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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
judasmac OP
25 posts
 
Okay. You've restored my hope. This feedback has encouraged me to keep tinkering. That's part of the fun of this hobby anyway, the tinkering.

One thing I realize that I miss about LPs is the side -- you know, side A, side B. Sides had distinct personalities. Sometimes you're in the mood for one, sometimes another. Some albums I listened only to one side. A side of what used to be a 45 minute album is more manageable length than a full 65 minute CD to get your mind around. I oftentimes don't know the last half of my CDs very well.
psychicanimal
1,738 posts
 
There's more--I've made a goal that my analog and digital rigs sound as close to each other as possible...
judasmac OP
25 posts
 
Ramstl: What is Project "Cheap Turntable"?
tds234
6 posts
 
Analog is going to be fussy compared to digital. I just got back in with MMF-7, Sumiko Pre and BluePoint Cartridge. It takes a lot of fiddling to get it set up correctly, but I've found, even with a less than optimum setup, a much more lifelike sound from analog than CD. I still cringe at pops and cracks so cleanliness is required in your gear and albums. But the sound is just so engaging, even though I was a digital convert and still love my CD's (RCD-971), I can't stop listening to whatever it is the albums have...

I have about $1000 in each setup (analog versus digital) and I am very pleasantly surprised at how good analog does sound at this price point. I'll probably never spend $2500 on either digital or analog components ( so I may be a punter in this regard) and I'll eventually buy a record cleaning machines so I'll exceed the digital by a small margin, but I'm am entralled by the sound !
judasmac OP
25 posts
 
All right, while I have your attention, let me ask this. Let's say I too get hooked on vinyl. What are the obvious upgrades for me? Tone arm? Cartridge? I'm talking anything radical here. Let's say, under $500.
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