great vinyl sound cost as much as great cd sound


Hi,

I have emmlabs dac and line preamp which is one of the best digital sources out there.

I was wondering if I wanted an analog vinyl source which rivals my digital system would it be equally costly.

At this point my vinyl budget would be limited to $2,500. Can I get a good phono preamp to connect to my line emmlabs preamp and a turntable for that amount and not find that my top of line cd source sounds far better.

If so what pairing of preamp phono and turntable would you recommend.

VPI scout and ? perhaps
128x128karmapolice
Hi James/All,
Today, surfing around the web, I came across another very interesting site that sells numerous analog "goodies", and this online dealer is called "Sleeve City".

Here, I browsed what they had as far as LP Sleeves, and they seemed to have a quite good selection of quality Inner, and Outer Sleeves, plus other items like LP Jackets, Cleaning Supplies etc, etc.

Their prices seemed very reasonable to me, and this might be a good place to check out for your Analog "needs".

While MucisDirect does carry a multitude of great products, and I've done countless thousands of dollars of business with them in the past 10 years I've known them, sometimes their "goodies" are a tad bit overpriced IMO.

Check this place out I mention. While I don't have the link handy, those interested at a peek should be able to find the site doing search with your browser.
Mark
Michael,

I'm upset that you are giving up on the vinyl thing. I am not so sure you have to spend 10K or more to beat our emmlabs. Yet, I do know that a friend's set up which probably equalled around 10K easily beat the emmlabs on redbook.

It would be nice to see if you could do if for around 5K or less (TT/arm/cart/and phonostage -- say used) ... maybe just a dream of mine ???
I only want to say that both CD and vinyl could sound great and bad. It depends on the recording, the remastering, and in case of vinyl the quality of pressing. When listening to vinyl (even through some midfi vinyl playback equipment) one is impressed by how full, warm and seductive the sound can be. Whether it is due to the playback gear, the medium or colorations, it is not very relevant at that moment. I play vinyl, because I like the colorations that are inherent to the vinyl itself and the playback system. I also like turntables and tonearms/carts as they can give you excellent performance but only when you give maximum attention to set up: it is more of interactive (albeit very oldfashioned) situation in comparison with CD replay, which is more like plug-and-play.

Chris
Hi James, Don't know what happened with my last post, but I have found a place that appears to have very good prices on LP Inner, and Outer Sleeves, and acessories for digital media also. Their name is Sleeve City, and their prices appear to be very good
Well I am not saying that I am giving up on vinyl as much as delaying my entry. Perhaps if they release a special pressing of ok computer on some audiophile label that will push me into it finally.

Its not just the price but also the apparent need for much more tlc for the vinyl itself as well as the equipment. Cds are so much easier to use although the emmlabs sometimes rejects a cd and requires the cd to be cleaned.

It would be fun to start a new collection and get to go used vinyl shopping. Well some day when I have 10K burning a hole in my pocket (but then who knows I may want to use that to move up the chain on my speakers) or perhaps some giant killer 5k combo of phono preamp and turntable emerges then I will dive in.