[toxteth ogrady]

Think I'm done with digital. It occurred to me after listening to an Akai direct drive table I picked up at a local thrift store earlier in the day. It's an Akai AP-206 and I snatched it up for $25. Took literally ten minutes to set up with a vintage Ortofon M20FL Super cartridge running through my Jasmine phono pre; this setup kills my computer audio setup.

Music is what this hobby is supposed to be about. Digital can make some spectacular sounds but misses big time on the music. Long live analogue.

[Minn Mark]

Can't agree more. I've got lots of CDs, but the digital playback experience to me is just 'dead', compared to cleaning and playing a favorite LP.   I most often find myself playing LPs over CDs, eventhough both signals in my system are very listenable.

Regards,

Mark

[Wayner]

Very nice.

Wayner

[TheChairGuy]

Amen to that, toxteth 

It comes down to time, convenience and complacency.  Digital has it; vinyl doesn't.

But, if sound quality and emotions are factored in - digital simply does not compete well.

While it's gotten better, and at cheaper price points than I ever would've believed even 5 years ago....it'll never reach analog richness.  No matter what you do on the playback side - it's the recording side that'll always been in deficit (even using newer, higher resolution digital formats)

John

[vinyl_lady]

Very Cool Welcome to the wonderful world of analog. Your ears are in for a life long treat.

[thunderbrick]

Very Cool Welcome to the wonderful world of analog. Your ears are in for a life long treat.

+1!

[Photon46]

Pretty sweet score for $25.00. Welcome to the world of analog obsession.

[toxteth ogrady]

Truth be told, digital is damn convenient and I have been able to make it very listenable, but only with a heaping serving of tubes which I no longer use. I'm going to keep the Squeezebox Touch for internet radio and background music, but when I want to actively listen to music it's going to be analogue all the way baby!

I bought the Akai to tide me over while I finish buttoning up my reference Lenco table which has been out of commission for the last two weeks. My other 2 Lenco tables are in disassembly from some powder coat work I had done. The Akai doesn't come close to the refinement or dynamic drive of the Lenco's, but for sheer musical enjoyment it just beats the digital setup in every way. Just a much more complete and soothing picture of the music without the frenetic energy of digital.

[TheChairGuy]

toxteth...I hear ya' on the tubes.

I find digital needs as many tubes as possible to make it easy enough on the ears. Voltage regulated, tube amps are used here (prefer SS pre-amp, however)

You smother enough dung with chocolate it can taste pretty good, too

Vinyl simply doesn't have to have any warmth injected into it to enjoy.  Some, perhaps many, may choose to listen to tubes - but it's not a requirement as it often seems to be with digital of any sort.

I spent $5000.00 after tossing my TT in 2001...finally coming back in 2004.  Those 3 years in between were the most miserable in my 35 years of music listening. 

I'm way happier today with $200 invested in my digital front end than with $5000.00 previously.  That's both a function of how much better digital has gotten at very cheap prices the past 5+ years...and the reality that, as an audiophile that values sound quality over convenience, a digital front end doesn't likely bear more outlay than $200 for the best background sounds it can muster.

John

[Douger]

That is a beautiful Akai tt! I fully agree with analog's superiority, grateful to have it.
Good listening,
Douger

[doug s.]

i have ~$500 invested in my digital front end - modded art di/o dac for ~$200, and audio alchemy acd pro for ~$300.  it's ancient by digital standards, but it's still competitive w/modern digital costing more than ten times that.  (which speaks volumes to the extreme law of diminishing returns when it comes to digital.)  and, for ultimate fidelity, i'd take something like toxteth's analog set-up over any digital set-up at any price.

about the only thing i have seen in this thread that i don't agree with is john-tcg's preference for a solid-state preamp.  regardless of source, there is no way my preamp will not have tubes.  for small-signal preamplification, tubes rule.  now, for ultra-ultra-small signal preamplification - like a phono-stage - s/s is ok imo, if it's fed to a tube preamp.

ymmv,

doug s.