Where to start with vinyl

Stringreen, you're so wrong it's pathetic. The better MC phono preamps are quite quiet and hum-free -- just as much so as a MM phono stage. So now folks can take advantage of all the extra detail and transient speed provided by today's better MC cartridges. If your experience is otherwise, you must have been using an inadequate/noisy phono preamp, or one with insufficient gain for the cartridge you were using. Or maybe you have a hum issue related to a grounding problem.

I see that you use the Benz Ebony high-output cartridge. Nice choice, but I bet you dollars to doughnuts that my low-output version sounds considerably better when loaded properly and hooked up to appropriate electronics.

Tarsando, if you ever want to hear a wonderful sounding vinyl playback system I can arrange that for only a small cover charge... But as I recall you are most content to play the ostrich.

Wright Sound - WPP200C Phonostage with separate power supply ($900). Marantz TT-15! Designed by Marantz and built for them by Clearaudio. For $1600, you get a contoured acrylic table with an outboard motor, special anti-resonance feet and a sophisticated tonearm. TT-15 comes complete with an $800 Clearaudio Virtuoso Ebony Wood Cartridge.

For $2500 this combo is hard to beat.

I agree with one of privies statements, that analog & digital sound different ( LP being more emotional. CD being more sterile). Just me...................?................I don't think so.

LOVE TUBES , LP's AND MILES D.
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My personal choice:

Re-plinth Lenco 75 ( Depends how much you pay for Lenco & cost of a new plinth - My cost - trade one of my components for NOS Lanco/Denon 103R. $400 for plinth, TT isolation platform & dedicated stand, made by myself )

Wright Sound - WPP200C Phonostage ($900),
Advanced Analog MG-1 Linear Arm Tonearm with air pump (about $800)-
Cartridge Man's Music Maker IInd ($750 - $950) with Cartridge Man's -The Isolator ($150)
Second T-arm, Rega RB300 ($395),
Denon 103R cartridge ($250-$299) also thinking about modifying 103R wood shell ($50),

Total for TT & Phono: about $4000 ( depends on discounts ).

After completion, we'll do a shout out with my friend's $10,000 turntable & $3000 phonostage + Arm + Cartridge ( I can already predict the outcome ) .

Good luck in analog journey.

I came from somewhat the same place as you a while back. I'm running a very nice Meridien CD player, but came accross an old Oracle Delphi priced very low at an estate sale a few years ago. I picked it up, and it came with a Grado Platinum cartridge installed on an SME series III tonearm, a Musical Fidelity XLP phono stage and a nice pair of MIT interconnects.

At the time, that was enough to get me started - and it was a very enjoyable combo - certainly comparable to the Meridien despite being a fraction of the price. However, the Oracle was showing its age so I proceeded to an upgrade this year. I now am running a JA Michell Gyro SE mk 2 with a Graham 1.5tc/2.2 tonearm and a Benz Wood cartridge. The Musical Fidelity phonostage is still in use, though that'll change soon. In any case, this setup, at a bit less cost (used) than your CD player, absolutely sounds much more musical and involving than any digital setup I've ever heard.

All this to say...vinyl is a lot of fun, a lot of tweaking, but the ultimate reward is worth the time and cost. And the most fun aspect of it is the record shopping afterwards! There's so much good stuff on vinyl that costs so little and is so much fun to listen to, that I've been listening to much more music ever since the vinyl upgrade.

Double ditto Plato!

>>Wrong... High output cartridges are much easier to deal with. Its really a tradeoff. Yes you might get very slightly more detail with a low output, because of the fewer windings on the coil, however rf, hum, noisy power, etc. can and usually does swamp that detail.<<

Readers, pay no attention to this.

It is completely erroneous. A well designed and constructed low output moving coil suffers none of these baseless maladies.