I was a beta tester for the PH9.0 with balanced outs, wonderful sounding pre the PH9.0X is another level up in transparency and detail. Also Mr Daniel Wright is a fantastic person on and off the clock...Highly Recommend
Absolutely 2nd that. Just got the upgrade... OMG!! Can not believe what a step up it is. It is end game all day long. I just don't see how it gets much better for the money. AND.. Dan is an awesome guy. I had an issue with what turned about to a twist lock RCA of mine and he was a class act the whole through. Great guy and would easily recommend his equipment over any other out there. It just has a sound that is so much more higher end for the money.
My LP collection is still here, but since my Bluesound Vault2 and Node2i arrived I've ripped over 12000 CD tracks.BUT I've spent most of my listening time discovering NEW MUSIC 🎵 Not really into wringing the last 1% of quality out of my old vinyl and repeated auditions of "In Rainbows" (Sean) ad nauseum. I believe that part of my audio journey is over. Moving forward now 😁
Same here. I loved my Akai GX270D tape deck and tape collection because it could play just the tracks I like most, for hours on end. On many albums only 2 or 3 tracks are really good. Only a small percentage of albums have all good tracks. So now my music collection is condensed into the "top 10,000 tracks" in flac files on a computer. Not having to change media every few tracks, gets me into the music. And the LPs and CDs can be sold, freeing up space 😊
@@homerwinslow9047 Thanks for the advice. No problem, I actually have two computers linked to two systems (a new HiFi system and an old system kept as secondary system). Both computers have the music collection and a portable music player installed. When changes to music or player are made on one computer, it's synchronized to the other and to a backup harddrive as well.
@@carlitomelon4610 Taking it a step further still, when conversion to digital is complete I'll sell turntable and CD transport too. To family and friends, not on eBay ;) A simplified HiFi system remains and it's going to be upgraded. Less components, more budget per component :)
Like you said before ...nobody ever says jeez’ that analog front end sounds so digital 🤣 Everything has its own signature due to its format. Reel to reel , 💿, vinyl, streaming......
@@jerrysnead2842 Thanks for the reply - I'm actually looking for a MC to go with my new Pearl 2 phono preamp DIY project - Looking at the Shelter 501 mk2 as a contender though I'm out of my depth and don't have first hand resources to bounce ideas off with.
Non ees - so much surface noise on vinyl EVEN when pristine ! Medieval - Steve has so much sunk costs in hsi vinyl he cant possibly migrate to digital -engaged by all that hissing and scratching surface noise LOL
@@keplermission4947 When that day comes you can let me know. You enjoy what you like and I will enjoy what I like. Isn’t that what Steve wants on his network? Suggest you point your comments directly to Steve.
Man I love how knowledable you are and how you aren’t snopbby about how much you know. It would be so enjoying to meet you one day and just pick your brain! Thank you for sharing all this and being so transparent, as a noob itr’s super appreciated
I do still play my records & I did have my 1987 phono refurbished & fitted with a Moonstone cartridge (not to be confused with the Moon Rock needle in Steve Martin's old comedy monologue). So often, when I purchase a CD or a download (remember those?) I hope for some magic. Sometimes it happens-- an old recording I listened to as a kid suddenly bursts to life with that pure, smooth off-the-tape sound that I rarely get from LPs or 45s no matter how carefully I clean them.
I will like to quote Steve Best buddy I advise all audiophiles just starting out to avoid listening for audiophile checklist things like detail, high-frequency air, imaging, soundstage depth, etc. Instead, try to feel and observe the sound energy in the room. Does the energy coming from the speakers seem to convey the shape and spirit of the original performance? This is important because, in the attempt to achieve all that checklist stuff, density and life force are usually the first things sacrificed. What made the Sunvalley preamp so unusually exciting was how it excelled at all the normal checklist stuff and juiced up and amped up the sound of my records Herb R.
