Am I getting it all?


I have a VPI Scout, Dynavector XX2MKII cart, PS Audio GCPH, going into a Sonic Euphoria passive pre. The sound is quite good, but compared to what is, IMHO, a superb sounding digital front-end, is generally not in the same league. Only on exceptional recordings does my analog front end seem to equal or at times, best my digital gear. I will say, though, that the most intense musical experience I've had on on my system, came while listening to a Tacet lp, Tube Only, of piano and violin. I feel my cartridge set-up is quite good. Does it sound like it's time to go to a better turntable to make any improvement in what I'm hearing? Thanks for the help, Dan
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Just a footnote to my previous reply. Like speakers, all turntables & arms are a compromise. Only one company (Nakamichi) madea a TT that would compensate for eccentric records (just about all) and give you pitch stability approaching what digital has naturally. And only one (that I know of) offers arm damping at the stylus end of the arm (Townshend) which is uniquely beneficial. Then all others have their own good (and not so good) points. So, you just have to decide what qualities are most important to you and then see if your budget will allow you to acquire them.
Maplenoll has an oil trough at the cartridge end. Lloyd Walker insists that it sounds better to do it on the other end. Before putting together his own table he was the Maplenoll distributor before Bob Dilger stopped making them.
This is a bit of an update on this thread. Since my last post, I have changed phono pres to the Dynavector P-75 MKII, which makes a superb match with the Dyna XX2MKII cart I am using. A week ago today, I recieved a new JMW9 Signature arm from VPI. I am blown away by how much better the plain old Scout sounds now. I just finished listening to Richard Thompson's Pour Down Like Silver lp on Carthage, and the last selection, side 2, Dimming of the Day/Dargai, I heard the most beautiful guitar I have ever heard (on a recording). Just phenonminal.

I am forced to listen through my 'phones at the moment, (Sennheiser HD 600, w/Musical Fidelity XCanV2) since I have my system torn down to move a probematic wood stove to a different wall, so the audio system can be located in a much more preferable spot. But, as of now, I will proclaim vinyl digital's equal, if not its better.

Thanks for all the previous posts, and as always, enjoy!

Dan
Dan, thanks for the followup, since we often don't hear how things end. Once you get things relocated let us know how the move worked.

Dave