Turntables

I didn’t mean to be a downer for the original poster. Just wanted to give some bigger perspective. Now that I have over $5k in audiophile reissues that I painstakingly put together, I am kinda stuck.

Each time I upgraded my DAC and CD player, I found myself having to upgrade my analogue front end. It has taken a $20k rig to top my $10k Esoteric SACD player.

The analogue rig consists of a VPI Classic 4 with a 12” 3D reference tonearm. An Ortofon Cadenza Black cartridge to a Bob’s Devices Sky 20 SUT to the phono stage built into my Luxman L-590ax Mark II integrated. All wired with Transparent MusicLink Super cables. Stillpoints record weight and VPI perifery ring.

To clean those precious plastic discs, I picked up an Audio Desk Gläss ultrasonic record cleaner.

I didnt even factor the cost of record storage racks. And my last point, I had to move to a larger house to keep growing my collection.

Well mastered records sound awesome! Magical even.

Though I’ve had MQA Tidal cuts and CDs that also sound magical.

I believe digital or vinyl completely depends on the personality type, not so much which one necessarily sounds better.

I dont believe the personality manifests itself the same in everybody, but I believe each persons road to vinyl is chosen due to certain qualities in life they have experienced and desire. And it’s how and why they learn to desire these qualities that directs them to their particular format.

For instance, I’m an architect, for me having createable control with something authentic is important. So you can see that being able to pick the pieces (cart, table, phono pre, loading, alighnment, etc), and having a piece of vinyl with physical gooves you can see and feel (but don’t!) with your eyes and hands, and finally placing it on the table watching the platter spin, then dropping the needle and hearing the drop has a tangle quality that would appeal to me. It is "me" that controls the final sound, and it is me that reaps the benefits or not, thus there is a greater reward for all my diligence. It takes a certain level of craft in TT design that appeals to an architect as well.  There is also the uniqueness aspect for me, being that every LP is unique (ticks, pops, pressing, etc) that adds to its authenticity. 

Now compare that to my brother, a NASA rocket engineer who desires efficient, exact design with minimal error, what do you think he listens to?

BTW I’m sure there are many engineers who listen to vinyl, I’m saying given my brothers specific life experiences, anyone who would meet him would bet,he’d be a digital guy - and you’d be right.

Oops.  Never mind my previous post. Somehow posted in wrong forum. 

luvrockin,

I'm a digital head having two players, four dacs, and stream from my PC. But when I finally took the plunge back into vinyl after many years I settled on a Pro ject 1.3 Genie that came with a Pearl cart. I later moved to a Ortofon Blue 2M cart which sounds much better. As for a phono stage I found a used Monolithic PS-1 with a separate power supply and has adjustable dip switches in the back for settings per the cart recommendations. The 1.3 is belt driven and the motor is on the outside of the platter. This seems to be popular now with other models of late. Pro ject makes more expensive models based on the style of the 1.3 but for a entry level item I feel I did okay. Best of luck with your search.