I was becoming an audiophile when I started listening to classical music and in that time you couldn’t find Lp’s so I bought cds, now I have about 300 classical cds and the logical step was replacing my Lp’s that I loved and were turned grey and sounded badly and I had not the place to install a turntable and at that time turntables were rather expensive. I’m not questioning Analog sound but you have to make a choice. Greetings Ludo Belgium
I just received my copy of Yellow Dog Blues from Acoustic Productions and on the first cut when I heard the trumpet blare it knocked me back in my seat. Yes Steve, analog rules and I have been around the horn with my history of going from only analog (1958) to digital (1998) begrudgingly and now a combination of both. Analog is certainly the most musical and has a vsceral energy that digital does not at least to my ears.
@@keplermission4947 I was actually just trying to understand what you were saying as it was kinda interesting, but I'm struggling to understand if this solder issue you speak of is related to new or old equipment!
@@keplermission4947 no I'm not accusing you of anything, I'm literally just curious to learn about things like this. I guess I'm pretty fucked then. As I'm fully digital and tend to keep equipment that I enjoy for longer periods of time.
@@keplermission4947 well I keep all my music stored on SSD and use a separate DAC and headamp (I'm a headphone guy) I know CDs don't last forever but I simply don't have the money to have all those albums on CD. Especially when I can just re-download my collection from the various lossless stores I buy from when I need a new SSD or I'm rebuilding my dumbass PC. I have a vague understanding of how unserviceable modern PCBs are so I understand that bit but I wonder how much of this degradation I can actually detect. I have a ten year old DAC/amp that saw a lot of hours use in it's day, but despite knowing it's sound very well I'm not sure if I could remember if it sounds any different now than when it was new.
@@keplermission4947 Thanks for the reply. Well, all I know or even really care about is that when you find the right equipment, I deeply enjoy listening to music through that system. As long as my ears cannot detect the degradation I'll happily go with "ignorance is bliss" I'm pretty near that goal now so it's all new equipment, I guess I'll either see how it sounds in a couple hundred hours, or forget about this whole conversation and not care.
Installing a vinyl setup is expensive these days. This is why I held on to my mid 80’s Turntable. I don’t trust the mid price analog stuff today (which would be all I could afford anyways)
Wait… did I miss the review? What was that? You closed with “and this was a review of the Modwright 9.0x”. I learned what albums are good and not so good. I learned that the Grail is $9k and sounds great. But you kind of just mostly glossed over the 9.0x with a few fleeting observations.
Yesterday was an album of Weber's opera "Free Shooter" and side five contained some of the most beautiful female operatic voice I've ever heard. Hildegard Behrens is a gem. The day before it was Pink Floyd "The Wall". Naturally the solo on "comfortably numb" is legend. Today it's The Firm "Mean Business" and the masterful "Live In Peace" will highlight the rest of my day. Played through a modest Fluance RT85 turntable in bamboo with an acrylic platter, Schiit Mani phono preamp, an old Sony STR DG510 receiver into a pristine pair of Boston CR9 loudspeakers found at goodwill for $10 five years ago and a Polk Audio PSW350 powered subwoofer. I sent a photo of it in but let's face it, it's just not worthy and the photo was mediocre at best. Long live vinyl! -✌🏼
Ive rediscovered my vinyl collection when I retipped my Dynavector with Andy Kim from the Needle Clinic. Now enjoying a basic Allnic phono stage. Yes, an amazing phono stage will enhance your experiences. Thanks Steve!
I'm a total digital guy and the vinyl hasn't never been my thing for the following reasons. 1. Clicks and pop kill my listening enjoyment. 2 More components in the system with the added cost. 3 Larger footprint with some large shelves to accommodate it. Need a lot of care and cleaning in the process .More components in the system more is the likelihood of one of them breaks. A complicated setup. Don't like tweaking . Therefore quite readily to give up some of the organics for simplicity and convenience. Vinyl has his hardcore following but is a minority and with each passing day dwindles even more.
