2. analog
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Getting into analog is tough....

I have been thinking hard about getting into analog, but the more I research, the more it puts me off. First, I need a phono stage. Then, of course, I need the turntable. Then, I need a tonearm. Then a cartridge. Then a needle. Ok, now will it be MC or MM? How about the arm? Will I get a turntable without an arm? No, get a turntable with an arm because setting up an arm for a newbie can be a disaster, right?. How about the cartridge? Ok, my budget is $1500 for a phono stage and a turntable. But, a tone arm by itself might be more than the turntable and the stage. Oh, the cartridge might be more than everything, but which one? Who has a turntable I can listen to? What, almost no one I know has a turntable these days? What about the thing and the other thing and then there is this thing and that thing and cables and..........AAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHH!!!

You know, my CD player doesn't sound that bad. In fact, CD players are easy. You just plug and plug and listen.

So, what was the reason I wanted to get into analog?
matchstikman
jfrech's avatar
jfrech
1,816 posts
 
Very well put TWL...
lugnut
1,190 posts
 
Matchstikman,

I realize it seems like a daunting task but all the stuff you are concerned about is the easy part. Building a suitable software collection is most likely your biggest challenge UNLESS you have a mountain of money. Boatloads of money can buy anything your heart desires in the analog domain. If you have enough extra time to master all the issues you have listed then you will likely have enough time to find all kinds of vinyl at very affordable prices.

Please provide your general location so that one of us can invite you over to check analog out. That may settle the issue for you quickly. It might not be your cup of tea. Then again you may agree with the claimed benefits and become more motivated.

Depending on your existing system and how influenced you are by negative comments about certain turntable manufacturers it may be much easier than you believe.

Everyone has an opinion and here is mine. Your total budget needs to be in the $2500 range so that you can have a record cleaning system and all the associated gear that you will be happy with for a very long time.

I've had my current turntable and arm since 1984 and still have no compelling reason to replace it especially when comparing the cost of a digital front end to better it. Top dollar on the used market for what I have including the cartridge is about $1500. The extra money that I have allocated for you will buy everything else you need for the care of vinyl and the other bits and pieces all we vinyl junkies have plus some software. And, this is considering you don't have any inclination for DIY.

On the other hand, $2500 will buy a lot of CD's.
seandtaylor99
1,262 posts
 
If you don't already have an LP collection then I would not bother with analog. Like Patrick said $1500 buys a lot of music. If I were you I'd put the $1500 into CDs and /or upgrades to your digital front end, or get an SACD player. I listen to vinyl/CDs about 50/50, but I think in my case this is only historical, because I already had a turntable and an LP collection. I can't say that I categorically prefer the sound of one to the other. To my ears the quality of the engineering of the album makes more difference than the format. A good CD sounds much better than a bad LP.
I'll disagree with Pat on the cleaning system ... my cleaner cost $40 (Allsop orbitrak) and it gets very good results.

Lastly how do you plan to purchase vinyl ? If you're prepared to spend $15 per LP then you can get new albums. These days I only buy used LPs, which I have to thoroughly clean. It's very time consuming, so I only do it because to me it's fun, but many of my friends think I'm mad spending hours at the local record store going through hundreds of albums looking for the 5-10 albums that I want, that are not thrashed. Financial cost is nil (50cents per album) but time cost is very high.
newbee
4,751 posts
 
"So what was the reason I wanted to get into analog".

To expand your hobby and your music collection. You expand your hobby by learning about how to assemble and maintain a turntable system. You take on a new hobby of chasing down good LP's of music not available on CD's (which can be well worth the effort). Its not a rocking chair hobby. If you are up to the effort involved, I would do a dry run of the used music stores in your area, view the for sale ad's here and on EBay and see if there is enuf stuff available which interests you to make the effort worth while. If you're caught up in all of the posts proclaiming that vinyl systems sound better its best to be a bit cynical. While there is a lot of potential with vinyl there is a lot of potential for CD's as well. Much can depend on set up, maintenance, and system matching. You can make either sound pretty good with careful planning. I'd let the software issue guide my decision.
lugnut
1,190 posts
 
Sean,

I guess I wasn't clear. My budget would be $1500 for the table/arm and maybe cartridge. The other grand would be for a phono stage, cleaning system, alignment tools, brushes, poly sleeves, etc. We don't disagree at all. Yes, I agree also that it has been easy for me since I grew up with vinyl and never really adopted CD's to any extent. Between the early 80's and today it was a very difficult time watching my software of choice dry up and disappear in the stores. It's slowly coming back which is refreshing.
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