Went all analog / vinyl, I made a mistake

[trponhunter]

I think the answer to his question is that you should expect to lose about 40% of value from retail - give or take a bt either way

[damacman]

It sounds to me as if this may be the OP's first serious foray into the format. If so, allow me to opine.

In a hobby such as this one, the appreciation comes from the gratification (and knowledge gained) when climbing the ladder. One doesn't start at the top and instantly reach nirvana. My first tt was an amplified Emerson doo-dad with a pair of plastic speakers which had a stylus that could be flipped from 33/45 to 78. This was in 1974 or so. I've been buying, playing, collecting, and enjoying records ever since.

Along the way, you learn a few things. When your overall investment in your vinyl rig is a few hundred dollars, you can be amazed at just how much it delivers. You're also acutely aware that it can just get better from there. When you figure out how to clean a record properly in the kitchen sink, well you've just enhanced your enjoyment. Your first $100 cartridge purchase . . . learning the ins and outs of the setup . . . mastering a dB Systems Protractor . . . buying the Shure scale . . . investing in an RCM . . . your first MC . . . all stepping stones on the way to reaching nirvana.

When your first foray is of the scale of the OP's, you walk into it with expectation bias - this shit better knock my socks off for what I spent for it. I bought the best of everything. It just doesn't work like that. Cars. Cycling. It's much the same. The ones consumed with the hobbies are the ones that started at the bottom and worked their way up over decades.

Me personally, I have a huge library of vinyl - including many Acoustic Sounds early pressings, QRP pressings, Nautilus, MFSL, Half-Speed masters, etc. Yet, it seems to me that enjoyment is at the highest when I score a 50cent record at a yard sale that knocks my socks off. With proper care, cleaning, and set-up a well executed vinyl rig should be able to do just that. Sure, the occasional ticks and pops are just part of the format - a needle being drug through the groove is pretty archaic at it's fundamental. However, some cartridges are better than others in regard and often price is no indicator of this.

OP - I am in agreement with you. Sell the gear but not the records themselves. Give yourself a $500 budget for a tt, cartridge, Shure scale, and dB systems protractor and start over. Put some money into a digital rig, but don't make the same mistake . . . else, you'll be equally as disappointed.

Have fun.

[Weirdcuba]

Originally Posted by damacman

It sounds to me as if this may be the OP's first serious foray into the format. If so, allow me to opine.



In a hobby such as this one, the appreciation comes from the gratification (and knowledge gained) when climbing the ladder. One doesn't start at the top and instantly reach nirvana. My first tt was an amplified Emerson doo-dad with a pair of plastic speakers which had a stylus that could be flipped from 33/45 to 78. This was in 1974 or so. I've been buying, playing, collecting, and enjoying records ever since.



Along the way, you learn a few things. When your overall investment in your vinyl rig is a few hundred dollars, you can be amazed at just how much it delivers. You're also acutely aware that it can just get better from there. When you figure out how to clean a record properly in the kitchen sink, well you've just enhanced your enjoyment. Your first $100 cartridge purchase . . . learning the ins and outs of the setup . . . mastering a dB Systems Protractor . . . buying the Shure scale . . . investing in an RCM . . . your first MC . . . all stepping stones on the way to reaching nirvana.



When your first foray is of the scale of the OP's, you walk into it with expectation bias - this shit better knock my socks off for what I spent for it. I bought the best of everything. It just doesn't work like that. Cars. Cycling. It's much the same. The ones consumed with the hobbies are the ones that started at the bottom and worked their way up over decades.



Me personally, I have a huge library of vinyl - including many Acoustic Sounds early pressings, QRP pressings, Nautilus, MFSL, Half-Speed masters, etc. Yet, it seems to me that enjoyment is at the highest when I score a 50cent record at a yard sale that knocks my socks off. With proper care, cleaning, and set-up a well executed vinyl rig should be able to do just that. Sure, the occasional ticks and pops are just part of the format - a needle being drug through the groove is pretty archaic at it's fundamental. However, some cartridges are better than others in regard and often price is no indicator of this.



OP - I am in agreement with you. Sell the gear but not the records themselves. Give yourself a $500 budget for a tt, cartridge, Shure scale, and dB systems protractor and start over. Put some money into a digital rig, but don't make the same mistake . . . else, you'll be equally as disappointed.



Have fun.

Best post I’ve read in a long time.

[For The Love of Music]

Originally Posted by Weirdcuba

Best post I’ve read in a long time.

Yeah, I liked it to!

[damacman]

Thank you, gentlemen. Hopefully the OP won't give up on the format entirely. I'd offer to buy his Prime Signature but then I'd have nothing to lust after . . .

[2fastdriving]

Originally Posted by damacman

Thank you, gentlemen. Hopefully the OP won't give up on the format entirely. I'd offer to buy his Prime Signature but then I'd have nothing to lust after . . .

I also felt your post was fantastic. It really is the same for all high end hobbies. I have some classic cars, and I can confirm that it applies there as well!

[1KW]

Great post. ...."it seems to me that enjoyment is at the highest when I score a 50cent record at a yard sale that knocks my socks off. With proper care, cleaning, and set-up a well executed vinyl rig should be able to do just that."

When I started back in vinyl the most important thing I found was to start with a clean record and use a record clamp. You can spend a $79 on a spin clean or thousands on more sophisticated machines. I am using a VPI record cleaning machine with different types of solutions work fine. I also find that a MC cartridge is quieter for hearing pops and clicks as the stylus goes deeper into the grooves. Lastly the record clamp helps to flatten the record and bond it better to the TT.

[Mgrenwick]

OP here.

I appreciate all the replies.
What a terrible few weeks it has been.
I've had the opportunity to speak to some key people in the industry regarding the quality of vinyl and have to say it seems I'm not alone on that front.

I also finally have found someone that seems very capable of going over my system to ensure there is not a damaged or improperly working component. Pro at table setups as well. All your posts have given me hope that what I am experience isn't normal and that something can be done. With that said, I am sticking it out for now but I am getting a digital component to my system for sure. Currently looking at the "Moon" dac's but plan to demo a few before making a decision.

Maybe this is pathetic but this has been one of the lowest points I've had in a long time. First world problems for sure. I truly appreciate all the posts, though I might not have commented, I have defiantly been digesting the feedback.

All the best.

[mcpaf76]

Sorry to hear about this, as I recently purchased the identical turntable, also as my first. I think there's room for both digital and vinyl in any system, but vinyl unquestionably requires more patience and effort. Any questions you have, I'd be happy to help.

[GaryProtein]

I am very happy to have retired my analog equipment.

The thought that with vinyl you listen to the music and not the pops is true but ridiculous to endure. I have heard turntables far better than mine set up by people who really know what they are doing and the clicks and pops (even the tape hiss from the original recording) is still there and brothers me.