First question that springs to mind: is vinyl any good? Is it
really better than CD? Is it worth the effort?
The answer is -as always - it depends. The trouble to get the deck, a
good cartridge, a decent phonostage - it is a big effort. And the
effort is continous - it does not end the day we buy it - it STARTS. We
must worry about humming, about noise, about cartridge stylus
alignment, tracking, antiskipping, stylus wear, lp's being dirty, or
dusty, or stacically charged etc. I dont even mention that the proper
cartridge which is MC type has a non-changeable stylus. Unlike MM ones,
the MC works oonly untill it breaks and that's it. Unless you want to
ship it
to wherever (VanDenHul) for retipping.
Compared to all that - CD is a godsent miracle of ergonomy and
convenience !!!
OTOH the cellebration connected with putting an LP on the deck and
lowering the stylus into the groove is magical. Especially when it 's
sound amazes people to no end. So far the best LP playback I
heard was a tri-motor systemdeck with Audionote cartridge and all
Audionote Kondo setup.
Some people have big collections of vinyl. It is a strange thing to
start it from scratch but I did. But there are so many good albums out
there. And
so many people want to get rid of their entire collections for free. Or
not even their own, but after their deadd grandfather or something.
It is co
cool to play vinyl, so nostalgic, and the artwork is big and beautiful.
The down side is that there is no remote, the album must be flipped
mid-way, and the dust is so hard to remove.
Anyway, as a real audiophile I had no choice but to have it.
The sound quality in my case is better than any stock CD player, but
equal to CD players with the lampizator installed.
After Lampizator, there is no more need to have vinyl.
But also there is a possibility to record the LP's on CD with any cheap
CD recorder - the quality is really amazingly good.
LP transferred to CD sounds always better than it's CD equivalent from
the shop. Especially true with Zappa !
My first high-end table had to be Pro-Ject 9 because it is too cool to
miss.
I believe it is made in Czech Republic (they are master craftsman in
mechanics, the Chechs I mean) and there is an Austrian partner involved
somehow as well. link to my first vinyl setup with KENWOOD
deck.
First, we start with a good stable surface, in addition levelled and
secured. Granite is a nice platform as below:
And that is what I have playing right now:
Audio-Technica MC head, special anniversary edition of their top OC9 -
called OC10. I like it very much.
The pre pre phono is Polish made Linnart and I must say it beat many
foreign contenders to the position in my system.
It is very dynamic and
transparent. I paid 800 Euro for a new one.
This is a granite plinth which I got with the deck as a bonus ...
Very high quality arm - carbon !!!
How else - the proper turntable runs on belt and remote motor. (AC)
The plexiglass cage is kinda extra, not included with the deck.
CARTRIDGE DATA:
Manufacturer Audio Technica
Model AT-OC10
Cartridge Type Moving Coil
Output Voltage 0.4 mv
Freq Response 10Hz - 50kHz
Output Impedance/Coil Resistance 12 ohms
Recommended Load Impedance > 20 ohms
L/R Separation > 29db db
L/R Balance < 1db db
Stylus Micro Linear
Cantilever Tapered Gold Plated Beryllium
Lateral Dynamic Compliance 9 x 10-6 cm/Dyne*
Static Compliance 35 x 10-6 cm/Dyne
Cartridge Mass 8gm
Price $300 (?)
Notes Suggested VTF 1.5gm.
Recommended load into MC Head amp > 100 ohms.
PCOCC6N (99.99996% pure copper) Coils and neodymium magnet.
*AT publishes their dynamic compliance specifications relative to 100Hz
. The actual compliance at 10Hz will be higher.
http://www.soundstage.com/vinyl/vinyl200711.htm - review of
the AT cartridge (oc9/II which is almost identical).
