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Returning to audiophilism after 20 years: a little guidance would be nice :-)

Hello all,
I’m Pieter, a dutch intrinsic music lover that has been sucked up by family life for the last 20 years, leaving little time to do what I liked most while I was still unattached. I sold off most of my equipment back then (2002) and haven’t done any serious music listening since.
Now that my kids are around 15 y/o I dug up my nostalgic Thorens TD126mkIII TT just to show them the concept. I never could have dreamed it would suck me right back into the good old days when I was enjoying music on audiophile equipment and being able to hear the soundstage depth, lively pianos and guitars, well, I suppose I don’t need to tell you guys how fulfilling such could be.

What am I looking for here? Well, in twenty years time technology must have progressed (especially digital) so I am looking for some guidance where and how to start over. I’d like to find the approach that suits my situation best.

Don’t worry, I’m not going to ask "what is the best amplifier for under $5000" kind of questions. But I am interested in the current vinyl vs digital discussion (has digital/streaming earned its place compared to vinyl, does it hold its own) so I can start exploring in a good direction.

Is this the kind of question that fits this community? If so, is this a good subforum?

All I kept when selling my stuff back then are my Thorens TD126mkIII (still in good shape) and Triangle Meridien speakers (French brand). So I’m in the market for a more than decent amplifier, phono preamp and a digital source such as a streamer or CD player. Might go the Tidal route, along with playing records. I still have around a 100 CD's. I just got a MoFi StudioPhono to connect the TT to my low tier receiver amp.

Can’t wait to hear what you might say.

Kind regards to all,
Pieter
pieterkadijk
rodman99999
6,158 posts
 
      "...the good old days when I was enjoying music on audiophile equipment and being able to hear the soundstage depth, lively pianos and guitars..."

     This is just how I looked at digital vs vinyl, through the first years of digital:
                    Vinyl = Filet Mignon and digital = hamburger.

      I never owned a CDP until around 1991, when I bought a decent Denon unit.    

      My next move was a tubed California Audio Labs, Delta/Sigma II combo. Then an Alpha 96/24 upgrade, which were revelatory when combined with the improved digital recording methods, of those days.   OH: and a 1.5m Kimber Orchid AES/EBU.  Tried a .5m first and it proved unlistenable.

                      More of a good Ribeye, than hamburger.

       The move to my BAT VK-D5, with some well-selected Siemens tubes; has me enjoying the Prime Rib of digital reproduction.

        I can thoroughly enjoy either a good Filet or Prime Rib, any day of the week!
artemus_5's avatar
artemus_5
1,965 posts
 
But I am interested in the current vinyl vs digital discussion (has digital/streaming earned its place compared to vinyl, does it hold its own) so I can start exploring in a good direction.

IMO, Digital vs analog has not really advanced since the early 2000's. Instead of CD players, now it is streaming that mostly represents digital. However, IMO, trying to stream your own library is quite difficult. Because of this, many choose to rent their music via Qubuz, etc. because their have an interface that works. For me, this is a deal breaker. I have no desire to spend $20  a month for music that I already have. The music sounds good when I get it to play but the CD often sounds better and the vinyl blows it outta the water. If you are going to try streaming your own library, I'd suggest a streamer which has its own hard drives (NAS). Otherwise there are too many pieces in the chain that have to communicate. 

I'm old enough to have lived through a lot of format changes and it usually  more about the Mfg's making $$$ from a new product, rather than a great sonic leap forward. Its usually about convenience. And streaming is very convenient. You don't even have to buy music, just rent theirs for $20 mo.     Now. What will it be 5-10 yrs down the road? I remember CATV when it was new. It was cheap too.....and convenient. Now its $200 mo with 350 channels of pure crap to watch.  And the wheel goes round & round. The more that things change, the more they stay the same. 
calvinandhobbes
307 posts
 
As someone who has actively avoided digital music for 32 years, my perception is that there have been changes in digital audio that have encouraged me to build a digital front end in the past year to both stream digital music as well as listen to local files. Streaming music is not only convenient, but my experience has been that there have also been improvements in the sound quality of digital music especially in the area of reducing digital harshness. 

In terms of the quality of streaming services, I can recommend Qobuz as sounding the best with Primephonic (for classical) being second best. Third choice for me would be Spotify Premium. Tidal is the worst sounding streaming service in my opinion.

Feel free to send me a message if you want to know what I've learned in the past year about putting together a digital front end. I've found that getting digital to sound good can be as complex as getting a turntable to sound good.
tomic601's avatar
tomic601
12,914 posts
 
@whart as is the norm has a balanced more nuanced view of the world. EU builds some great gear in both analog and digital formats and probably leads in reference digital recordings , see 2L The Nordic sound for technical and musical artistry both.  For hints about how far digital has come look to both Brinkman and Aesthetix. Both firms are wayyyyyy into analog yet both offer state of the art and highly involving DACs. Some of us own LP, Digital and high speed tape and can speak with an open mind and ear. 
Enjoy your music, journey and newly rekindled love affair.
tomic601's avatar
tomic601
12,914 posts
 
as an aside, the digital reference should not be streaming nor in the rarest of cases a CD. It should be a bit perfect rip or resident file on an isolated audiophile grade server ( for example a NAIM Core a UK product ) w no moving parts. In many cases what we see are so called experts taking a pen knife to a gunfight…..
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