Vinyl collection, now what?


Hey folks,

Just inherited a really interesting collection of records from my audiophile crazy uncle.
Lots of master and super master pressings, a complete Time Life Records collection, Sheffield track records, etc.

I have never owned a turntable and know very little about them.

Does anyone have experience digitizing tracks to file using a USB turntable?
Any recommendations for or against?
Am I looking at something potentially very expensive?
I haven't looked through everything but saw lots of albums I would like to digitize.

Thanks everyone!
hleeid

@hleeid,

The Bryston BP-26 preamp is what I have. I do not have an installed phono stage for it. I recently purchased the Bryston "1/3 chassis" BP2-MM moving magnet phono stage and have it tied in to my Bryston BPS-2 external power supply via a "y-connector". I was having hum from my Linn Sondek LP12 turntable until I found out that they didn't provide the Y connector which allows it to be noise free with the BP-26's external power supply.

As for the fidelity of the BP-26, I would say it represents solid state gear at its finest. Very low noise, excellent detail retrieval, excellent dynamics, etc... very transparent which foretells its ability to guide you on how to optimize the rest of your system (if this makes any sense). With the Bryston MM phono stage I am now experiencing resolution and sound quality with my vinyl collection that I never quite got to back in the day when I used to collect ECM jazz and prog rock and jazz fusion records. I chose to stick with moving magnet as a bit of a cost saving option since my phono stage retailed for $1,000 USD instead of $1800. My revamped Linn Sondek LP12 sounds better than I could have imagined and I now see how analog can be more delicate and musical than even very good digital.



@russashe - I have decided to take the plunge into vinyl and am considering a few tables.
Your post has helped me to solidify this decision.  It just makes sense to look for a decent turntable whether I end up digitizing or not.

So I am now looking into a 2 - 3k table.
My Bryston BP 26 does not have a phono board so will need to find a phono preamp also.

 

Rega P8 at $3K (list) can't be beat @hleeid, but it doesn't include a cartridge or phono stage. It is much more than a "decent" turntable. There are numerous carts and PSs around. I have a van den Hul One special cart and a Sutherland Insight PS which are excellent (add about another $3K list). It is very hard to compare these things without hearing them in your system in your room - it's kind of a leap of faith. Enjoy your good fortune.
@sokogear - The Rega P8 (used) was one of the first decks I looked into along with the VPI Prime Scout (also used) and the Clearaudio Concept.

Does anyone have any experience with the Rega P8?
Or any other considerations in that price range (used)?