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

Showing 1 response by xiekitchen

The problem (or hobby involvement, depending on how you see it) is that LP playback, done right, requires alot of "stuff".
1. Turntable
2. arm
3. a good moving coil cartridge
4. a good separate phono-preamp or exceptional preamp with built-in versatile phono section
5. a very stable, rigid, level platform to place the table on
6. the proper stylus cleaning items
7. A wet-vacuum record cleaning machine is essential
8. a good record cabnet -- good luck here
For me it has taken 15 years to get this stuff right, and since I'm not a millionare, it takes time to save up the money. You could buy a stock Rega Planar 3 with a Rega cartrige and a decent phono pre unit and be done with it.