With each passing day, it dwindles even more. So sad. Boo-hoo. 🎻 I suppose that has nothing to do with Steve saying he has heard "vinyl is back" for the last thirty years, or the fact that there are plenty of places to buy vinyl, and the equipment to play it, online, or the fact that there are still brick and mortar stores that specialize in selling vinyl records. Yep, it's just dwindling away... 🎻 😂
@@keplermission4947 Ok... I only saluted the Beatles reference, so please roll down your sleeves and put your glasses back on . Btw, how did you know I have Cornwalls and a Shelby GT Mustang..? Are you from the government?
Having been a recording engineer and cut many times at Abbey Road,it should be noted ALL records are cut through a DIGITAL DELAY Line-pre delay(think about that) .There is No Bass on a record its all filtered off and replaced with RIAA equalization .they mono vertical compress whats left of the bass so the needle dosent merge into the surrounding grooves...and lets not start with centre groove distortion...By the way i used to be a big time vinyl Head until i heard NOS Digital with proper linear PSUs this is much closer to Studio masters then Record,Yes record has more musicality then 'standard' Digital but Defiantly not NOS Digital-go compare Steve x.
I love digital and analog. It’s interesting to AP recordings on my system streaming, file-based vs vinyl. Sometimes vinyl sounds better, sometimes digital. I did like upsampling my digital to DSD.
I have some original pressings that are remarkably better sounding on vinyl than Tidal (through a high end digital stage). I also have repressings of the same record that sound terrible. But when you hit on a really good pressing, in my experience, nothing is better.
I am so over vinyl! I went down that rabbit hole from the 70’s through the 90’s I think. And, I loved every minute of it until I didn’t. Bought high end cartridges, to install in a Formula IV tone arm on a Rega TT. I spent countless hours meticulously adjusting and tweaking the tone arm/cartridge, isolating the turntable on a decoupled cement base, using anti-static platter mats and spindle clamp weights, only to be often disappointed by the vinyl quality. We all complained about surface issues and lusted after a click and popless aural background. It helps to be a little OCD to be into vinyl and to be rich. Today’s review of a phono stage product is evidence of how much more involved it has become. It’s not that I didn’t like the sound. It just wasn’t worth all the technical investment to sustain it. I just wanted to listen to music more than I wanted to screw around with equipment. Happy to be done with it.
There are tinkerers. and there are those that are not. There is a lot of gear out there, where its set up and you're done. Any of the Rega TT's and a Pro Ject Tube DS2, or a BAT VK-P6. I love the ease of digital. I love the sound of vinyl. I really am into both.
In the '60s and 70s, I was just like you. I worked at a high-end audio store in Milwaukee after I got out of the Army. I remember Dr Bose sending me a pr of 901's I think to try with a wood front - When you think about great speakers I have had more than half of them and that Rega TT with the great arm I threw in the dumpster when the platter broke while I was looking for my records to sell in the '90s. My son has my Marantz 8b and I remember Neil Sinclair hooking me up with a Paragon pre-amp. So just like you, I was done with it. I still had a Big Yamaha for the TV and a small or of Klipsch speakers. Then last year I saw this or of Klipsch speakers at best buy for 200.00 and thought "let's try them" - that lead to another small Marantz amp and then a Rega P1 =- then Rega P3 and then B&W 607-2 (Thanks Steve-I bought on your review and they are wonderful) This system is in my bedroom and the used record guy did not want my audio vinyl which I still have. But I have added a lot of vinyl-only to realize that at 80 I can't get up and down to turn the record, so now I listen to my CD's through an older Denon. It never stops. But Steve helps.
