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Rocky return to vinyl

I've recently moved from an integrated amp with no phono stage (Jolida 302B) to monoblocks and a preamp with phono -- Marantz 2s with a Marantz 7 pre. I've had an old Rega Planar 3 in retirement for a long time. It has what I gather to be the less respected RB200 arm, and I got a Shure M97xE, based on recommendations here at Audiogon. Most of my collection now is CD. My LPs are mostly high school stuff, and I got the inexpensive Shure just to take a small step into the world of vinyl with my new-to-me Marantz amps. As it so happens, the one LP I have that I also have a CD copy of is Earth, Wind, and Fire -- an anamoly in my listening, but fun and the CD sounds pretty good. (I have a Music Hall CD25.) Now, when I converted to tubes a couple of years ago, I got the impression my preference for tubes probably would translate into a preference for vinyl. And it still may. But I was VERY disappointed when I put on that LP. The instruments sounded muddled and congested, especially in direct comparison to the CD. I've tried a couple of more albums, but they all fall way short of what I'm used to from my decently recorded CDs.

I'm assuming the most common response I'm going to get here involves my spending several hundred dollars. But could I just be missing something basic? Should the difference with this Rega/Shure setup be THAT different from the Music Hall CD player?
judasmac
psychicanimal
1,738 posts
 
The instruments sounded muddled and congested, especially in direct comparison to the CD.

Should the difference with this Rega/Shure setup be THAT different from the Music Hall CD player?

1) I think you're experiencing the effects of stylus drag. As musical passages become complex, the belt drive platter bogs down and the music will sound congested. Changing the belt would be a good thing to do...

2) Yes, because the CD will have perfect pitch and a very low noise floor. The music will flow effortlessly when compared to the Rega.

I use a modded quartz locked DD turntable with outboard power supply. The deck plows through complex passages, having fast transient attacks and linear decays.

***
xiekitchen
821 posts
 
The problem (or hobby involvement, depending on how you see it) is that LP playback, done right, requires alot of "stuff".
1. Turntable
2. arm
3. a good moving coil cartridge
4. a good separate phono-preamp or exceptional preamp with built-in versatile phono section
5. a very stable, rigid, level platform to place the table on
6. the proper stylus cleaning items
7. A wet-vacuum record cleaning machine is essential
8. a good record cabnet -- good luck here
For me it has taken 15 years to get this stuff right, and since I'm not a millionare, it takes time to save up the money. You could buy a stock Rega Planar 3 with a Rega cartrige and a decent phono pre unit and be done with it.
sogood51
2,157 posts
 
I just have gone back into a little vinyl also. I picked up an old Linn Axis with Grado black cartridge.

Some things I have found after about two weeks:

1. poor recordings still sound poor...vinyl has no advantage over digital with these turds.

2. New vinyl is hard to find at cheap prices but used is a gold mine at my local used record shop...$1.50 each.

3. The Grado is not a poor tracker and does not hum in my system (lucky me from what I have read).

My opinion after around two weeks and 32 used albums is that vinyl is as good as digital on poor recordings and simply stunning with good recordings...this with a cheap $50 Grado cartridge and an old used Linn (under $400) table.

My guess is that the recording or setup is the cause of your less than happy early results. I would hang in there untill someone here can help you put a finger on the problem. Also, much good advice and setup links at the Audio Asylum forum.

Dave
twl
3,251 posts
 
Sounds to me like everything was fine, until you switched to your current tube gear. Perhaps you don't have the phono stage settings at the correct setting.

Or, perhaps there are some tubes going bad in the phono section, that would not affect the linestage at all.
walkelin
52 posts
 
For what it is worth, I agree with all fore mentioned comments. I too went back to vinyl after hearing that I could not call my self a audiiophile. Not that it mattered but I have a midfi sytem in the 5 digit range so it did make me wonder what I was missing. I pulled out a old Phillips 312 table which in its day wasn't bad, put a Dynavector X5 cart $300.00 and let it rip. It took some playing around to get the tracking and everything going, but once I did I played some of my high school records that I also happen to have matching CD's. Let me tell you the records kicked my Wadia in the butt. I stll have a ways to go as I plan on stepping up to a new player one day JA Michell, or Origin, a better cart, and record cleaning machine. So in summary I would have to say that once you go back (vinyl) you will realize that vinyl blows CD's out of the water. Happy listening.
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