[lextek]

Would an enry level turntable.  MMF-5 or Sota Moonbeam sound better than a high end CD?

[gary]

IMO it mostly depends on what kind of media you have. If you've got 250 cd's but only a dozen good LP's, go with the cd player. Otherwise, or if you plan on scouring garage sales & flea market for records, then get the turntable. Personally, I've got a digital front end that retails for about $5k, and an analog front end that cost me about $1500, and the vinyl rig wins hands down. Something about it just seems so much more natural than cd's, and the proof is the fact that I've probably bought 100 or so LPs since I bought it, compared to around 4 cd's.

Gary

[meilankev]

Well,

What makes for a better pet?

A) a $500 puppy

or

B) a $2400 stuffed animal

The stuffed animal always looks perfect; never needs a bath; never needs to go for a walk; doesn't require a vet; doesn't poop on the carpet; in fact, it is such low maintenence, it appears to be perfect in every way.

But does that make it a real pet???

Kevin

[zybar]

Well,

What makes for a better pet?

A) a $500 puppy

or

B) a $2400 stuffed animal

The stuffed animal always looks perfect; never needs a bath; never needs to go for a walk; doesn't require a vet; doesn't poop on the carpet; in fact, it is such low maintenence, it appears to be perfect in every way.

But does that make it a real pet???

Kevin

What happens when you stuff your real pet (I actually know somebody who did this)?  

George

[lextek]

The last $500 puppy (actually $750) was hit by a car and died instantly.  So is the stuffed animal the CD?  Inanimate.  The act of playing an LP could be a religion.

[beat]

Hey Kevin,
good analogy. I like that. Of course it would take a true vinyl junkie to relate to that which goes right into what Lex said..it surely can become rather religious at times. Though I really like my digital stuff, when it really comes down to it, the records come out for the special times and there is always a reverence involved. There is just something extra real and true that comes with the action of spinning the licorice. You cant always nail it down to more detail, better this or that it is just more...more like life I guess. At least in my rig. I am not a big electronica fan so I wonder if there would be a vinyl advantage for that genre... Vocals, guitars and drums on the other hand..no contest.

[doug s.]

Would an enry level turntable.  MMF-5 or Sota Moonbeam sound better than a high end CD?

yes.

but, why not buy a used winyl rig for that money; then it will sound a *lot* better.  

doug s.

[woodsyi]

One thing that bugs me about LP's is that I have to get up off my butt every 20 minutes or so.  So when I am working, I tend to play CD's in the background.  For serious music listening where I am glued to the 2' wide and 2" high sweet spot, the choice is definitely vinyl.  I miss the old TT's that you could stack many disks and see them drop to play one after another.  In these days of mega clamps and Sorbothane mats, you don't suppose we can ever get a mechanical LP changer?

[Tonto Yoder]

How'd you come up with those figures???
Personally,  I've had a normally-balanced system with a used table/arm (a Heybrook that was $350) and a $600 CD player (the Ah! Njoe).  When I upgraded, I picked my favorite source (vinyl) and committed the $$$ there.
Now my source is sorta out-of-balance towards vinyl but enjoyable for me.


The vinyl vs. CD question is not always which is better, but just that they're different.

[lextek]

How'd you come up with those figures???

Well the Sota Moonbeam I am considering is around $500 and the Arcam FMJ-33 I have is around $2400.

[mcrespo71]

Even though I'm a died in the wool vinyl head, I'm not sure a MMF 5 is going to beat a $2400 CD player.  I'm not sure about the Sota- never heard it.  I'd put a Rega P3 2000 on a Ikea Lack shelf up against an Arcam and I'm sure it would at least be in the same ballpark and probably ahead- in terms of my preferences.

Michael

[zybar]

How'd you come up with those figures???

Well the Sota Moonbeam I am considering is around $500 and the Arcam FMJ-33 I have is around $2400.

How about sell the Arcam and spend around $1K on each source?

On the analog side, that can get a used LP12 w/ Valhalla or something along those lines.

On the digital side maybe the new Minimax cd player?

Just a thought...

George

[Psychicanimal]

Well the Sota Moonbeam I am considering is around $500 and the Arcam FMJ-33 I have is around $2400.

When I was shopping for a TT I carefully listened to as many belt drives in the under $1200 range as I could.  My choices were narrowed down to two: SOTA Moonbeam and Technics SL-1200MKII.  I went for the 1200 when I read in the audio forums that people were modding it.   I did the KAB mods as funds allowed.  First the tonearm fluid damper, then the modded Groovemaster II and later the outboard power supply.  Now that I know better the mods should have been in reverse order.

[Tonto Yoder]

I'm not sure if the SOTA upgrades are intended for the older tables or if the Moonbeam could be upgraded if you decide that vinyl is for you.  It would be nice if the Moonbeam was like VPI's HW19jr that has a clear upgrade path.

It would seem awfully tempting to buy a second-hand Sapphire or other model with an eye towards updates down the line.

[WEEZ]

I am entirely sure, but I don't think the Moonbeam is upgradable- I think you have to start with the Comet. The Sattelite is a Comet in a wood base. Then you move up to the suspended tables; Nova; Sapphire; etc.

I agree with Tonto- the VPI's have an upgrade path that is simpler- and to me- more cost effective. For example, I started with an HW-19JR and upgraded to the MK III platter and clamp; but when I tried the MK III springs, I went back to the sorbothane pucks from the JR. Better bass and mid bass; plus the springs gave me trouble with my floors (i.e. too much bounce). So maybe I have a MK II  

As others have said, if you use vinyl and cd sources equally- the Moonbeam will not be in the same league as the Arcam FMJ.

I have more $'s in my vinyl rig than I do in my CD player because my favorite music is on lp's- not cd's. In fact, I am  considering upgrading my cd player- but only to an Arcam CD73T (from my Toshiba dvd player which sucks)

So there you go. Whatever floats your boat  

have fun,

WEEZ

[Tonto Yoder]

I agree with Tonto- the VPI's have an upgrade path that is simpler- and to me- more cost effective. For example, I started with an HW-19JR and upgraded to the MK III platter and clamp

And the VPI upgrade path is clearly priced so a person could plan his vinyl future.

Addendum:  my Nottingham Spacedeck has an upgrade path that's clearly priced---a thick carbon mat (the "HeavyKit") that's $1000 and a power supply that's $1200.  Those prices seem high for a $1500 TT, so I 'm not really considering official Nott' upgrades. Still, I'm glad the prices are posted, just so I know NOT to consider them (unless maybe on the second-hand market).

[WEEZ]

YUP!

[darkmonohue]

I have a cheap CD player at home.  But I've heard quite a few top-level CD players at dealers,and there's nothing that plays CDs that can compete, in terms of musical involvement and pleasure, with a modest turntable (such as my  MMF-5) spinning even half-decent vinyl.  Fundamentally, the CD medium sucks.  Over the past 20 years,  manufacturers have done extraordinary things in making CDs listenable, but the bottom line is that you're putting lipstick on a chicken--the best CD playback sucks less, but it's still a CD.  I bought an MMF-5 two weeks ago, and it was one of the best purchases of my life.  Vinyl, even on a modest rig, will still kick the ass of any CD player made, and there's an ocean of vinyl available for $1 a disc.  I say go for it.