Low end TT vs. Hi end CD

I don't have a lot of records... maybe 20. The majority of those are 12" dance records. I bought the Technics 1200 and the mixer so that I could learn how to mix, and because you can only find certain music on vinyl (how strange is that?)...

I never thought the TT could give me more than OK sound. I remember vinyl when I was very young, but I really grew up with CDs.

That's why I have a hi end CD rig, and hundreds of CDs.

I think over time, I may invest more money in a new TT, but I'm broke right now, and couldn't afford more than maybe a better cartridge.

But I'm very curious to discover more, and will start looking for vinyl. There is a great place right near my apartment called Second Story Books that has loads of used records CHEAP. I may find some stuff there I like...

I'll let you know how each added upgrade improves the sound. The Syrah should get here sometime late February (that would be over 5 months wait...).

The following is from origin lives website;
http://www.turntable-kits.com/upgrading_hi_fi_kits.htm

Assessing priorities to upgrade your system is not always easy and so we have tried to provide some guidance from the experience that we have acquired over the years. Much depends on your the level of performance you aspire to, coupled with your future plans (if any) and budget. For this reason the following guidelines are a matter of opinion and judgement.

If you are using a Vinyl front end then the accepted wisdom is to break down your budget approx as follows: Please note that if your system is CD based, then this breakdown is not valid as CD players do not vary in performance anything like as much as turntables.

VINYL BASED SYSTEM SPLIT
Turntable / arm / cartridge = 50% of budget
Phono stage = 8% of budget
Amplifier = 21% of budget
Loudspeakers = 21% of budget

CD BASED SYSTEM SPLIT
For example if you have a £200 GBP CD player you could easily apportion up to £1000 GBP on the amp and £1000 GBP on the speakers which is the complete reverse of the philosophy for Vinyl.

If you are planning to upgrade over a period of time then you will split the budget based on your final investment in the system - needless to say there are all sorts of exceptions to the above guidance.

BREAKDOWN OF FRONT END PERFORMANCE
To break things down further we would suggest the following in terms of contribution to a front end performance - Please note that the price of a component does not does not necessarily mean that it will deliver more performance for the money than something else and the percentages indicated below are based on the average performance contribution to the system - not the price of the item.

Turntable = 47%
Tonearm = 33%
Cartridge = 11%
Phono stage = 9%

Ivor Tiefenbrun, the guy who developed the Linn lp12 also says, the table itself is 50% of th equation.

So as you can see the turntable itself is very important. This info will help you understand what Twl,Lugnut and Tok2000 have been saying.

The reason a lot of audiophiles went to cd in the eighties was because they had dual's or some Japanese direct drive turntable, with most times a shure m95ed, these rigs were very noisy and full of distortion. Now compaired to a good cd player, the absence of noise, and a lowering of distortion, decided cd was better.

I to need to upgrade my playback system. I am analog only based in my listening room. Because of my budget I will soon purchase the Origin aurora turntable, with the silver arm, this is arrox.2K$

You could add the shelter 501 mc $800 (the same cartridge Twl uses) and never look back. If your budget allows you can get better preformance in the origin live lineup. I suggest you read the reports, checkout the web sites.
Have some fun investigating, and when you get your analog rig, you will then hear all the music you have been missing.
Roni

...not as precicely but in general good quality records are more than good quality cds even as of now. In this terms first you'll get a complete hobby development, great toy and most-likely the sound superior to Wadia.

remember, real high-end is analogue from recording to reproduction.

Dennis,
BTW,
There is a member aka- psychicanimal among us here who wouldn't be please that you call SL1200 Low-end turntable!:-)

Dennis,

I'm glad you posted some additional information. I'll modify my recommendation somewhat. My guess is that you have an unstated desire to have a quality vinyl front end based on what you read from myself, Twl, Rockinroni and others. If that's true, then just make it a long range goal. Heavens, I can relate to being broke. In the meantime, hit that used record store and buy some software on a regular basis. Just make sure that your current turntable and cartridge are in good condition and set up properly so as not to trash the software you buy. Too many audiophiles invest a disproportionate amount of money in hardware and their music library suffers. If you decide later on to become digital only based you can part with your vinyl without taking a huge hit. If you step up with a new vinyl rig at a later date you will already have enough music to re-discover without feeling pressured to acquire more vinyl software quickly in order to justify the purchase of a new turntable. Relax and enjoy. You have a very nice system and it'll be there when you can afford to make the move. You can't go wrong buying software.

Patrick