Turntable Newbie

winty

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Feb 22, 2022
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I have been listening to Tidal Masters streaming ,mostly MQA for last 4 months. Used Tidal app on my phone connected to my onkyo amp via a IFI Zen V2 DAC. And very nice too.
But today , a new Audio Technica AT LPW 50 PB turntable arrived.
It sounded horrible and distorted , until I realised,in my stupidly, I had set the tracking weight miles too high.(had not touched a turntable for 30 years)
A call to Richer Sounds and watching a You Tube video helped me set it spot on, and it sounds fantastic.
It's a whole new world of having to get out of the chair every time one side of the record has played to change sides
But really nice to actually own music, rather than renting it.
Two questions ,
What's the best way to keep my records clean (all 3 of them at the moment!)
Can you tailor the sound to individual preference using a different stylus or cartridge stylus combo or is speaker selection likely to have more effect.
I have a small music room 3.5 m square and use Wharfedale Diamond 9.1 s on Mission stands.
 

Gray

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Welcome back to the future Winty (but good luck with present-day vinyl prices).

A carbon fibre brush would keep your records clean and storing them in antistatic sleeves would help.
Cartridge / stylus changes will certainly change your sound - speakers (most people would probably agree), more so.
You've got the same cartridge as I have, which I think is pretty good. People report a benefit by changing to the ML stylus - and I would hope so too, given its price.

I assume your Onkyo has a phono pre amp,?? but so does your turntable.
Just wonder if you've experimented and compared your two phono preamps - as they should have noticeable differences in sound.
 
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winty

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Feb 22, 2022
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Thanks for your thoughts .
I have used the turntable with its built in phono on and off, using phono and line in on my onkyo, and aux on my old Cambridge Audio Topaz.
Good sound all round ,with a little more buzz/hum detected using decks built in phono.,but not a big issue.
It's very early days , and after 4 months of listening mostly to MQA streaming and other high Res formats via Tidal , I need to get used to the different sound .
I make no judgement as to whether it is better or worse, just different.
Think I might wait a while before buying the ML stylus, at 1/3 the price of the deck it's not exactly a bargain !
 
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I would agree, cartridge is good so keep that otherwise when it comes to upgrading sell the deck. No point in paying for something with a built in phono stage if you don't need one or it is actually worse than the phono stage in your amp.
 

winty

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Feb 22, 2022
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All sorted and sounding great, I swapped the rubbish cables (RCA )supplied with the deck for some better quality I already had.
Using the decks built in phono to Line on my Onkyo.
Bought 23 mint condition LP's from a friend (has over 100, now no longer used) eclectic mix of artists from the 60s,70s and 80s.
The sound is amazing, they sound much,better through my system than my new(recent pressings) records. There sound is punchier and more dynamic.
After 1 week with my turntable, I am a convert.
Now If I sell my IFI Zen DAC V2 it will put money in the pot for a nice speaker upgrade !
 

winty

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Feb 22, 2022
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Don't want the expense of the two formats, Streaming and vinyl, Tidal masters is £240 per year. Worth every penny if that's what you want particularly if you are a fan of fully unfolded MQA.(made possible by the budget priced IFI Zen DAC V2.)
For me,purely subjective of course, it's going to be vinyl ,as a vinyl and turntable Newbie I just have a bit of a learning curve to overcome 🙂
 
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DCarmi

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After 1 week with my turntable, I am a convert.
A week is not a long time in hifi. With many hundreds of LPs and about the same in CDs, I still use a streaming service. Either for background listening or music discovery or simply when out and about. You might want to re-consider getting rid of the Ifi and switch to a cheaper streaming option.

Personally I have more than a few discs, I bought on impulse and have listened to once or twice only.
 

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