Am I getting it all?

Hello, all-

I have to say I'm certainly not having the experience Siegfried is having as mentioned in Ncarvs' thread. It has been suggested by Clark at Acoustic Sounds that what I need to do is go up to the VPI Aries 3 with 10.5 tonearm, which is the same table Siegfried moved up to. Of course, Clark would like nothing better than for me to buy a new Aries 3 from him. Sorry, but that ain't gonna happen. I might someday be able to swing a screaming good deal on a used 3, but that's about it. I just hope to have Siegried's experience someday soon. Kinda like waiting for Santa to arrive.
In the meantime, I will continue to listen to what I have now, and have all parameters checked. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying my set-up sounds bad, actually it sounds better than any analog rig I've had. And it might be recording dependant. But I will push forward with plans to have it checked, and go from there.
Thanks to all,
Dan

The success of the passive pre is dependent on three issues other than the quality of the passive circuit: does it play loud enough, does your source (CDP and/or phono stage) have a low enough output impedance to drive the passive pre in series with the input of your amp, and do you prefer the colorations of an active circuit. Sounds like you're doing fine with the passive.

On another line, your phono stage could certainly be bettered although the Dynavector may or may not be better enough to float your boat.

Good luck and enjoy!

His analog system is high enough quality that it should exceed CD quality. CDs will not generally sound as good and it won't be particularly close. If he's not achieving that, then he needs to look into his analog setup, not buying new equipment, but making sure that everything is properly installed. Finding a good CD/LP to compare is just a step and it's relatively inexpensive.

Still, since he's used to very good digital he's only going to be happy with really good vinyl. That's the way I am, mostly buying 180 and 200 gram and/or 45rpm or D2D. For digital I buy DVD-A whenever offered then "high performance" CDs and finally RedBook CDs, in that order, depending on what's available.

Average vinyl will NOT trump high end digital, IMHO.

Dave

I would have to second your opinion, Dave. The best vinyl recordings I have, such as the Albeniz Suite Espanola, a Speakers Corner re-issue, is astounding in what it can do. Is it better than the best of my digital recordings? Tough call. It's different, that's for sure. There is no denying that it is a different experience than digital. Better? Maybe. I'll have to get a matching set of vinyl/digital recordings to really tell, which I am yet to do, though it is on my to-do list.
As far as the purchase of the P-75MK2 is concerned, I feel that is a win-win thing all the way through. If it sounds better than my GCPH, I will keep it. If not, I will sell it. If nothing else, it will satisfy my curiosity about something I've been wondering about for a while. I even posted a thread about it, as some of you may be aware of.
I have to wonder at a system that seems as though it shouldn't be able to do what it does, and does it so well. Not unlike the flight of the bumble bee. Amazing. I am not here to bash analog, I just want to try to get the best out of it that I can, without spending vast sums of money I don't have.

Thanks for the input from all of you, enjoy,
Dan

Stockfisch just released "Bassface Swing Trio Plays Gershwin" on D2D, DVD-A and CD. See http://store.acousticsounds.com/browse_detail.cfm?Title_ID=37495

This is good piano trio jazz (think Bill Mays or Charlap level), exceptionally well recorded and all packaged together, so you can get a valid comparison. On my system vinyl wins, but I suspect that the DVD-A will come close or win after my Pioneer 58AV universal player comes back from Ric Schultz's mods. Using a stock Oppo, the digital was a little harder, but I think it's in the machine rather than the DVD-A. The CD isn't close.

The price is steep ($99 for a limited edition), but the music is fine, far surpassing other "audiophile" recordings like "Jazz at the Pawnshop".

Dave