Hi Steve in search for getting closer to the music as we do I was impressed by the Modwright PH 9.0X but then as a solid state guy I read about the Soulnote E2 which peaked my curiosity even more. Is there any possibility that you could do a review of the soulnote E2 and who knows surpasses it the VdH Grail
Yes Steve...I watched that whole video. No...I do not own any vinyl...I lost my entire record collection years ago in a business deal gone bad 😟...I know that they are "better"..still..Waveform is better than plots of waveform..(I do have the Marantz SACD 30n coming 2moro...so I am getting closer! LOL!)...but...even if I did go vinyl...I would not be spending 4K on a turntable and MC cartridge...let alone a phono preamp. Steve...please come back to earth! 😂 I am truly happy for your lush experience!!!👻 Thanks for the music, as always!
I used to have a Nikko preamp with both adjustable capacatance and impedance. Adding a little more capacatance and reducing the impedance would give a bass boost without much impact on the highs. It really did something different from the tone controls.
I understand the allure of a quality vinyl playback chain playing an LP that is 100% analog, ie recorded, mixed and mastered analog. I laugh at vinylphiles extolling the latest vinyl release that was remixed/remastered in the digital domain Why not have the digital files the vinyl was made from? Why shouldn’t audiophile dacs have all the same analog components after the dac chip that phono preamps like this have, ie caps, transformers, power supply etc? That said, an argument might be made that quality vinyl media may essentially capture more than 16/44.1 resolution, but I leave that debate for another day
Another argument for vinyl is that the vinyl mix has less compression than the mix intended for CD and streaming. Vinyl is targeted toward a more critical listener.
@@gurdyman1 Good point, but I mentioned having the actual file used to master a vinyl pressing if mastered digitally, without the Riaa eq or other filtering done to compensate for vinyl physics, so assume dynamic range should be no worse than the vinyl mastered from it
For the 50+ guys, nostalgia is a big part of vinyl. For younger groups, novelty, retro cool, or techie geek factors From a practical real world perspective, 100% of all tv shows and movies and music you hear are digital, even most fm radio music, played from digital satellite or local hard drive sources, other than low power college stations that might play an all analog vinyl lp live So for basically all but live acoustic performances, everything broadcast or screened is digital audio, making the digital vs analog issue moot. Unless you plan to record your all analog vinyl to cassette tapes on a restored calibrated deck for use with a Walkman tape player while you work, exercise or drive, which are the music listening use cases accounting for most of the time people use to listen
Hear the ModWright here! Tons of vinyl on it, absolutely LOVE this phono stage! czcams.com/video/Hoj_RkPVMQQ/video.html czcams.com/video/GJU-mebirac/video.html
A high res, high qualitydigital recording is closer to reality. The limited dynamic range of vinyl is more limited, and so is the resolution. Nothing wrong in preferring the music stripped for a bit of information obviously. It’s a matter of preference. Today’s modern vinyl record is recorded in high res digital and then converted to analog for the vinyl pressings. So any argument that vinyl is better must at least be on very old records.
I heard vinyl is out now, and people are going back to eight track tapes. You get so much more warmth from wow and flutter than you do from pops and clicks.
I grew up with vinyl , 4 track and 8 track and the holy grail was always reel to reel . I don't get the fuss of vinyl regarding sound . I always found it a pain . Reel to reel is another story and can be very enjoyable no pops or skips however very expensive hobby and hard to get tapes . I was ready to take out my turntable after listening to Sara Vaughns Images on Qobuz because I can't possible imagine vinyl sounding better but I was willing to go back . I looked for the vinyl version and found it . Over 200 dollars for the Sara Vaughn album ! What are you nuts ? So for that reason my turntable is going back in storage . I might look into reel to reel if I ever want to go back to digital remastered analog . LOL
As someone who owns a Modright KWH225i Integrated Hybrid Amp ….0 feedback .. 400 watts in 4 Ohm’s .. 25 watts pure class A then A/B Dan Wright makes beautiful Beautiful sounding equipment
Interesting review Steve. I don't recall you reviewing a digital source at the same price as your SME/MW combo? If you are comparing with a BlueSound node 2i... Would be interested in a comparison with a 20k+ digital source. How about ExaSound into dCS for example? Or my Auralic (Aries G2.1) into Chord Mscaler/HugoTT2 - which is also in the same price range as the reviewed system. Love my system. Greetings to you and yours.
