How much do I need to spend to make vinyl sound better than digital?
All,
I have a solid vinyl setup that I like to think of as entry-level “plus:” Project Debut Pro with Sumiko Moonstone cartridge. I enjoy vinyl for the ritual but find that my digital gear - a $400 ifi streamer and the AKM DAC built into my Anthem preamp - beats the analog rig in most ways. Far better imaging/soundstage and much tighter bass without the occasional distortion/sibilance/warbling of the vinyl rig. I haven’t messed with cartridge setup other than to check the factory-performed alignment, which looks perfect. The table is perfectly balanced, counterweight set correctly with an electronic scale, etc - so I have no reason to think there’s a setup problem.
Is this par for the course for this level of vinyl gear? What do I need to spend to get my vinyl gear to match the performance of decent digital? I’m thinking of upgrading to a Clearaudio Concept, perhaps with a Hana SL cartridge, but I want to make sure doing that is going to deliver a fundamentally different experience than what I have right now with the Project/Sumiko combination.
No interest in flame wars or rehashing the vinyl/digital debate. I know vinyl can sound wonderful and am simply trying to decide whether I can afford the price of entry for a system that can gets the basics right (no audible distortion/sibilance, decent imaging). I thought the Project/Sumiko would have gotten me there, but for whatever reason it hasn’t fit the bill.Thanks for any insights.
In this game it’s all dependent on your budget As you know the sky is the limit but your budget probably isnt I would say $3k table $1500 cart $2k phono pre would get you in a pretty good place Then you can begin to get into cables and isolation to get the best out of the components Good luck. Willy-T |
@lousyreeds1 - You mentioned your TT and cart but didn't mention what phono preamp you are using. Is it a separate , if so what? If not, might the cause of your issue be the phono stage included in your preamp? Also, what cables are you using from the TT to the phono preamp/stage? |
When I first started the quest to make my analog sound as good (or better) than my digital I bought a very good phono amplifier (Sutherland). It made a big difference but not quite as good as digital. Then got a new turntable (Dr. Feikert) and arm. Finally, I got a new cartridge (started with Hana then Clearaudio.) A total expense of about $8000. The results are wonderful. You don’t have to spend that much, but I would start with a new phono amplifier like I did and build from there. |
“I no longer see the point of bothering with vinyl unless you have the funds to go first class with both vinyl and digital. A first class digital setup will not have you longing for vinyl” Vinyl does have its charm—tactile engagement, analog nostalgia, and sometimes a unique sonic character—but its full potential only reveals itself with significant investment in a great turntable, tonearm, cartridge, phono stage, and setup. Otherwise, it can easily underperform even a modestly well-optimized digital system. A first-class digital front end today—especially with top-tier DACs, streamers, and careful system matching—can deliver extraordinary realism, nuance, and emotional engagement without the maintenance and variability vinyl demands. It’s no longer just about convenience; it’s often about performance parity or superiority. @lousyreeds1 A better turntable plus Hana ML would serve as good base line to further improve your vinyl experience. Think of TT as life long investment so spending more initially into TT would go long way in your bid to enjoy vinyl. Once you a solid deck, you can ‘play’ with cartridges and phono’s as funds permits. |
10x the cost of digital to make vinyl sound as good and even then it’s not worth all the headaches that go along with vinyl. I had 3x the cost of my digital in vinyl (digital at that time was close to $10k) and I got rid of my vinyl. I have friends with 10x the cost of my vinyl and it might be close. But then all the headaches, not worth it. same goes for r2r. I had a commercial Otari 5050bll and was taping my vinyl before I sold my vinyl. After ripping a few albums, buying costly good new 10” reel tapes, and tape didn’t improve the sq, I sold that medium too. |
