Quote:
Originally Posted by George Prentice
Immediately after my post above I began an upgrade cycle. Really glad I did. My VPI Aries / Frog was at the 25 year mark. I bought the combo to complement the solid state / ribbon speakers I had at the time. So it was heavy on the bass and a bit soft on top. For some reason... perhaps that my digital end is finally really satisfying I chose to change courses away from massive black and stainless stuff and go with small and elegant, a Linn SP12. The history associated with the table also felt really good to me... and red wood fits with my speakers and racks. I guess I could have done some statement assault, but didn’t. What a wonderful sounding deck, strikes me as detailed, balanced and musical. Very nice combination. Also, incredibly easy to use... it is a piece of cake to pick up the tonearm and move it exactly where I want to. After the difficulty with the VPI unipivot, it is a real pleasure. I can rest my pinky on the frame and move with my forefinger. I must be getting old, to enjoy such a simple pleasure so much. Clearly both ends now sound wonderful to me. The analog end has more detail... but both are really satisfying. When I can stop myself from exclusively listening to the turntable, it will be interesting figuring out the differences. My analog end is about $10K less than my digital end... so it strikes me that the cost edge still goes to analog.
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Within the last year I sold my 20 year old VPI Aries for a British deck as well, only it was replaced by a Rega P10. The results are very similar to yours with bass being much firmer and detailed and everything being cleaner and clearer, more dynamic and quicker. Also, I don’t miss the audio nervosa of thinking VTA needed to be adjusted for every pressing played. Azimuth adjustment? Forget about it! Play it and enjoy!!