Where to start with vinyl


In your opinion what TT and cartridge would I need to buy to experience a noticable improvement over a Resolution Audio Opus 21 or similar quality ($3-4K new) CD player. Rest of system includes Rogue M-150 amps, Martin Logan Summits and tara air 1 interconnects and speaker cable.
sgunther

Showing 1 response by countingbackwards

I came from somewhat the same place as you a while back. I'm running a very nice Meridien CD player, but came accross an old Oracle Delphi priced very low at an estate sale a few years ago. I picked it up, and it came with a Grado Platinum cartridge installed on an SME series III tonearm, a Musical Fidelity XLP phono stage and a nice pair of MIT interconnects.

At the time, that was enough to get me started - and it was a very enjoyable combo - certainly comparable to the Meridien despite being a fraction of the price. However, the Oracle was showing its age so I proceeded to an upgrade this year. I now am running a JA Michell Gyro SE mk 2 with a Graham 1.5tc/2.2 tonearm and a Benz Wood cartridge. The Musical Fidelity phonostage is still in use, though that'll change soon. In any case, this setup, at a bit less cost (used) than your CD player, absolutely sounds much more musical and involving than any digital setup I've ever heard.

All this to say...vinyl is a lot of fun, a lot of tweaking, but the ultimate reward is worth the time and cost. And the most fun aspect of it is the record shopping afterwards! There's so much good stuff on vinyl that costs so little and is so much fun to listen to, that I've been listening to much more music ever since the vinyl upgrade.