[srb]

One cheap option for a decent phono stage is to pick up a vintage receiver and just use the phono section through the tape out. You'd be amazed at how good some of the phono sections are in these older units.

Even if it was good, I don't think I would want to run an old, large, power-sucking-on-idle receiver just to utilize it's phono stage.
 
Steve

[toxteth ogrady]

Even if it was good, I don't think I would want to run an old, large, power-sucking-on-idle receiver just to utilize it's phono stage.
 
Steve

Context, my friend. Just an inexpensive but effective way to get him started. And by the way, not all vintage receivers were monsters.

My recommendation for good phono stages applies to vintage preamplifiers as well.

[kingdeezie]

I would like to echo what Dr. Photo said...

Becareful getting into vinyl without looking seriously before you leap.

Speaking as someone who got into vinyl for the first time only two years ago its been very bitter sweet.

I have spent a good deal of money on my analog setup up, and I am still not happy with it at all.

Perhaps it is my lack of knowledge on setup of table, cartridge, etc, etc, etc; but while it sounds good, it does not completely over shadow my digital which is about a grand or two cheaper overall then my analog setup.

New music is often a wash between the two formats, and sometimes I prefer digital because it is more dynamic with dead quiet backgrounds.

Older recorded music can sound better on vinyl, but it isn't always a guarentee. My copy of Phil
Collins' "Face Value" can show anyone how bad vinyl can sound with poor treatment of the records.

The cleaning machines, fluids, brushes, stylus cleaners, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, add up VERY fast and can blow past your initial investment intentions very quickly.

Its a very pricey hobby, and while there can be some sonic gains and enjoyment to be found, its not for everyone.

If you are young like me, and didn't have a vinyl collection to start with, I don't know if it is something to persue to be honest.

Think about it seriously before doing it.

 

[TONEPUB]

Honestly, this is some pretty good advice...

[eclein]

Thanks for the honest appraisal guys I've been considering getting back into vinyl just to make sure I wasn't missing "the" sound but I think
I'll stick with CD's and my Squeezebox!!!!!

[TheChairGuy]

I think you can give him more advice than that, John.   It looks like he is in Martinez, CA.  Isn't that close enough for you to give him some local knowledge?

Yeah, not far at all actually.  But probably just as good an idea to someone visiting would be to call the following and buy an Improved Audio-Technica AT-PL120 table:

http://www.elexatelier.com/AT_PL120Improved.htm

It comes complete for $300, they mount, balance and align the arm and throw in a very nice Audio-Technica AT95HE (hyper-elliptical stylus) already for you so it's merely a set-up on flat, level, solid (not jiggly!) surface and away you go the moment you unpack it.

It's even got a built-on phono preamp...so it literally is plug in and play. They test it all so you know it isn't DOA when you plug it all in

For $300...you get a taste of vinyl without swallowing the bitter pill of higher expenditures.

They ship from next door in Nevada...no tax and you probably won't have to wait long at all as it's so near. It has a year warranty, too, so there's additional piece of mind.

For $300 - it's an easy and cheap start - gets your feet wet and you tune in here and learn from others more experienced in the craft and you make your plans progressively ahead with a knowledge base and some personal experience in hand.

Enjoy, John

[eclein]

Oops...back to thinking about vinyl...that just seems like a great way to get feet wet...

[drphoto]

Thanks for the nod, KingD. Sorry to hear about your experience.

As someone who has recently returned to the realm of the big disk, I'm still trying to keep in mind the OP's original objective.

What is your digital source? If it's MP3 or an entry level CD player, than yes vinyl CAN sound better. But it takes a lot of work to make that happen.

Look, digital can sound friggin' great these days. And believe me, it's a whole lot less work. If you want state of the art sound get a Mac Mini and a Tranquility DAC.

Vinyl is something beyond just the sound.

If that's what you want, go to the vinyl circle. Those guys are awesome and will give you tons of advice.

But if you're simply looking to step up your playback....I'd think about it.

Not trying to sway you one way or the other. Just want to offer another opinion.

And we all know what those are worth......

BTW: I'd love another vinly head out there. The more there are, the more records will be produced.....so hell....go for it brother!!

[lonewolfny42]

Normally...I would move a thread concerning TT's to the Vinyl Circle, but since your "starting out"...and it is the Starting Block....continue on. (There are very few TT related questions here now....as it should be.)

