Author Topic: thinking about selling my analog rig  (Read 11201 times)

Offline Nick B

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thinking about selling my analog rig
« on: February 15, 2018, 07:34:46 PM »
I never thought I’d say this, but I’m considering selling my analog gear. I’ve been giving it a lot of thought the last few days. I haven’t played an album in over 10 years. Have a brand new Don Sachs maxxed out phono stage that has never been hooked up. An 80 lb Basis table that would likely mess up my back if I tried to move it. Then there’s the issue of buying or building an ultrasonic cleaner for $600 or less. No way I’d pay 4k for  a machine.

Then to clean and catalog each album.....I may have 600 to 800..... and go through the whole ordeal of buying another table, arm, cart etc. To top it off, the beauty of CDs is I don’t have to listen to all  the tracks I don’t care for.

So I’m wondering if some of you have mothballed your analog setups or even sold it all off.

Was it a liberating experience or did you regret it?
Nick

Orchard Starkrimson Ultra amp
Supratek Chardonnay preamp
JMR Voce Grande speakers
Border Patrol SEi dac
Holo Red streamer
Hapa Aero digital coax
WyWires Silver cables
TWL Digital American II p cord
Audio Envy p cords
Roon, Tidal, Qobuz
PI Audio UberBUSS

Offline _Scotty_

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Re: thinking about selling my analog rig
« Reply #1 on: February 15, 2018, 09:57:16 PM »
My table only weighs 65lbs. and I get my wife to help me move it when necessary. I have music on vinyl that I cannot duplicate on CD or High Rez downloads. My equipment is essentially worthless in comparison to yours so liquidation wouldn't be worth the trouble it would entail. I would be paying someone to take it away.
Scotty

Offline tmazz

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Re: thinking about selling my analog rig
« Reply #2 on: February 15, 2018, 10:34:41 PM »
Get rid of my turntable???????  [-(

They will have to pry it from my cold dead hands.
Remember, it's all about the music........

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Offline rollo

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Re: thinking about selling my analog rig
« Reply #3 on: February 16, 2018, 08:55:13 AM »
  It depends on your music collection. If you own those memorable die for LPs which you do not have on CD keep it. If not sell off and better your DAC. It is so close now LPs and digital it comes to nostalgia or routine. Some LP sound sucks, some CD sound sucks. All about quality of recording.
I have two TT's one for stereo one for mono. Great music as well. However since the Formula DAC and La Diva transport less vinyl has hit the mat lately.
I now get emotional impact from CD that alluded that format for me until now. LPs had hit me in the heart all day long. I keep my TT because of the collected music I own. that simple. Not one is better than other. I have fooled many a quest with TT spinning, cart. down but DAC playing. They were shocked when I lifted cart and the music was still playing.
Anyway you do not need an ultrasonic cleaner to listen. You do not need a cart or arm. You need to make a decision.


charles
contact me  at rollo14@verizon.net or visit us on Facebook
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Offline Nick B

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Re: thinking about selling my analog rig
« Reply #4 on: February 16, 2018, 09:37:06 AM »
  It depends on your music collection. If you own those memorable die for LPs which you do not have on CD keep it. If not sell off and better your DAC. It is so close now LPs and digital it comes to nostalgia or routine. Some LP sound sucks, some CD sound sucks. All about quality of recording.
I have two TT's one for stereo one for mono. Great music as well. However since the Formula DAC and La Diva transport less vinyl has hit the mat lately.
I now get emotional impact from CD that alluded that format for me until now. LPs had hit me in the heart all day long. I keep my TT because of the collected music I own. that simple. Not one is better than other. I have fooled many a quest with TT spinning, cart. down but DAC playing. They were shocked when I lifted cart and the music was still playing.
Anyway you do not need an ultrasonic cleaner to listen. You do not need a cart or arm. You need to make a decision.


charles

There are definitely some special albums in the collection and I need to go through and find  them.
Of course, if I had the equipment, I’d do the a/d conversion and use software to remove the pops and clcks...which I hate. I don’t know anyone who has that equipment, otherwise that would be the solution. (please, no lectures on copywrite issues)
You mentioned the arm and cart. Of course, I could keep them. I simply assumed it might be easier
to sell the entire combination rather than a table without an arm. May start the process and go through some albums this weekend
Nick
Orchard Starkrimson Ultra amp
Supratek Chardonnay preamp
JMR Voce Grande speakers
Border Patrol SEi dac
Holo Red streamer
Hapa Aero digital coax
WyWires Silver cables
TWL Digital American II p cord
Audio Envy p cords
Roon, Tidal, Qobuz
PI Audio UberBUSS

