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. 

lousyreeds1

Is take time and effort to get the vinyl system right.

change few tables till i found the wow moment, i still remember that system.

ballpark price right around $5K :

VPI Classic 1 $3k

Musical surrounding nova phono $1k

Dynavector 20X2L cart $1k 

Since then I know what I want, also that system stay for few years.

Still playing records till now but better components.

cheers
 

 

 

It's not primarily budget.  Sure you can't build it out of soup cans and wire, but good sound is more about knowledge and effort and not $$$.

It's not primarily budget.  Sure you can't build it out of soup cans and wire, but good sound is more about knowledge and effort and not $$$.

But once you obtain the knowledge you've gotten too smart for your own good, and the $$$ comes into play in a bigger way. :)

Spend as much as you can on your vinyl front end also include software and ultrasonic cleaning machine. You only live once.