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On the Fence with Analog Vs. Digital. Need Help

Out of the blue I've been considering switching to vinyl. Most likely the reason for this is that my digital source is only an NAD T532 DVD player (ran into 2 NAD C 272 amps, NAD C162 Preamp or Adcom GFP-750 Preamp, Paradigm Studio 60 v3). The sound to me has been relatively harsh and just does not sound natural. My friend also let me borrow his Cambridge Audio Acur D540 player; it has its strengths against the T532, but can still sound bright and edgy. Granted neither of these players are ones to base a good overall analysis of digital sound reproduction on, the prospect of smooth fully analog sound is interesting to me. I've heard LPs before, but only on sub-par playback systems where the albums sounded grainy. So now the question is: do I spend $500 on a new Music Hall MMF-5 turntable and start investing in an entirely new music collection (I own about 3 LPs) to get this smooth sound that I am seeking, or is there a modestly priced CD player or external DAC out there that can achieve a smooth, lifelike sound with my current set up?

I've considered going with an external DAC and a computer-based album storage solution, but from what I've been reading and from what I've noticed listening to more expensive CD players ($3000+), it seems as though you really need to get up around that price range before digital begins to sound smoother and more analog. Right now I don't have $3000 to drop on a DAC/CD Player; it's a little easier to come up with the $500 for the Music Hall and gradually build the LP collection. So that's my dilema. I'm so close to saying "screw digital" and just taking the plunge. I might like, I might hate. Who knows.
jwglista
elf73
104 posts
 
FWIW, I also liked the Playstation. It was $35, I wanted to spend my limited resources on a computer based system and analog. Pretty low risk. I only have about 60 CDs, and have very limited experience with gear, but I agree with Ablang, I like my CDs a lot more now through the playstation.

www.canuckaudiomart.com/forum/
viewtopic.php?t=6886&sid=40b2653d39999f53df246da72ef9d7c6

I have a really cheap NAD 325bee integrated with my PS1 and it doesn't sound at all bright.. maybe it's your speakers?

Also I'm in the same boat with analogue. I was thinking of the MMF-5 because it's all inclusive but I"ve decided to go for the Rega P2 or P3 (older Planar as well) in the meantime. I can't afford any of the Michell decks, and then you start thinking you need a better phono stage to warrant such a nice deck etc etc. Waiting for one in the $350-450 range. Especially with it's RB250 tonearm.

Supposedly the RB250 is better than the RB300 arm due to it's infinite tweakability.

You can upgrade the table piece by piece (groovetracer.com) or arm (origin live.com) should you decide to go that route.

Should you get into it, you can keep the RB250 tonearm, as a lot of higher end tables don't come with either the arm or cartridge. Rega has quite a following. Especially it's lower end stuff.

Since you have a phono stage already, you're good to go for $350-400. My first medium was vinyl, and even before I heard about a record cleaning machine (thanks audiogon) I loved the music from my LPs. I think you were right with your first instinct, you're ready to go with a brush and some records... besides, you can always sell for what you paid.

FWIW.
jwglista OP
206 posts
 
I'm actually planning to audition the MMF-5 or 5.1 (whichever he has) tomorrow afternoon. The more I think about vinyl and search the websites looking for albums, the more fun it seems. It's as though being an audio enthusiast becomes even more of a hobby with vinyl. I did think along those same lines as well. I know that individual parts of the analog setup can be upgraded by themselves. I'm pretty gung ho about it, so the final step will be listening to the 'table to see how it really sounds. I might try the PS1 as well just to experiment.
dcstep
1,518 posts
 
Don't get rid of your CDs. Run parrallel for a while. When I switched to digital in the late 1980s, thank goodness that I kept all my vinyl. I came back seriously to vinyl last year, but I also have a SOTA digital system. I'll probably get a music server as soon as a hi rez version comes out with a decent interface.

Bottom line is that all formats have a place. You can be primarily one or the other but don't dump everything else. You could regret that down the line.

Dave
jwglista OP
206 posts
 
Very good advice. In fact I plan to eventually run some kind of home-made music server myself. So if I do chose to go vinyl here, I'll always keep my digital albums. The only format I can say that I safely ditched was the cassette tape. No regrets there.
mdconnelly
133 posts
 
I love vinyl and listen to it frequently, BUT... you really can't beat the convenience of digital particularly with hard disk servers and solutions like the Squeezebox.

When I want to turn out the lights and just soak it in, I usually turn to vinyl, but the rest of the time, it is digital all the way.

I wouldn't give up either.
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