Offline dBe

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Re: thinking about selling my analog rig
« Reply #5 on: February 18, 2018, 02:56:45 PM »
I sold my analog gear 20 years ago for what may seem to be stupid reasons.  The biggest one was due to my activity in the local studio and recording scene.  The majority of digital recording being done here at that time was not HDD based, but ADATs, DA-88s and other tape based systems.  Most of them sounded awful and when I was doing measurements and acoustic work I control rooms the most common question asked was "How does it sound?"  Having a Star Sapphire /SME5/Koetsu system as a basis of comparison made me one jaded puppy when it came to SQ comparisons.  Telling a proud Papa that his new baby is ugly is never a desireable thing to do.  I had to change my reference.

Sure there were and still are some great analog studios here, but the vast majority of what I was doing was at smaller rooms and comp prod studios that were all digital.

So, there you have it.  It is good that there have been tremendous improvements in the believeability aspect of digital. 

Great analog is still the high bar...

Offline rollo

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Re: thinking about selling my analog rig
« Reply #6 on: April 16, 2018, 07:21:57 AM »
   Hook it up yet ??? I'll bet when you do and play one LP your streaming days will be over for critical listening. Hook it up, hook it up.  :)


charles
contact me  at rollo14@verizon.net or visit us on Facebook
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Offline Nick B

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Re: thinking about selling my analog rig
« Reply #7 on: April 16, 2018, 08:42:40 AM »
   Hook it up yet ??? I'll bet when you do and play one LP your streaming days will be over for critical listening. Hook it up, hook it up.  :)

charles


Well, the new audio rack is in place, but the turntable isn’t on it. It’s still sitting in another room. I know there’s the lure of great analog sound, but I’m still a digital only guy.

Orchard Starkrimson Ultra amp
Supratek Chardonnay preamp
JMR Voce Grande speakers
Border Patrol SEi dac
Holo Red streamer
Hapa Aero digital coax
WyWires Silver cables
TWL Digital American II p cord
Audio Envy p cords
Roon, Tidal, Qobuz
PI Audio UberBUSS

Offline Nick B

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Re: thinking about selling my analog rig
« Reply #8 on: April 19, 2018, 12:28:18 AM »
   Hook it up yet ??? I'll bet when you do and play one LP your streaming days will be over for critical listening. Hook it up, hook it up.  :)

charles


...I know there’s the lure of great analog sound, but I’m still a digital only guy.
ya, you just got that turntable and phono stage cuz it looks nice...  ;)

doug s.

Well, it’s sitting there and I haven’t put it up for sale either. So maybe there’s a part of me that still wants to try analog. And, yes, you’re right. It sure looks purdy....love the black and gold look on the turntable and the phono stage.
Nick
Orchard Starkrimson Ultra amp
Supratek Chardonnay preamp
JMR Voce Grande speakers
Border Patrol SEi dac
Holo Red streamer
Hapa Aero digital coax
WyWires Silver cables
TWL Digital American II p cord
Audio Envy p cords
Roon, Tidal, Qobuz
PI Audio UberBUSS

Offline mdconnelly

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Re: thinking about selling my analog rig
« Reply #9 on: April 19, 2018, 05:39:32 AM »
Nick, I'm in the same boat.  I'll go you one better - not only is my treasured Kuzma Stabi S/Stogi S collecting dust, but I have a gorgeous Oracle CD transport that's also not getting any use.   Now, being an old fart means that my vinyl collection (~ 400 albums) has many wonderful memories and will be hard to part with.  And yet, if I spin more than a couple of albums every few months, it's a lot.    And while I still buy CDs when an album is not available as a lossless download, I almost always rip it first and then stick it on a shelf.

In truth, streaming with Roon has spoiled me and made me lazy.   Yet I probably listen to far more music now than I did with vinyl.  And there's no anxiety from pops & ticks or wondering if my cartridge needs to be realigned or replaced when things don't sound as good as they should. 

But no, I'm not ready to part with any of it just yet.   


Offline rollo

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Re: thinking about selling my analog rig
« Reply #10 on: April 19, 2018, 08:44:38 AM »
   Guys keep that TT. Please, try listening to a download then the same on LP. You will get the disease all over again. For me owning a state of the art digital front end LPs are less played due to mostly convenience. OK lazzyness. l believe that most of us having been listening to digital over analog so long ya just are conditioned to that sound.
   I am not debating which is better. I'm saying just listen to LPs again as a different experience.


charles
   
contact me  at rollo14@verizon.net or visit us on Facebook
Lamm Industries - Aqua Acoustic, Formula & La Scala DAC- INNUOS  - Rethm - Kuzma - QLN - Audio Hungary Qualiton - Fritz speakers -Gigawatt -Vinnie Rossi,TWL, Swiss Cables, Merason DAC.