Future questions, after your "set up", should be directed to the Vinyl Circle....thanks.

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?board=32.0

Good luck !

[tigzstudio]

I was basically under the impression that Vinyl gives you more of a real music experience....full body top to bottom and musical... vs. digital

My current digital source/transport = a high end computer -> foobar (pure wavform files) -> saffire pro 24dsp (firewire) -> Audio-gd Reference 5 DAC (~$900) (1704 based)

I get the impression Vinyl would just be a different way to playback my music instead of an improvement?  I do feel that my digital setup is very good.  However, I always hear about vinyl being superior to everything....so I was looking to get started on a rig. 

I appreciate all the help.

p.s.  Nothing beats the real thing!  I just got back from Norah Jones last concert of the Fall tour (Greek Theatre in Berkeley,CA), it was awesome!   She did a special song just for us, and came back for a really cool 2 song encore.!

[Barry_NJ]

Hmmm... Do you have any 'Audio Buddies' in the area? Maybe one of them has a vinyl set-up so you could do a back-to-back listening session of digital to analog on their system just to get a feel for how it differs in presentation. A couple of months ago an old friend pulled a Linn LP12 in need of a cartridge out of his basement and offered it up to me. I gladly accepted. Now I had about 500 pieces of vinyl from my past, and my wife had a hundred or so too, so we had some vinyl in the house to play with. For my first comparison I put on Simon & Garfunkel Greatest Hits album. This was my wife's and the condition is pretty much horrendous, but I've got the same on CD as well so it was available for good back to back comparisons. Well even with all the background noise on the vinyl the presentation was so much more 'there' it was incredible. The sound stage was much larger with the vinyl, it want far beyond the speakers in every direction. With the CD playing the presentation was clearer with no background noise, but it was far flatter and less lifelike. This is just a quick comparison I'd done and I found the vinyl presentation to be far superior to the digital. YMMV

[Delta Wave]

One cheap option for a decent phono stage is to pick up a vintage receiver and just use the phono section through the tape out. You'd be amazed at how good some of the phono sections are in these older units.

Very true, my old Marantz 2285b had a phenomenal sounding phono stage but I ended up selling it because I just didn't really want "the worlds largest phono preamp". The phono section in my Phillips HiFi Labs receiver sounds really nice too and I bought that already cleaned & updated w/new caps for like $100... shipping included.

[thunderbrick]

I ran a Pro-ject Phono Box II into my B&K line stage pre, and the speakers just disappeared!  My wife, who had been after me to dump the vinyl, fell in love with the sound.  I only paid $80 here on AC, and now that I have a pre w/phono, it'll find a new home.   

[turkey]

I was basically under the impression that Vinyl gives you more of a real music experience....full body top to bottom and musical... vs. digital

I'd say it's a different experience, but necessarily not more real.

p.s.  Nothing beats the real thing!  I just got back from Norah Jones last concert of the Fall tour (Greek Theatre in Berkeley,CA), it was awesome!   She did a special song just for us, and came back for a really cool 2 song encore.!

Unless she was singing a capella in a very small hall, what you were listening to was somebody's PA system. It's very possible to do better at home with a good studio recording and good speakers and room.

[wilsynet]

Some recordings available on vinyl are just plain better than their CD counterparts.  Not universally so, just depends.

For example, the Simon & Garfunkel Bridge Over Troubled Water is way, way better on vinyl than it is on CD.  The CD is by comparison quite thin and uninvolving.  The record is more rich, has more tone and is snappier.

Same is true of Carole King's Tapestry, even when I compare the vinyl to the recently remastered CD re-issue.

On the other hand, I haven't noticed any difference at all on a recent Norah Jones album, sounds exactly the same to these ears on vinyl as it does on CD.

[wushuliu]

I second keeping an eye on local listings, like Craigslist. I picked up a Yamaha YP-801BL for $150, and I live in LA where for some reason people think whatever crappy turntable they have is worth a bajillion dollars used. You'd have to pry the Yamaha out of my cold, dead hands.

If you have modest gear, vinyl will sound better than anything digital originally produced PRE-CDs. But not necessarily better than any music produced afterward (for CDs). I think a digital setup that sounds as good as vinyl comes at a steeper cost IMO.

Don't forget to factor in a good cartridge.

Bottom line: go for it.