vinyl

Vinyl can be a pain. The records need to be clean. You need to clean the cartridge. Software is not readily available. Your cartridge needs to be aligned correctly, and you need a phono pre.

If your system is right. Tubes preferably, or very good solid state, you might be able to suspend disbelieve for a moment and imagine you are there. The recording needs to be good. Not a cheap price to pay, but no cd is going to emulate it.

Even a MMf-2 preferably 5 and a black cube, Camelot technology Phono pre, beats the pants out of very expensive CD players.

Note; I had sworn off tubes and LPs, but my ears bring me back.

Once you start it can be dangerous. You will get a better turntable cartridge, a record cleaning machine, lots of "outdated software". It is a commitment. Is it worth it? I think it is. That is just my opinion.

Good luck

A nice (not state of the art) vinyl rig will give you a whole new perspective on the whole sound of reproduced music. It tends to be richer and fuller than the CD sound which has a tendancy to sound thin, sterile and harsh when compared to vinyl. There are some very nice vinyl rigs that can be had relatively inexpensively. Take a look at the Regas, VPI HW-19 Jr., Music Halls and the Thorens. Take a good look at the used listing here on Audiogon. There are plenty on nice rigs waiting to go.

You will also probably need a phono preamp. Again check the used listings. If you can't find something, Rotel made a nice one for $200 new. Creek makes one for about the same price and there are many others.

If you are unsure and want to try before you buy, two thoughts. If you live near one of the big cities you should easily be able to fine a dealer that can do the demo. If not, let your friends on the Audiogon site have an idea where you live. I am sure someone will be happy to setup a demo. Good Luck, Doug

well i live in north county san diego,if any one wants to give me a demo on the vinyl sound,and i have two preamps with phono stages

I recently bought a Technics SL-1200MK2 and just happened to be changing the tonearm wires (for Cardas) today with our electronics technician. Nasty, to say the least. We could not finish.

If you get into vinyl, it's not going to be easy or cheap. I bought the turntable because I have over 600 LPs vs 200 CDs. Vinyl sounds more musical, yes. But technology is closing the gap. If I was your age I would not bother.

Wax all the way.But I must say that certain CD's when you here good ones reduce that urge this to only listen to orig. pressings from 50's and 60's.Good sounding jazz wax came in this era from Bethlehem,United Artist,Phillips and Blue Note among a few others.Bad sounding records also abounded form companies like Roost and Dawn.Then in mid 60's stampers went to her and worse vinyl started to be re-melted and get thinner.By the 70's record quality sucked.But comapnies like MFSL and more recently Classic records have come out with excellent and durrable wax re-issue which in some cases sound better than originals (yes better by tweaking new stampers with adjustments to old tape).CD's though have come a long way especially in the last 5 years with advances like 20 bit transfers.But it always seems to come down to the engineers who always want to "be part of the band".Some of the best sounding CD's are from Mappleshade which uses their own cables in short lenghts with modified mikes and NO MIXING BOARD i.e no compression,expansion,equalization etc.Look around also jazz fans for CD and Wax from Venus records of Japan.Some of their recordings they do themselves and I'll tell you what some of the best wax I have ever heard is the 24 bit digital recordings tranfered to records.It does not have to be an analogue tape to be a good record.Their CD's rock as well.