Offline Nick B

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Re: thinking about selling my analog rig
« Reply #11 on: April 19, 2018, 09:04:17 AM »
Nick, I'm in the same boat.  I'll go you one better - not only is my treasured Kuzma Stabi S/Stogi S collecting dust, but I have a gorgeous Oracle CD transport that's also not getting any use.   Now, being an old fart means that my vinyl collection (~ 400 albums) has many wonderful memories and will be hard to part with.  And yet, if I spin more than a couple of albums every few months, it's a lot.    And while I still buy CDs when an album is not available as a lossless download, I almost always rip it first and then stick it on a shelf.

In truth, streaming with Roon has spoiled me and made me lazy.   Yet I probably listen to far more music now than I did with vinyl.  And there's no anxiety from pops & ticks or wondering if my cartridge needs to be realigned or replaced when things don't sound as good as they should. 

But no, I'm not ready to part with any of it just yet.   

That’s some very nice equipment, Mike. Streaming is so convenient. It’s tough to go back to the old ways. Last year, my sister in law knew I was considering resurrecting my analog setup and she parted with all her dads old records. Very tough for her to do. 
Orchard Starkrimson Ultra amp
Supratek Chardonnay preamp
JMR Voce Grande speakers
Border Patrol SEi dac
Holo Red streamer
Hapa Aero digital coax
WyWires Silver cables
TWL Digital American II p cord
Audio Envy p cords
Roon, Tidal, Qobuz
PI Audio UberBUSS

Offline rollo

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Re: thinking about selling my analog rig
« Reply #12 on: April 19, 2018, 11:34:13 AM »
Funny you should mention radio. With the server I can stream WBGO and many others. Lately that is most of my listening time for new music.

charles
contact me  at rollo14@verizon.net or visit us on Facebook
Lamm Industries - Aqua Acoustic, Formula & La Scala DAC- INNUOS  - Rethm - Kuzma - QLN - Audio Hungary Qualiton - Fritz speakers -Gigawatt -Vinnie Rossi,TWL, Swiss Cables, Merason DAC.

Offline Nick B

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Re: thinking about selling my analog rig
« Reply #13 on: April 19, 2018, 12:27:50 PM »
   Hook it up yet ??? I'll bet when you do and play one LP your streaming days will be over for critical listening. Hook it up, hook it up.  :)

charles


...I know there’s the lure of great analog sound, but I’m still a digital only guy.
ya, you just got that turntable and phono stage cuz it looks nice...  ;)

doug s.

Well, it’s sitting there and I haven’t put it up for sale either. So maybe there’s a part of me that still wants to try analog. And, yes, you’re right. It sure looks purdy....love the black and gold look on the turntable and the phono stage.
Nick
here's my take - if you still have winyl, then keep the rig and set it up and use it.  even if it doesn't get used often, you will enjoy it when you use it.  if you don't have any records, then get rid of it.  i couldn't imagine trying to start an new record collection now.

i was just gifted a wintage fairchild 411 turntable - this thing's a monster, and i bet albums played on it will rival or surpass my oracle.  it's got a 3-idler pulley system, and each idler can be rotated in; w/the pulley on top of the idler driving a belt that drives the (massive) platter.  it's way cool. i just need to get it sorted; it runs consistently ~4% slow.  it doesn't seem to be a problem w/the idlers, as it's slow on all speeds and the idlers look good, so i have to sort out the (also massive, and silent) motor.

regarding what's spoiled me and made me lazy is internet radio.  it used to be regular fm that made me lazy; this is even worse!  ;)

doug s.

Doug,
That Fairchild is old...just like me :) Good luck working on the speed issue. As to that pesky analog issue.... ??
Orchard Starkrimson Ultra amp
Supratek Chardonnay preamp
JMR Voce Grande speakers
Border Patrol SEi dac
Holo Red streamer
Hapa Aero digital coax
WyWires Silver cables
TWL Digital American II p cord
Audio Envy p cords
Roon, Tidal, Qobuz
PI Audio UberBUSS

Offline BobM

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Re: thinking about selling my analog rig
« Reply #14 on: April 19, 2018, 03:17:28 PM »
We are going to be moving in the next few months and I have packed up the stereo and records. Oodles of records. My wife actually said, "did you think about selling all this and starting new instead of packing and moving it all?"

MY BABIES!!!

Never crossed my mind. I'm anxiously looking forward to setting it all up in a new room and turning the locals onto what a good stereo can do vs earbuds.
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