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Vinyl recordings - best methods

Hi there
I would like to draw your attention here:
https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/audiophile-recording-and-playback-tascam-da-3000/post?highlig...
Maybe, now, there are even better recorders, out there.
Yet a big part of the picture is, do the best with what you have.
We need more discussion with updates on how to do the best recordings.
Oystein

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dgarretson
2,598 posts
 
It’s a BX-300 that I bought in the late ’80s to make tapes for a custom Alpine and Boston Acoustics system that I put into a Lotus Turbo. It broke once in the mid 90s (the cassette deck that is; the Lotus broke many times) and was repaired and last serviced then with a Factory update to the motor and capstan IIRC.
vinylvalet
899 posts
 
I’m planning on the same one day. I’ve heard good things about the M2Tech Joplin Mk2 (~$1.6k). I think this is what Michael Fremer uses in his system. In the under $1k category, the RME Babayface Pro has received positive comments.

If I had unlimited funds, I'd go with the Channel D Pure Vinyl software and Seta L or H (depending on your cartridge type). Looks like the ultimate recording system plus you end up with a world class phono stage. I've heard that doing the RIAA in the digital domain is unbeatable for accuracy compared to passive components resulting in digital recordings that sound better than the vinyl. I'm guessing that RIAA in the digital domain also would give you most if not every RIAA option, very useful if you are archiving pre 60s discs.
abraxas49
10 posts
 
I did a lot of tries with several combinations. The final satisfactory system is as follows:
- A good turntable with an accurate pitch control if you want to have a duration consistent with the one announced of the LP. Mine is a quartz controlled Hitachi HT-800 (motor only). There is a HT-840 with a plinth and tonearm. Very rare now.
- A cartridge having good specs. Your recording cannot be better than the source. Mine is Benz Micro ACE SL for stereo and Audio-Technica AT-MONO3/ LP for the Mono (my turntable has three arms). This latter must have a load of 100 ohms to prevent harsh sound on DECCA ffrr recordings.
- A good phono pre-ampwith RIAA. Mine is Ray Samuels F117 phono stage. A REAL KILLER better than higly priced phono amps.
- The front end for AD Conversion is the Apogee Duet 2. There is a flaw in this hardware that have a very good sound in the A/D stage; however I have a turn around (If you are interested let me know). If you have more money the Benchmark ADC1 is a very good option.
- The software to capture the flow: IZOTOPE RX5. This software is the top to do the job of declick, denoise, de-hum, de-hiss and more. The Standard edition is OK. The Advanced edition is not required for the job. This software allows also to cut the recording in tracks. The Batch Processing function which allows to concatenate several processing tasks saves a lot of time because you can run these overnight. The declick process is OUTSTANDING; never saw something so performant.


bondmanp
1,811 posts
 

I was at Dave Garretson’s yesterday and was fortunate to hear some of his needle drops. To say I was impressed would be a vast understatement. I don’t think I have heard better quality from digitized vinyl. Now, besides the fact that Dave knows what he is doing, he also has top-notch gear at his disposal - excellent ’table, arms, carts, a great system, and the means to really clean his records. Plus, he doesn’t need a computer for the digitizing. I have been doing CD-R needle drops using my much more modest vinyl rig and a prosumer Marantz CD recorder. I like the results, bu they are nowhere near what Dave was getting with his DSD TASCAM machine.


I am one of the beta testers for the Sweetvinyl Sugarcube-2, a Linux based one-box turn-key solution for declicking, digitizing, adding metadata, and track splitting (all automatic, no computer editing needed). I started a thread here on the SC-2 where I will post my impressions once I take delivery (estimated to be some time in August). This device will provide digital files up to 24/192, so no DSD, but I am hoping it will both produce better-sounding files and be more convenient than my current setup.

dgarretson
2,598 posts
 

@bondmanp

Thanks for visiting on Sunday for the demo. I’m taking another step with the Tascam DA-3000 by ordering an external Antelope Liveclock. The Liveclock will provide a 44.1 word clock to the Tascam as appropriate for DSD128 recording. The Antelope will also synchronize itself to the 10Mhz SRS PERF-10 Rubidium clock that I’m using with the Esoteric K-01X. Spec sheets suggest that this will increase clock accuracy to the ADC by an order of magnitude to .01ppm. I can also power the Liveclock at 12Vdc from the Hynes SR7. It’s a $1K gamble, but so far the experiment of recording vinyl with the Tascam has been worthwhile at every step.

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