If you like it now, wait till you hear it with a decent phono stage. It sounds like you were using a turntable that had a built-in phono stage, which would explain your comments as those are crap. But now you are using the stage in the Marantz receiver, which is one small step up from crap. Which is actually the good news, as the huge step up you heard is with a phono stage on a card in a receiver, something easily beaten hands down no contest by virtually any stand alone phono stage. Of course then you will have to add a decent quality interconnect. But that is your weak link at the moment, the phono stage. Upgrade that and be amazed all over again.
Oh and since you asked, the reason no one ever suggested trying the TT is everyone has been brainwashed to the delusion its old tech not worth the time. Only takes a few minutes actually listening to destroy that one, as you now know. But hardly anyone takes the time. Good on you for making the effort.
Oh and since you asked, the reason no one ever suggested trying the TT is everyone has been brainwashed to the delusion its old tech not worth the time. Only takes a few minutes actually listening to destroy that one, as you now know. But hardly anyone takes the time. Good on you for making the effort.