Vinyl...should I stay, or should I go?


I've sort of hit a crossroads and have decided to part with my turntable, all accessories which go with the turntable, and my record collection. However, before parting ways with my analog gear I wanted to gather some feedback and make sure I've given vinyl a fair shake.

My setup is a VPI HW-19: a Zorin tonearm and a Dynavector 17dx cartridge, with a Manly Chinook phono-stage, It plays through Primaluna dialogue Pre amp and amps. The speakers are Goldenear Reference. 

Confession, despite this setup, I've mostly streamed Roon music through an ultraRendu into a ModWright oppo 205. It's just recently I decided to give listening to vinyl a try. I'm pretty much a novice to the finer points and nuances of getting the best out of vinyl.

Experience: I'm finding the streaming music seems to be more centered with a deeper and more textured soundstage. When I stream, no matter what era the music is from, the singer/music is front, center, deep and wide. On the other hand, the last couple of records I've tried. A very old and somewhat used Alan Parsons Project lp and Jim Croce, Don't Mess around with Jim 180 gram lp, have not presented the same quality soundstage. In fact, in both cases while much of the music is centered, the singer's voice is coming mostly from the left side (speaker). Also, I'm finding the bass to be lacking. Last night in a side by side comparison, I was taken aback by how much better sounding was the streaming music.

Question: Is this typical of vinyl or is there something in my setup (again I'm a novice) I'm overlooking? With all this said, any advice on what to check or look for would be much appreciated. I'm not trying to start a debate about the merits of vinyl vs. streaming. I'm really just trying to find out if what I'm experiencing is typical of the vinyl experience or if there's something I should be correcting before pulling the plug and selling off the analog gear. Thanks
liv2teach
The OP is using a used phono cartridge of unknown history so he got the sound that he paid for.

I've owned that exact phono stage, that exact table, and similar cartridges.  Your experience tells me that you have setup issues or simply chose some especially bad pressings for your "dance now or forever be gone" ultimatum to your analog side.  I'll admit that I periodically wonder if certain files sound better than their LP siblings.  For me, vinyl usually wins in a test using same album.  
A few beliefs I hold (and with which many will disagree): (1) something recorded on digital (IOW, 99% of everything recorded after 1983) can and often does sound better through a high end DAC than through a high end analog setup, especially if the LP was an afterthought and was not mastered separately in a way that accounts for vinyl's lower dynamic range, (2) digital generally offers clean lines, low noise, and tight, strong bass -- let's not fight that or pretend otherwise, because it's a good thing, (3) the very very best sound I've heard on my system and others' $200k++ systems is with vinyl, and (4) with a well-matched system and reasonable room environment, digital cannot hold a candle to a well-pressed vinyl example, from something recorded on tape to begin with, in the areas of 3D palpability, excitement, engagement, immediacy, live/realistic/in-the-venue presence.  
My advice: for your "dance now" test, use an LP you know is close to perfect.  If you have to, spend $35 on something from Analogue Productions, for an album that was recorded in that 1950-1971 golden era (for a real treat, grab the Wonderful Sounds of Female Vocals, or the male vocals version, or one of their Ben Webster Meets ___ LPs).  Compare it to a digital version of the same thing.  And when I say compare, I don't mean a few minutes with each.  I mean listen to 20-30 minutes on digital first, then play a few minutes of the same side on vinyl.  Using the other side of the LP, run the same comparison in reverse order.  I tend to focus on vocal lines and transparency, bass extension/detail/texture, imaging/soundstaging, air/space/separation, and overall tonal richness and presence (betcha that Jim Croce LP is very "thin" and distant).  If vinyl loses, I see only three possibilities with your stated equipment.  (1) Setup problems, (2) a cart that's outlived its useful life, or (3) a pair of ears that simply prefers clean lines, low noise, and tight bass above all else.
I'm not one of those who thinks you must be crazy or deaf if digital wins.   But vinyl has so much potential that it deserves a fair shake.
does anyone else not understand how to create paragraph breaks on this forum? 


Two hard returns?


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