Outstanding review whereas you dotted the issue and crossed the task. I have that Neilson pressing which I use as a reference recording that I share with family and friends. This album takes my Magnepan 3.7i's to the limit. What a phenomenal over the top demonstration by the musicians and production team.
A very good review. I am about a 95% vinyl guy. I only stream to check out stuff that I might be interested in buying on vinyl. My #1 complaint about vinyl is the expense (because vinyl has gotten incredibly trendy). A new record is crazy expensive. I've done a lot of buying off from Discogs and I'm fortunate enough that my modest-sized town has two used record stores. The problem with a lot of the used vinyl I've gotten off Discogs though is that too many vendors rate the quality of their used vinyl much higher than it actually is. At least my local stores have turntables set up so I can check out what I am thinking of buying. I 100% related to your friend who had two 'tables: one for his new/pristine vinyl, and another for the more compromised records in his collection.
Agree there seems to be awful grading these days. Good is trash. But what used to be graded VG or VG+ is now graded NM. I've noticed a bunch of sellers state on forums as far as they are concerned if the record plays through it is NM. lol. And what used to be dollar bin quality now routinely sells for between 10 and 25$.
Unfortunately no matter how good vinyl is you cannot escape the legacy of poor pressings. I have a we’t cleaning machine and even with that the background noise is too distracting. I have a good tSME turntable and arm with a KOETSU cartridge. Yes it does sound good with a good pressing but these are few and far between.
Lets get real here. Factoring in the streaming and downloads of music only 3.6% is vinyl album music consumption. That's not likely to increase very much in the coming years.
Hey Steve, have you ever heard or reviewed a tube amp or pre amp from Atma-Sphere? I just ordered their MP-3 Pre-amp based on the recommendation of Clayton Shaw of Spatial Audio. But I have never heard it nor have I seen any reviews on youtube for it yet.
I've been hearing this most of my life. I grew up with vinyl. And let me tell you, unless you were lucky enough to have money falling out of your pocket. Most people were running stock gear. Lower end Pioneers, Technics, Dual, Garrard, BSR turntables-with Shure, AT, Pickering, carts, etc. They DID NOT have state of the art CLEANING machines and their, our, records had a Himalayan landscape of snaps, crackles and pops that the stylus made its way through, you know. When the early CDs came to be we used to sit there and MARVEL at the LOW NOISE floor. Nothing, except tape hiss on Analog to Digital transfers, lol. Objectivity? Subjectivity? Unforutnately we have both. Torn forever between the two what can a MERE HUMAN DO? The CIRCLES we move in also often DETERMINE what we think and how we act. Vinyl is a social phenomenon. Don't think for one moment it is NOT. An entire culture with its own language, expectations, values, behaviors, and myths. You have to enter it to understand it. You must be a part of it. And once you are, there is nothing to doubt or question, you can NOW hear it after all. Consideing the fact that Steve has been a member of this culture for most of his lifetime. How could he possibly escape it? It's as natural as drawing breath and exhaling. As a well-known anthropologist once said, "the most natural thing is the most cultural thing". Hey, in the end we're all deluded, intoxicated by what we've learned, been taught, been socialized into. And then? We're gone!
