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Considering analog...but nervous

Well, I've been here before. Once again, I'm thinking of venturing into the Analog world, but before doing so, I wanted to pose a few questions to fellow agoners to make sure my head (ears?) are in the right place.

Some Background: My current setup consists of a Modwright Transporter, Musical Fidelity KW 500 (hybrid tube pre/SS Amp), and Focal/JM 1027be speakers. My entire current collection is digital and I have NEVER owned Vinyl before NOR have I ever heard a high-end Analog setup.

My Tastes/musical likes: I am all about soundstage and imaging. Vocal accuracy is hugely important and instrument placing (hence, imaging) are part of what I look for when listening. Genre wise, mostly rock, folk, acoustic and blues. Some jazz as well. I generally try to stick to labels that produce good-sounding material...not over-compressed garbage.

On with the questions:

1. One of the biggest things that has kept me from trying Vinyl thus far is the concern of excessive hiss and crackle/pop that vinyl is known for. Is it safe to assume that purchasing new Vinyl and played on a higher quality setup will reduce (eliminate?) the pops and crackle sounds? I have no problem purchasing exclusively new vinyl, knowing full well that the process of shopping used is what draws so many to this market...

2. If I purchase new vinyl, only play it on a decent player, and store it properly, will I still have to clean it? How expensive is a cleaning machine? Are there (reasonable), less expensive alternatives to a cleaning machine?

3. Based on my integrated (tube-pre,SS amp) and speakers, are these a good match for Vinyl? Does anyone know if the KW 500 Phono input is adequate for a good turntable? My digital system has a tendency to be on the bright side for a lot of material, but not everything. Strangly, even at 31 years old, I can still hear up to around 19Khz so I'm a bit picky about the highs...

4. How complicated is the setup of the TT? Being that I've never worked wtih it before, I'm somewhat intimidated by the "setup" requirements of the equipment. What are the core requirements/knowledge to properly setup a TT.

5. And finally, the most subjective question of all. If I had a budget of about $1,000-$1,500 for a TT, Tonearm and Cartridge, what would be a good starting place? I'd obviously be looking for used here from Agon.

I know this was a long post so thanks for hanging in and reading it all :-). Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

-gh0st
fatgh0st
dan_ed
2,451 posts
 
Yes, fatgh0st, I agree you can easily use non-suspended tables. Even within this sub-category, different tables will react differently to what they are sited on. My experience is that most do fine on a rigid table, but it doesn't always need to be a heavy one.

In general I agree with Raquel about footfalls, however, I have heard a couple of setups with 100+ lb non suspended tables on suspended floors and there was no footfall issue. Every situation is different, and there are ways to correct such a problem. Anyway, at the OPs price point I don't think we're talking about a massive table.

Absolutely. This is not rocket science, and there are excellent tools and information available. However, there are some delicate things around turntables. There are many more people who have jumped into vinyl, not achieved what their digital sources can do, and then dump it. If the rest of us are lucky these folk are simply disappointed. More times than not, they join the ranks of vinyl bashers. I think fatgh0st's experience would be greatly enhanced if he could connect with someone close to him. But in the least, he should seek setup help.
fatgh0st OP
43 posts
 
So that begs the question, is there anyone in the Philadelphia area that would be interested in meeting or helping me get acclimated? I realize that meetings are not everyones thing, but I figure it's worth throwing it out there :-)

-gh0st
raquel
841 posts
 
If you're willing to drive, you're welcome to hear my rig - I live about an hour north of Manhattan. But you would have to wait a bit, as my cartridge is in the shop (that's poetic justice, is it not?!).
cerrot's avatar
cerrot
1,700 posts
 
Racquel, you are so spot on with your posts, it's scary. Scary good. Thanks for being here.
fatgh0st OP
43 posts
 
So, I'm heading out to the local HiFi store tomorrow and I'm going to listen to a few TTs. Namely, the Music Hall MMF5.1SE and the Denon Special Edition. I will probably end up purchasing the MMF5.1 as I have 30 days to play with it in home with a full refund if I don't like it.

Any thoughts on this particular Music Hall table? Anyone with any experience with the Denon? $2,500 for a Denon seems high from what I've seen, but then again, I don't really know what I'm talking about :-)

-gh0st
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