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Surprised at how turntable sounds

Hi,

I'm new here and I hope this, my first post, is in the right spot.

I'm hoping for some feedback and help about what happened with a turntable I've just got.  My system has two Dynakit Mk 3 60w monoblocks, a Sonos Port, two B&W 702 S3 speakers, a nas with my music saved as flac files, and a new Denon DP-25F turntable.  

I've only recently set this up.  I've had the monoblocks for quite a while and have been impressed with how they sound.  The B&W speakers are pretty new, and are probably the stars of the system.  To me they're amazing.  The nas is nothing new; I've been using it for years as my music source.

Other than the new turntable, I've been blown away with how great everything sounds.  Even my wife is impressed.

I've just set the Denon up.  I've been wanting to get a turntable again for years, obviously not for the convenience, but because of what I've heard about analogue audio.  I was really surprised when I heard it.  What I expected was lush, full sound.  I thought it might even sound better than music with nas files as the source.  I hoped it would.

It didn't sound better.  It was - what I can best think of to describe it - "thin" sounding.  Switching from the LP to the nas and back was quite a difference.  The nas music sounded great - rich, full, and deep smooth bass.  The music from the turntable was better with "loudness" turned on in the Sonos app, but still sounded mostly acceptable for a party.  Something I wouldn't listen to all that closely.

The cartridge is a DSN-82 stylus.  Should that be adequate, or better than adequate, for my system?  Would I do well to get a new cartridge?

Should I get a new turntable?  

Anything else?

Thanks much in advance for reading, and any suggestions that will help me understand what's going on.

martinlb
ghedger42's avatar
ghedger42
14 posts
 

For now, there are lots of great suggestions here in this thread, like those above.  For example, I can vouch for the Schiit Mani 2, which is how I started out.  It has some loading flexibility for a wide variety of cartridges.  Great way to start, and not very expensive.

One interesting aspect of this hobby that I have seen in no other:  The higher up you move in the analog food chain the fewer features you will see.  A cheap AT TT will have auto arm capabilities (start / return).  You rarely see these on higher-end tables.    You will rarely, if ever, see BlueTooth or built-in pre-amp on a more precisely engineered TT.  Think about why that is.

Eventually, consider reaching out to some of the boutique TT manufacturers, as well.  Maybe not just yet, but in the future. Yes, these are more expensive, but you are buying not just the table and gear, but the engineering philosophy and an ongoing relationship -- someone who can mentor you, and occasionally hook you up with secondhand equipment that far exceeds what you can find online.

deep_333
2,501 posts
 

Cut your losses and run away from this turntable abyss, while you still can.

All studio masters for many decades now are digital. A better salvaged digital version exists even for old vintage albums degrading away on master tape.

One day you shall find that even with a 100k+ turntable setup, 2 records may sound ok and the 3rd one may sound like sht. So, focus on getting your digital chain better.

If you want the sound of analog master tape (flavors flavors flavors..), get a software from Levinson called Master Class and run your files through it...Analog master tape sound for dayss...

I'm hoping for some feedback and help about what happened with a turntable I've just got. My system has two Dynakit Mk 3 60w monoblocks, a Sonos Port, two B&W 702 S3 speakers, a nas with my music saved as flac files, and a new Denon DP-25F turntable.  

martinlb OP
7 posts
 

I do have a preamp I can use.  I haven't been using it, or thinking about it I guess, because I haven't needed it.  That's obviously changed.  I doubt very much it will make enough difference but I'm looking to bypass the built-in preamp in the Denon and see what happens.  It's an Elekit 8550 tube preamp BTW.

jwillox
215 posts
 

I suspect the cart is running thru a built-in phono-pre.

These can range from TT pr-eamps onboard, poor phono sections in your amp.

Invariably an external phono-pre will knock you out.

macg19
1,463 posts
 

Welcome to AG. 

You have been given lot’s of mostly good advice. I’ll try and add something a little different and hopefully a little helpful.

My primary source for serious listening sessions is vinyl and the investment is 6 X Digital, but I listen to digital more and enjoy both very much. Details in my virtual system for reference if interested.

  1. The amount of fidelity you can get from vinyl has a lot to do with the original recording, the quality of the mastering / pressing and genre. For example there are some amazing old jazz and blues recordings that sound fantastic yet some classic rock recorded decades later that sounds like crap.
  2. Clean records matter a lot (this has been said already but it’s worth repeating). I clean every brand new record with an ultrasonic cleaner before it ever gets played.
  3. You will need to spend more on an analogue rig than digital to get comparable sound quality. You will need to spend exponentially more to get your analogue rig to surpass digital.
  4. Everything matters: TT, PS, CART. 
  5. Streaming sources like Tidal, Qobuz and even SXM Radio provide unbelievable access to high-quality content for a ridiculously low price, with SXM being free (sort of) if you already have it in your car. 

All of the above IMHO and YMMV.  

Good luck and enjoy! Let’s know where you end up and how it sounds.

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