So you are playing a record on a nearly $25,000 dollar turntable and phono preamp and it sounds to you better than digital playback (CD or Streaming). I would hope so. I probably average at least one LP listen a day on my systems. I also stream, listen to CDs and SACDs, and throw an occasional cassette in my deck. With the exception of the cassettes, to my ears often the digital source sounds better. That said, my favorite format for Deep Purple Machine Head is my nearly mint original UK pressing (I also own this in CD, SACD, 25 Anniversary CD, and an audiophile 180-gram pressing). I get tired of people suggesting vinyl is better when it is just better to their ears. What is even more true is that every different component in my listening chains color the music slightly differently. This includes five phono preamps, two turntables, seven different CD players, two streamers, two AVR's, one receiver, one integrated amp, and three sets of speakers across my three main systems. I am grateful for the vinyl resurgence and love listening to and buying LPs but I also know vinyl has many shortcomings that CDs and streaming do not. So, let's just enjoy all the great ways we now have to listen to music. Do I have too many CD players?
Although I see the price in the comments it was never mentioned in the review. Going down the vinyl rabbit hole would be $$$ and honestly I wouldn't know where to begin. Which turntable, which arm, which cartridge, mm, mc, separate phono preamps with outboard power supplies, direct drive, belt driven, 33, 78, 45, etc...so much to take in. Not to mention all the proper setup and routine maintenance of the player and records themselves. And than the hunt for all the different pressings of your favorite music 😀 a long journey!
You can make it easy, or you can make it hard. The Fluance RT84 turntable with Ortofon cartridge is $500, Schiit or iFi phono pre around $150, very decent sound for a decent price. LPs from friends, relatives, coworkers, found on the street, thrift stores, you can find plenty of decent vinyl with some hunting. But then again, if you’re not interested that’s OK too
1:01 Would you say that vinyl communicates something different or maybe even better than digital even if you weren't allowed to know if it was vinyl or digital, as in a blind test or A/B/X test? Or does that feeling you talk about perhaps come from the ceremony of putting a vinyl record on? Both are valid, I'm just curious. :)
Great teaser Steve, thanks for this review. More and more intrigued by Modwright gears (still pretty rare in Europe, or at least in France where I'm based). Regarding turntables, I'm so close to jumping in... But some barriers remain: looks like a risky move for those inclined to spend more as upgrade paths look expensive. Also, proper set-up does not look particularly friendly when I watch turntable setup videos. All this without being sure I'd fall in love with it... Tough call!
I'd say it's worth it if you have an existing LP collection and the associated nostalgia. I do, but all my new music is HR streaming and CDs. Vinyl is a hassle. Nice sounding, but noisy, bulky and fragile. Besides, modern vinyl has been through all the "evil" digital processing before it's cut to LP, so don't kid yourself;-)
I’m the opposite of Carlito and have switched from digital to vinyl about 2 years ago , extremely fun and sounds so much better in my opinion , I enjoy the whole process of playing vinyl records but it can be very overwhelming if your starting from scratch , if your looking to jump in I’d say look on eBay for used or vintage gear, for me it was well worth the hassle !
@@carlitomelon4610 Good points. I would also add that every time we play an LP there is a certain amount of wear and tear done to the grooves.. This equates to degradation of the recording over time. Higher quality turn tables, arms, and cartridges (moving coil vs. moving magnets) helps, but there's still friction and wear involved. Not sure if one can still acquire laser type vinyl players. I recall them being the big thing back in the day. I'm not seeing that type of player in the modern turn table reviews.
@@fredflintstone8048 Some of the better moving magnet/moving iron carts with a high compliance stylus can, in a light arm, track at very low tracing force and do better at not wearing a record than moving coil carts can.
@@gurdyman1 Ok, but I think of the arm as being one source or tracking force, and the cart as being another. The MM style tends to have more mass (the magnets) connected to they stylus so the side to side motion tends to be greater than the MC simply because the coils have less mass than the MM. It's a fine point of concern, but in general is still a factor for groove wear and that's why I mentioned that the MC carts in general will provide less wear than the MM. I'm using a MM cart myself, and don't worry about the wear. I have some old records that I play that are so well worn it doesn't matter to me.
