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Post by brubacca on Oct 18, 2018 16:25:56 GMT -5
Well I think that I have come to the end of my vinyl experiment. It really hasn't gone well despite some investment. I started with a used ProJect Debut Carbon. I liked it well enough and could hear the benefits over my digital at the time. Then I upgraded to a 2m blue to get a bit more. Then my motor developed a hum.. Decided to upgrade to what I thought would be my last turntable. I got a VPI Traveler and had my 2m Blue put on it. I definitely thought that this was a bit clinical and have gone on a couple of searches for a new warmer cartridge. Fast forward to this year and I lost the left channel on my Traveler. It was right before my ACL surgery this year so I didn't get it sent back for a couple of months. I sent it back and they had it for about two weeks. They sent it back to me and disaster struck. I mishandled and broke my tonearm. I was rushing to set it back up and in my haste broke it. This is 100% my fault, but it sucks nonetheless. The arm tube has two small pins sticking out the go into the gimble assembly and one snapped off. I e-mailed VPI Tuesday morning and have not heard back.
Captain Google found someone with the same situation in 2016 and he was told that the table was obsolete and new parts were not available. So it would appear that I am done. I am bummed as I did like listening to vinyl when I had the chance, but finances dictate that I cannot get a new table at this point. I also never got the passion and love for it that others have.
I'll keep my records, and possibly approach this again in the future. On the other side my difgital has progressed to a really good point so I have some decent music to listen to, just not a record album.
Sorry just wanted to tell my tail of woe. It's not meant the slag VPI at all as I bought the table on final clearance and broke it myself.
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Post by creimes on Oct 18, 2018 18:42:30 GMT -5
Sorry to hear the news, I had a Project Debut Carbon as well but with all my gear in another room it was a real pain to put a record on and run into my listening room haha, digital is all I need and where I spend my money and time with.
Chad
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Post by novisnick on Oct 18, 2018 18:50:54 GMT -5
Sorry to hear of your troubles with your acl and TT. Ive been spinning my Rega RP-6 since the model was new and I’ve never had any trouble at all. Very simple and sounds great. Its a wonderful luxury item to have as I truly believe vinyl provides the best listening enjoyment.
Hopefully one day soon you’ll be back. Till then you wont suffer TOO much with you digital setup.
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Post by dcg44s on Oct 18, 2018 19:37:33 GMT -5
I like vinyl but will always place priority on the music over the format or the gear.
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Post by brubacca on Oct 18, 2018 19:39:03 GMT -5
I really wanted the rp6. Got the traveler on a really good deal (price of the P3). If I go back into Vinyl it will be a Rega P3 most likely, although I just saw a P1 on Craigslist for $200. That is something I could do soon.
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Post by novisnick on Oct 18, 2018 20:23:27 GMT -5
I really wanted the rp6. Got the traveler on a really good deal (price of the P3). If I go back into Vinyl it will be a Rega P3 most likely, although I just saw a P1 on Craigslist for $200. That is something I could do soon. Id be scared to buy a TT from anyone unless I knew the history or its from a warrantied reseller or new. Too much can go wrong with any TT. QC is so important to have a long life of use without any issues. YMMV ETM |
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Post by dsonyay on Oct 18, 2018 20:51:51 GMT -5
Wow.. tough blow. Maybe get an inexpensive Technics to fill the gap til you can replace the other one? They make a model that reviews well for under 200usd.
I'm looking at getting a Fluance RT81 next spring.
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Post by creimes on Oct 18, 2018 21:20:55 GMT -5
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Post by DavidR on Oct 18, 2018 21:23:35 GMT -5
I know this isn't what you want to hear but the old TTs that were high end, quality tables are better than most of the TTs available today.
I love my Sansui SR838 with an NOS Acutex 412STR Still runs like a charm.
Sorry to hear of your troubles. Jazz on vinyl with a tube amp is hard to beat IMO.
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Post by Loop 7 on Oct 19, 2018 1:40:32 GMT -5
My vinyl journey ended via a cold water pipe breach in my basement apartment (college) while I temporarily had all my 500+ LPs on the floor for sorting.
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Post by geeqner on Oct 23, 2018 14:38:21 GMT -5
I would check with the local Used Equipment stores / pawn shops or local CL - there are often decent vintage TTs to be had for reasonable moolah.
Then, I would replace the cartridge with something new and of decent quality but then you should be "good to go".
I STILL love to spin some vinyl from time-to-time, when I'm in a bit of a nostalgic mood.
I am not one of those who looks for the quality to be superior to digital
(I still believe that in some cases, people look to get more out of the vinyl than what is actually in there to be retrieved, but that's another story...)
I DO think that well-maintained records, played on a quality setup CAN sound "pretty darned nice" though. Good enough to make it "worth the chore / ritual" ;-)
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Post by Soup on Oct 23, 2018 15:55:15 GMT -5
Sorry to hear that.....Thank goodness you have other options.....
Personally, I skipped the Vinyl fad............Loving digital soooo much!!!!!!!
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Post by brubacca on Oct 23, 2018 16:04:19 GMT -5
Sorry to hear that.....Thank goodness you have other options..... Personally, I skipped the Vinyl fad............Loving digital soooo much!!!!!!! Thats the rub right. I got my first TT when I had my XDA-1 Dac. The TT was better. After that I got the Gumby. Gumby was better. Upgraded to the traveler thinking it would be my last TT upgrade (for the table that it). Gumby still better. Thought several times about changing the cartridge to a more classic pairing, but never got there. VPI is checking to see if they can repair the tonearm. We'll see. |
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Post by username on Feb 17, 2020 17:18:04 GMT -5
I know this isn't what you want to hear but the old TTs that were high end, quality tables are better than most of the TTs available today...
