Genre specific gear.
I thought that one went out in 2021.
Selecting Analog Gear Based on Music Preference?
I’m just getting into turntables and vinyl after building a fairly high-end digital system over the past few years. One thing I consciously did as I put together this system was “voice” it for synergy with the kind of music I like to listen to, which is fairly well-produced classic rock like Rick Rubin’s work with Tom Petty, Sting and the Police, Tears for Fears, etc. And I also like to listen to pop music like Sam Smith, Maroon 5, and George Michael. So I’ve built this system with a Naim NDX2/ND555PS and tube preamp/Luxman M900u power amp combo with high efficiency Volti horn speakers.
I picked up a Technics SL-1200Mk2 with an Ortofon 2M Blue just to get things started, and I have a Parasound JC3 Jr which all seem to be a great first step. But before I do any upgrades to the turntable and cartridge I’m wondering if there are better tables and cartridges for different kinds of music and listening? I don’t want to fall in love with some high end table and find out it really only sounds best when listening to renaissance lute music or acoustic guitar singer/songwriters, etc. I’m looking to get groove and resolution similar to what I’ve found with the NDX2/ND555PS combo.
I’m looking toward the $2.5-5K range, and at the top of the range I find the Dr Fieckert Volare and possibly the SOTA Sapphire very interesting, and I have a soft spot for Technics, so the 1200G is a possibility too.
Is there a direction I should be heading in if I’m looking for the best rig to reproduce a certain genre of music?
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@sbank thanks - yes maybe it’s different with analogue. I found the sound of, say the Chord TT2 for example, versus the Naim NDX2 affected the genre of music I preferred listening to. The Chord DAC, being quite detailed and dynamic, I found myself listening to a lot of ECM recordings and acoustic bluegrass, etc. It sounded great but not my cup of tea. The Naim is better suited to my ears for louder, more punchy and rhythmic music. It cost me a whole lot of money to find that out, so I thought I’d ask before I jump on another gear carousel. Sounds like the turntable really doesn’t affect the sound that much. @tablejockey thanks for the comment, I missed that email in 2021. I’m all set for 2022 though thanks to your head’s up.
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I wasn't implying that AT ALL, quite the opposite. Better tables will give you more or what you seek with all genres. Understand your DAC examples; my suggestion for digital would be an R2R DAC which would give you more of the relaxed nature of the Naim with more details too, but perhaps in a less forward way...sort of THERE without calling too much attention to themselves. Denafrips, Soekris, AudioGD, plenty of options that most describe along those lines. Pontus II does the trick for me, FWIW. Cheers, Spencer |
This may be similar to what you are saying, but here goes. My hearing is changing. Ok, so what I am trying to do to compensate is to use gear that supports the sound that I need to hear. For example, horn loaded speakers may be more forward sounding but they would be my preference now more than before. So this may go along the path that you are describing, i.e., what sounds best to you for a given genre of music, equipment wise. It is a valid point. Don't ask Magnapans to play hard rock. |
When a Digital System is put together what ever the price tag, if streaming is used, the access to the music files is unlimited and done 'off the cuff'. It is not really possible to tell if a music file from one genre is a better than a file from another genre. The most noticeable element will be the quality of the recording. This passes over to Vinyl as well, and some of your chosen artists, will be from a period when vinyl was very high quality and others from the Digital Breakthrough era, when the Vinyl LP spiralled down rapidly to a very low quality. New mainstream Vinyl LP releases today are with the same fate, I have returned new purchases more than once to get a acceptable copy, but inferior to owned 40 Year OId LP's My advice would be to buy some pristine albums from enjoyed artists with pressed LP's from the 70's, or a re-release pressing from a reputable pressing company. Use these on your present set up to get the feel for the presentation compared to your digital, even A/B compare the formats. This will give a better grounding on where the deficiencies are being detected from the source. |
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