Why didn't I sell my vinyl rig?

My criteria for both Vinyl and SACD/CD’s in Main System, and Streaming in my Office System: Is it ’INVOLVING’ ... IF Yes, DONE?

I purposely don’t compare them as many of you do (mine are not directly comparable anyway).

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Office Streaming (if you could call it that) is a simple $250. DAC (just so I can use USB from my PC). Office Source: free streaming, YouTube, Pandora, that’s it.

However, I do have some very nice speakers in the Office System (restored vintage AR-2ax, 3 way with 2 level controls: adjusting for the room a big asset).

I re-arranged the furniture to sit dead center on both Monitor and Speakers, thus for an Office, simple streaming with very nice Sound and Imaging up here. Thus: ’INVOLVING’

You that stream, hi-rez paid subscriptions, real equipment: thru your main system get far better I am sure. And, both thru your main systems, you can readily compare. Cost of Streaming can get way up there.

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My Vinyl and SACD/CD via Main System areTerrific. Took me a few years, I’m Done.

3 Tonearms, one 12.5:, others two 9". MC, MM removable headshell, Mono ready to go, Switch in seconds during a listening session.

New to me Vintage SACD/CD player, rediscovering existing and buying used CD’s now.

Definitely ’INVOLVING’.

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Compare: My friends bring their cartridges, or equipment here to hear/compare with my vinyl and/or cd systems, entire, or parts. That is both fun and informative.

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Vinyl: CD’s only for years, then rediscovered Vinyl. Then listened to Vinyl only for a long while. Improved SACD/CD player, now both, Vinyl predominately.

Had sold my Thorens TD124 with SME 3009 arm sadly because it was subject to vertical vibrations from my flexible wood floor.

Got a simple Audio Technica 120, then I gave it with cartridge to a friend. Started Vinyl all over during covid times.

I put together a terrific 3 arm TT setup. Coincidentally Just this morning added all up, total $5,565. People here spend a whole heck of a lot more for their Vinyl Rigs, and for their Streaming setups.

Improved SACD/CD, went thru 9 players till I found this one. $1,000. (surprisingly same cost as when it was new)

I have a lot of CDs, many both LP and CD, we do compare them, prejudiced opinion: LP wins most of the time.

Reel to Reel beats both LP and CD. (despite tapes having the worst Signal/Noise rating)

 

 

AR-2ax, how cool.  I bought a pair of those new in HS.  Then moved up to the AR-3a.  Best speaker of the day.  I drove them with a Dynaco Pre & Power that I built.  It was a killer system.

To me vinyl and digital just sound different.  They will never sound the same.  I find in digital what really matters is what you play back.  Streaming services always suffer from jitter caused by the ‘noise’ between the original website (I have done everything humanly possible to minimize this … but it’s there and won’t go away), to the ISP, to my system.  I get better results playing back flies that I have ripped to my NAS.  Within these files, DSD files are superior to CD quality. 
 

My system is a Lumin X1, Lumin L1, Weiss 502 Mark 2, Sonore opticalModule deluxe, Ediscreation Fiber box II, Ediscreation Silent Switch OCXO

vinyl sound quality may have issues, may not compare to digital favorably, and yet, it will have a soul, deeper than digital ever will. Maybe it’s just in my head.

Right now I'm listening to a selection of oddball Dylan home recordings via Qobuz. A sheer impulse selection on my part. In any case, it sounds very, very good, and Dylan's artistic contribution ain't bad, either. Putting it another way, when you stream it's "welcome to the universe."