question about the "analog sound"


Hi all-I am an analog newbie with a very modest setup; Project DebutI, Grado Platinum cart, Bellari phono preamp. The sound I am getting is very natural, but lacks the fullness, richness, and overall oomph that my digital front end delivers. My question is, am I hearing a representative analog sound, or simply hearing the weaknesses of this setup? Or, do I perhaps have a phono preamp/cartridge mismatch?

Please, no advice to buy a whole new setup, as I don't wish to do that right now. I would, however, make changes such as a new cartridge, if folks thought it might make a difference.

FWIW, the rest of my system is as follows: AES tube preamp, B&K ST-140 amp, GMA europas, HSU subwoofer, Arcam cd-72.

Thanks much for your thoughts!
douglasmkatz

Showing 1 response by eldartford

While I am notarious for willingness to point out the limitations of vinyl, I don't think that lack of fullness, richness, or oomph is a fair rap. The LF roll off should not occur with RIAA equalization at play. What you perceive as "bass" is probably in the range of 40-100 Hz, and this range is easiest for a stylus to trace.

If you want to change the overall frequency response of your system an equalizer is the tool to do it. I like the Behringer DEQ2496, which also includes a spectrum analyser so you can see what you are doing.