Interesting comment ! I have an old t'table that might fit that category... I decided to invest in good quality equipment 6 or 7 years ago. That is when I learned of Emotiva and similar companies and bought my Emotiva XPA-200, Emotiva XSP-1, and Sherbourn CD-1. (I know this is repetitive b/c my gear will appear again in my signature block - i just love the snobbery.) I also bought a good quality (not entry level) Pro-Ject turntable which I like a lot. But I also have my old Dual turntable from the mid-70's - hasn't been used since the late 80's - packed away safely in original packaging. It's a direct drive, not belt driven. Does anyone have a suggestion about how to check it out and perhaps resurrect it ? (Perhaps not to replace the Pro-Ject; maybe to set up another system... which reminds me - I have a Luxman receiver from the same era, also safely stored...) |
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Post by Boomzilla on Feb 17, 2020 20:21:27 GMT -5
Hi brubacca - First, condolences on your health problems - take GOOD care of yourself. We'd miss you if you dropped out on us! Second, condolences on your tone arm - Such things are overly delicate, IMHO, and for the TON of money they cost, they shouldn't be. But your situation reminds me (yet again) of why I firmly believe that vinyl is overdue for the death that it so richly deserves. Yeah, the "hipster renaissance" is keeping the corpse of vinyl alive, but it's a zombie now, and will shortly fall apart never to trouble us again. Don't get me wrong, vinyl can still sound really good with a suitable setup (I'm currently reviewing a Pro-Ject X2 with Moonstone cartridge), but the degree of tedium needed to get good sound out of vinyl is magnitudes greater than the effort needed to get good digital sound. And I'm going to go on record as stating as a fact that even 16/44 digital CAN sound 100% as good as vinyl. Higher resolution digital can stomp all over the very best of vinyl. And if you haven't heard good digital (most haven't), then don't put down what you haven't heard. Having a good DAC, ripper, playback hardware, and storage device, etc. are every bit as important in digital as having a good turntable and a good cartridge with perfect alignment, azimuth, anti-skate, etc. are for analog. But getting the best of digital is still less complex than getting the best of analog. It may not be significantly cheaper, but if you shop judiciously, it sometimes can be. Sometime soon I'll start writing some notes on my adventures in digital. "The measurers" will profoundly hate it. But I'm flying by what I hear - not what the measurements say. Kind of like the Microrendu kerfuffle - measurements DON'T tell the whole story. I don't claim to have the inside story on good digital, but I have some friends who seem to - and I'll be writing mostly from their experiences (that I've benefitted from). Boomzilla |
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Post by brubacca on Feb 17, 2020 20:36:38 GMT -5
What microrendu kerfuffle?
I have one and love it. Sounds amazing to me its better than many other attempts at digital.
This wasn't actually the end of my journey just the end of giving VPI my money. Felt jerked around by them.
Running a Rega P2 with Hana EL cartridge now. Sometimes I prefer vinyl, sometimes digital. I don't think its an either or proposition.
Digital (with Roon) gets a lot of play. Sometimes its vinyl. Sometimes the network isn't working so Vinyl saves me from throwing stuff out the window.
I hate the arguments as to which is better. They both have their merits just like Tube vs Solid State!
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Post by novisnick on Feb 17, 2020 20:44:54 GMT -5
What microrendu kerfuffle? I have one and love it. Sounds amazing to me its better than many other attempts at digital. This wasn't actually the end of my journey just the end of giving VPI my money. Felt jerked around by them. Running a Rega P2 with Hana EL cartridge now. Sometimes I prefer vinyl, sometimes digital. I don't think its an either or proposition. Digital (with Roon) gets a lot of play. Sometimes its vinyl. Sometimes the network isn't working so Vinyl saves me from throwing stuff out the window. I hate the arguments as to which is better. They both have their merits just like Tube vs Solid State! Exactly! I’ve never been let down by my Rega or soTm. Whichever mood strikes me is good, SS or tubes, Most music I listen to I prefer tubes! Enjoy the music. |
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Post by klinemj on Feb 17, 2020 21:21:35 GMT -5
Yeah - what was the microrendu kerfuffle? I recall you tried it and liked it, then...in a later unrelated review and now...you seem to say different.
No skin off my nose, but...I don't recall any kerfuffle. Normally, if you try something and don't like it, you tend to raise holy heck about how awful it is. But, on this...crickets.
Mark (PS - I stand by all my prior comments and reviews on the topic)
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Post by Boomzilla on Feb 18, 2020 4:10:05 GMT -5
...I don't think its an either or proposition... Agreed. |
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Post by Boomzilla on Feb 18, 2020 4:17:13 GMT -5
Yeah - what was the microrendu kerfuffle? I recall you tried it and liked it, then...in a later unrelated review and now...you seem to say different. No skin off my nose, but...I don't recall any kerfuffle. Normally, if you try something and don't like it, you tend to raise holy heck about how awful it is. But, on this...crickets. Mark (PS - I stand by all my prior comments and reviews on the topic) I DID like my Microrendu. And I'm not saying any different now. The kerfuffle was about HOW the thing worked. The eventual conclusion (by all involved, if I remember right) was "darned if I know!" There was LOTS of speculation, but no actual proof. But the general consensus was that "bits is bits" is just NOT entirely so. I've been exploring that idea with a friend. A bit-perfect copy from EAC is sounding different from a bit-perfect copy from dB Poweramp, and the bit perfect copy from other software also sounds different. Boom |
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