm not itching for a change. But when the itch starts, I'll look to pick up the Hana and an appropriate SUT as I'm keeping the Herron. It must be made with some magical fairy dust, because it sounds sooo good. 

I updated my virtual system, because sharing is caring. Look for Audionoobie's System 2025 under my profile. 

@signaforce that's really interesting. Before my recent analog epiphany I had considered purchasing the Denafrips 15th hoping to add some R2R warmth to my Lumin. 

@dogberry I am first and foremost a music fan. I didn't realize this was an exclusive group. I was just excited to share my experience. 

@audionoobie I wasn't referring to you! You are more than welcome here.