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Analogue-free system

I have had a TT since 1971, starting with a $99 AR table, then progressed to a couple of Thorens tables and then a SOTA Sapphire in 1984.  It was later upgraded to the vacuum platter.  With a SAEC 407 arm and Dynavector 20x2 HOMC, the sound for years was much better than any digital source I had. 
However, with the acquisition of an upgraded Oppo 103D a few years ago, less and less was I able to discern a superior sound with the TT.  Now, with the introduction of Tidal and Spotify, I find myself listening mostly to streaming music, as well as from jazz stations like KNKX and KCSM.  And of course my large CD collection.

It was the end of an era when the buyer picked up the SOTA rig this week, which has left me with a lot of fond memories of the decades I spent with the very fine analogue set up. I am perplexed that there is still so much interest in TT, but am aware that using a TT provides a more participatory audio experience than simply streaming music or storing all your music on music server.  Cheers, Whitestix
whitestix
whitestix OP
697 posts
 
Gents,
I sure don't mean to fan the fire of digital vs. analogue as the audio tent is a big one and we all can pick our our sources.  They are all great.  My original post was really more of an ode to my decades long relationship with my analogue source.   I used to enjoy fooling around with setting up cartridges, adjusting VTA, etc etc, but as I am now a pensioner, I just enjoy the ease and very fine sound of digital music sources.  Now, what to do with my ~800 jazz lp's??  Their absence will create space for few hundred more books.  
inna
7,158 posts
 
A lot of music is not available on vinyl or tape, and digital is getting better, so this tendency even for some long-time audiophiles to abandon analogue is understandable and will continue. 
They should not count on my support, though. Besides sound quality and emotional involvement, analogue helps keep the connection to the roots. Not just roots of music. The world is analogue stupid.
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cleeds
5,708 posts
 
whitestix
I sure don’t mean to fan the fire of digital vs. analogue as the audio tent is a big one and we all can pick our our sources. They are all great.
The flames that erupted here weren’t your fault, @whitestix, you just shared your experience. I’ve been into vinyl since long before the digital era, and have no plan to abandon it. I also have very good digital gear, so I can enjoy both. For many of us, it’s not an either/or proposition; to suggest otherwise is illogic.

Yet, LP playback is surely a bit of a nuisance and an expense - phono cartridges have a limited life-span - so I can understand why some users choose to leave it behind.
ljgerens
152 posts
 
Like @whitestix I was a longtime user of analogue sources. I made the transition to digital 6 years ago and never looked back. My transition to digital music has been nothing but very enjoyable. After I burned all my CDs I rarely ever played a CD again. I have 2 systems and my wife has one system. She has her library on her MacBook Pro and I have mine on my iMac. We use our iPhones or iPads as remotes to wirelessly stream our music to either an Airport Express or Apple TV, using the optical output into a DAC. It works seamlessly and over 6 years we have never had a dropout, freeze, or glitch of any kind. It always works. Even my 3 year old grandson can play his music on my wife"s system with his iPad.

Also we have never lost any playlists, artwork, or tracks. The only way i can imagine you could do that if you accidentally delete them. Of course you do have to back up everything just in case. Every time I burn a CD, I back it up to 2 separate external hard drives which takes about a minute each, so it is no big deal. 
mr_m
1,900 posts
 
Probably said this before. I've heard superb examples of analogue and digital including streaming. I think the real winners here are people who can enjoy all formats of music. JMHO.
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