to the OP:
i would work on setup. the components of the system sound like they should go well, and make sweet music.
if you dont have one borrow (or buy) a nice protractor for your arm, and a GOOD scale. if the system is not lined up properly, any further effort is hopeless.
if you want to hear how BAD an expensive TT system can sound i invite you to step back to while i was learning how to set up my TT. it was BAD. as i got better at the setup i acknowledged the fact that if it took an hour to mount and align the cartridge thats what it took. if i need to recheck the azimuth after adjusting tracking force, so be it... the last time i reset everything it took about an hour from taking the new cart out of the box to spinning a record. its been dialed in for a couple weeks now on this iteration with no troubles.
i have found that each time i realign my TT from scratch again it sounds better. i think its jsut getting used to stuff. when i was changing between a couple carts frequently the difference from one assembly to the next was not subtle.
you can make a turntable/arm/cart in ANY price bracket sound like a $45 bestbuy special if its not set up well. its sad to see so much money wasted for want of some time to set it up properly.
as far as skipping on a record, that just sucks. see below for how i deal with skipping CD's.
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Originally Posted by Sovkiller /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I'm with you guys, simply I can't stand the noise and all LPs (even just open new) will deliver it...I grew up listening and selling LPs, and trust me that there is no such a silent LP, none, cero, nada, all LPs have surface noise at least which inherent ot hte media, and all of them a pop and scratch once in a while, even while new...
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aah, yes, the occasional pop and tick VS the repetitive machine-gun a scratched CD sets off in your ear. while i do have quite a collection of records with a pop/tick. my collection of CD's that started to repeat 1second sections has been sent to a landfill on a garbage truck.
the odd pop and click on a record is not pleasant, but not unlistenable. a damaged CD is toast. while it takes more effort to make a CD scratch to unplayability it is totally hopeless when it goes.
curiously, my Beatles white album has a LARGE visible scratch on one of the sides, and plays very quietly. some of my other records have barely visible scratches that pop and click all over the place.
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| There is no $2.00 decent LP, that is IMO a plain lie, unless a junk LP from a Salvation Army, a very good condition LP will sell for almost as a good used CD, you can find nowdays cheaper CDs than LPs due to availabllity... |
if you are buying 1 at a time, or picking and choosing yes it can get expensive.
its a good thing in a sad way that old audiophiles pass on and their heirs dont care for the 1200 records they have on the shelf... buy a collection on craigslist @ $0.10-0.20 each. its disturbing how nice some of my $0.10 records are.
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| Music on LP that is not relesed in CD exist (and the other way around as well) of course, but is the less, and trust me that to find one of those LPs in good condition is not easy neither. |
i do agree. it is rough search if your searching for a specific album pressed on a specific day by a specific press operator when an angel was present in the factory after lunch but before the press operator had his third shot of whiskey... things can get tough.
of course, the same is true in the opposite way for CD's. if the one version that they mixed down is no good, it will never be good. the examples most often used for the "anti-loudness wars" are solid. even if you dont care for the music, it is easy to agree that they would improve GREATLY if they were remastered. 5 and 10 years later they are still pumping out the same crap as on that first disc. if they are still selling those albums 10 years from now, it could easily be the same CD.
eventually because the pressing dies wear the record must be remastered. bummer for the record MFR, but bonus to the consumer if they do a better job of it the second time around. a different version of the same thing. we have all gone to multiple performances of our favorite music to hear them different ways...
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| Of all the analog media existent, IMO, people had chosen one of the less apropriate to stick to the analog world...I ahve a firend that still has a lot of reel to reel tapes, oh man that sounds so sweet...!!! |
i wish i had room for a R2R player. R2R tapes are ABSURDLY expensive though. even blanks to make copies on are mildly absurd.
in defense of vinyl, it is more tolerant of poor storage conditions. going back to my craigslist records, a few crates were obviously stored in a garage for a few years, and the majority of the records play quite well after a quick washing. tape would never withstand the garage/basement/attic abuse. i am afraid of what i would have to pay for some of those records if i were to go and buy them one at a time
