Vinyl or wait for the new stuff??

imho, a $2k-$4k digital rig will be only marginally better (if at all) than a $500 digital rig, if run thru an excellent preamp. my <$3k analog rig (fono-stage included) will sound nicer than *any* digital rig at *any* price, imho. of course, i stress this is *my* opinion... doug

Hi Dud,how ewe been? The Pass is awesome but gets lots of help from the 99!! :) I agree with your "opinion" 100% When I was super cheap and flirting again with vinyl I picked up a $2.00 yardsale BSR turntable.It had a dirty,green Sure cartridge on it.I had no clue then about set up(not much on the BSR) and the cantilever was bent and loose.I straightened it out and superglued it "solid" At this same yard sale I picked up some mint viny for a dime each including "Its A Beautiful Day" (white bird one) I borrowed a junk preamp with a phono stage from a friend.This is no lie! Before I could sit down I heard sound I knew was different than what I was used to on my CD player.I stood at the preamp adjusting the volumn and heard a detail and sense of ease to the music I had never heard.Once sitting I was amazed that the sound stage depth and width had grown.I loved my junk table and the sound I was getting from "its a beautiful day"The tamboreen in "free Bird " sounded so real to me.I have often used that 10 cent LP for a sound test disc.The CD player I had at the time isnt the greatest but its not too bad either.Denon DCM 460?480 Its long gone now as is that $2.00 BSR,well actually I stripped the old gal down and use her now to spin LP's to treat with Groove Glide.I have never looked back.

hi david, glad that rogue 99 does it for ya - i guess the impedence mismatch was yust no good in my system. prolly a good thing, cuz i never wooda found my melos preamp! all the euphony of the rogue, w/the dynamics, detail & frequency response of good solid-state, mebbe even better? i've never heard dynamics like what i hear from this piece. melos sez ya don't even need an amp w/efficient speakers, i believe 'em. folks talk about the pros-n-cons of not using a preamp - how about the pros-n-cons of not using an amp?!? ;~) another ting i like about it that the rogue duzzn't have, is a tape-loop so i can run my dbx 3bx w/o having it in the loop when not needed, & balance controls... glad ya made out nice w/yer vinyl, but go easy on those digiphiles of the world - some guys yust can't be bothered, and digital sound ain't half-bad, if done-up right... :>) what really amazed me about vinyl, is i actually had a fairly decent set-up that i used for a long time: a heavily-modified c&j walker 'table w/a sumiko premiere ft-3 tonearm. well, i got the opportunity to pick up a used oracle w/grace tonearm, that i had upgraded to mk-v specs (except power-supply), & it was not too spendy - $1250 included a gnu box from oracle, shipped from canada. to be honest, i expected only a minor improvement, if any. & i really din't care - this was a case of wanting something only cuz it looks so cool! ;~) well, i couldn't believe how much better everything sounded - even the wife was astounded. and as it was, my old vinyl rig still kicked serious digital butt. now, w/origin-live mod power supply & tonearm, i'm in vinyl heaven. a rebuilt lyra cartridge on the way should really be sweet. ya, i, too, still crank *it's a beautiful day* - amazing, how good a condition it's still in, it's seen a lot of abuse over the years... ;~) ciao for now, dud

Hey David99, sorry about your mom, honestly, of course I didn't know she had passed away. It's just a saying you know... My sincere condolences, such is life. I hope you're doing well. With regards to the topic at hand, perhaps your pain is clouding your mind. You are being arrogant and foolish. I restate everything about vinyl I said before, and I have a lot of experience with vinyl. In most cases vynil sucks as a medium. Most analog rigs I have heard suck. It makes no sense to try to hear "beyond" the inherent imperfections. Why, if that were so why not tolerate the harsh horrendous CDs produced in the eighties. So, if you can't take it when someone has a different view I suggest you form a vinyl-lovers asylum where everyone thinks the same way you do and have your own totalitarian kingdom. I respect your opinion but you clearly don't respect mine.

I bought my first pair of Magnepans and moving coil cartridge when I was 15 years old in 1979 so I have some experience with this topic. Despite the fact that my system has grown and evolved over the years to include Mark Levinson CD, Jadis amplifiers and speakers including Apogee ribbons and Martin Logan SL 3s etc. I have been puzzled to admit that I NEVER EVER EVER really listen to or enjoy my stereo AT ALL anymore, other than switching it on for background music at low volumes when I am reading or entertaining. I thought maybe I was just getting old or romanticizing the musical experiences of my youth but it is increaslingly clear that the answer and culprit is CDs!!!!! They are nasty and unsatisfying little things in every way from their migraine inducing character, their annoying anti theft tape, their cheap dime store packaging, lack of liner notes and vulgar masss market acceptability. I went into a store recently and heard a decent turntable for the first time in years and relaxed and enjoyed the music just like the good old days. Joe_coherent, I would be FASCINATED to hear more of your ideas and why you feel the way you do. Maybe you should relaunch Stereo Review Magazine or write for the Audio Critic. In defense of digital, I will say that SACD sounded pretty good to me on a short listen at Mark Levinson's new store in NYC, but I can't imagine that the format will make it and there seems to be about 5 titles available. I would be delighted to correspond directly with any of you on any topic or help with anything that I can. Long live audiophiles and best wishes to you all. Secret Geek