kendrab
17-12-2013, 05:54
My name is Kendra, and I have been involved with audio for almost 35 years (although mine has been an on again off again relationship). I remember when a good turntable was the only option, and I remember how we were promised "perfect" sound with the CD player and media. When my old Technics SL1100 turntable got damaged in a move, I decided to switch to the improved CD format.
I have to say, it took a couple decades to get the digital sound in my system to the point it mostly equals a decent turntable and cartridge. Kind of ironic now to find that turntables are making such a comeback. Anyway, it is not what makes the sound happen that is as important as being able to enjoy what we are listening to.
I make a point of listening to an hour or so of music before I wrap up my day. It relaxes me. Music is far from my only interest; I like dabbling in photography and cooking for my friends too. But I have to admit that music has been my most constant and reliable companion through the years.
Circumstances have forced me into early retirement, and I cannot engage in the high level of audio gear that I might like. The good news is I am always looking for ways to stretch my audio dollars. I have an interesting situation right now. A friend who runs a pawn shop bought out a record store. There are some 40,000 records in all, and I am working to try to get them in some semblance of order. I am not getting paid for it...at least not in the usual fashion. I am building a used vinyl collection instead. Going through all those records has been a real trip down memory lane, and there is a lot of obscure stuff that I never heard of.
So far, I have built up a collection of about 300 records. I only have one problem... I don't have a turntable (yet).
I moved recently, and my big speakers and amplifier had to go. I am using a high-quality headphone based system to avoid annoying my neighbours. My local hi-fi dealer has made me a deal where I am trading in my speakers (TAD Designed Pioneer S-3EX towers) for a good turntable setup which includes a turntable, tonearm, basic cartridge, and external phono preamplifier. I want a better cartridge before I take it home, and am at this point trying to determine what cartridge to go for. I am looking at something really good, but am limited to about a $500 budget. Once I decide on what cartridge to buy, my dealer will set things up for me. I am really looking forward to giving my new record collection a spin over the holidays.
I listen to a variety of music, although I am not into heavy metal, hip-hop, reggae, or full-on opera. I am drawn to blues and good jazz, although the classic rock of my youth is still a big part of things. I picked up a lot of the records I grew up with, but could never find on CD (or the CD was only released once, and I missed it). To make it interesting, I got a half-dozen records that I also have on CD so I could compare the performance of Digital versus analog in my system.
For many years, I have heard that a decent turntable setup of perhaps $3000 will beat anything digital can do. My modified Mdht Labs Havana DAC has outperformed anything in the digital reign below about $10,000 (I owned a PS Audio Perfect Wave II DAC for a while, but my modified DAC sounded much better, so I got rid of it). It is going to be interesting to see how things turn out.
My new turntable setup is worth about $3,500. It is based around a very basic but well designed turntable (a Nottingham Analogue Studios Interspace) that gets all the essential mechanical details right. It is not flashy, and not too popular sales-wise (at least in North America), but it is said to perform very well. I guess I will soon find out.
So there is my story in a nutshell. I am looking forward to learning from everyone here, and hope that I can be of value to people here. Before I go, I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas!
Thanks for Listening,
Kendra
I have to say, it took a couple decades to get the digital sound in my system to the point it mostly equals a decent turntable and cartridge. Kind of ironic now to find that turntables are making such a comeback. Anyway, it is not what makes the sound happen that is as important as being able to enjoy what we are listening to.
I make a point of listening to an hour or so of music before I wrap up my day. It relaxes me. Music is far from my only interest; I like dabbling in photography and cooking for my friends too. But I have to admit that music has been my most constant and reliable companion through the years.
Circumstances have forced me into early retirement, and I cannot engage in the high level of audio gear that I might like. The good news is I am always looking for ways to stretch my audio dollars. I have an interesting situation right now. A friend who runs a pawn shop bought out a record store. There are some 40,000 records in all, and I am working to try to get them in some semblance of order. I am not getting paid for it...at least not in the usual fashion. I am building a used vinyl collection instead. Going through all those records has been a real trip down memory lane, and there is a lot of obscure stuff that I never heard of.
So far, I have built up a collection of about 300 records. I only have one problem... I don't have a turntable (yet).
I moved recently, and my big speakers and amplifier had to go. I am using a high-quality headphone based system to avoid annoying my neighbours. My local hi-fi dealer has made me a deal where I am trading in my speakers (TAD Designed Pioneer S-3EX towers) for a good turntable setup which includes a turntable, tonearm, basic cartridge, and external phono preamplifier. I want a better cartridge before I take it home, and am at this point trying to determine what cartridge to go for. I am looking at something really good, but am limited to about a $500 budget. Once I decide on what cartridge to buy, my dealer will set things up for me. I am really looking forward to giving my new record collection a spin over the holidays.
I listen to a variety of music, although I am not into heavy metal, hip-hop, reggae, or full-on opera. I am drawn to blues and good jazz, although the classic rock of my youth is still a big part of things. I picked up a lot of the records I grew up with, but could never find on CD (or the CD was only released once, and I missed it). To make it interesting, I got a half-dozen records that I also have on CD so I could compare the performance of Digital versus analog in my system.
For many years, I have heard that a decent turntable setup of perhaps $3000 will beat anything digital can do. My modified Mdht Labs Havana DAC has outperformed anything in the digital reign below about $10,000 (I owned a PS Audio Perfect Wave II DAC for a while, but my modified DAC sounded much better, so I got rid of it). It is going to be interesting to see how things turn out.
My new turntable setup is worth about $3,500. It is based around a very basic but well designed turntable (a Nottingham Analogue Studios Interspace) that gets all the essential mechanical details right. It is not flashy, and not too popular sales-wise (at least in North America), but it is said to perform very well. I guess I will soon find out.
So there is my story in a nutshell. I am looking forward to learning from everyone here, and hope that I can be of value to people here. Before I go, I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas!
Thanks for Listening,
Kendra