What bullshit. The bass response, and overall frequency response and dynamic range is much better with CDs than vinyl. Especially when playing dynamic Classical music. An album is literally technically not capable of reproducing bass with the same impact as digital. Now, I’m not saying analog can’t or doesn’t sound great. It’s just not as great as digital for “some” types of music.
Music reviews are great. Loved your enthusiasm. You kind of strayed from reviewing the phono pre. You didn't really summarize your feelings about the phono pre at the end, but I take it you liked it a lot. I'd like to know how this compares to comparably priced products such as the Sutherland current mode phono pre and the PS audio phono pre. 4k seems to be the sweet spot all the companies are targeting.
Thanks for mentioning the Pixies, Steve. I actually got to see Frank Black (aka Black Francis, aka Charles) in concert once at a little hole-in-the-wall place in my town. It was quite a show. He did all original material that I'd never heard, but the venue acoustics were pretty bad. When someone requested a Pixies song, he said (paraphrasing) "Come on, nobody wants to hear that crap!" However, he did do one Pixies song near the end of the show. I was standing about ten feet away from him. Good times.
@@mikrophonie5633 Oh, he knows exactly what people want to hear. However, he resents being pidgeonholed as an artist. Similar to being typecast as an actor. He once said that he regrets that anything he does for the rest of his life is going to be overshadowed by a little band called The Pixies. Edit: You have to remember that The Pixies was Charles's band. He wrote all the material and directed the other band members to play the way he wanted to hear it (one of the reasons they didn't get along, and broke up after the third album). For those first two albums, the Muse was with him. Then, for whatever mysterious reason, it left. A tragic fate for a composer.
Sure, a $15K TT, a $5K arm and a $2K cartridge will make most LPs sound great! But not many music enthusiasts can afford this! A Pioneer PLX1000 TT and a Denon 103R mc cartridge is a great budget setup - and doesn't give up much to the $22K system! I added the PLX1000/103R to my collection of over a dozen vintage TTs to try out something newly manufactured! Thumbs up to the Pioneer/Denon mc combination!
Among my vintage TTs I have four Empires, a Rek-O-Kut, two Thorens (125 and 160), a Garrard Lab 80, a VPI HW19, a Technics 1200, a Kenwood KD600, a Mitsubishi Linear Track, a Revox 790 linear track, a B&O 8003 linear track, two Ariston RD11s, a Linn Sondek with Grace 707 arm ... Not to mention three RTRs plus tapes! Yet I feel Analog is Model T technology! So I have a large - and growing CD collection! Plus six CD players and a newly acquired DAC - Khadas Tech Board in a custom case. Along with three DVD players (Toshiba TOTL, JVC and Sony 7000ES) for use as transports.
@@robertjermantowicz8619 as for CD players, I have a Rega Planet 2000 that is quite "analog" relatively. I do have to use the Bryston BDA-1 for a DAC as it does surpass the Rega DAC. Interesting you mention the Pioneer with the Denon 103 I was looking at that but may just stick with the Rega P3 and Elys 2 along with a new Bryston BP 2 MM I am getting in soon to be tied to my MPS-2 power supply should be a big improve.
Shit yeah! Sly and Nilsson! Just thinking about the intro to Luv n’ Haight gives me chills. I’m going to have to go throw that album on right now! Great choice with the Pixies record too.
@@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac I've seen John Darko say something about Pixies in a recent video, and now you, and for me it's a litmus test for the quality of the reviewer; you passed! ;-) Wel put into words, thanks
Steve so far best streamer on your channel was bluesound node 2i as far as I know so yes if that is your best vinyl is probably better. Like your videos 👍
Steve reviewed the Mola Mola Tambaqui. It has a built in streaming endpoint. Additionally, he uses a Jay’s Audio transport into a Denafrips Terminator as a reference.
I think the key phrase Steve uses is that it's subjective. Analog can sound better than digital but it requires the ideal circumstances such as how Steve listens with his setup. It's like owning an expensive foreign car that needs constant maintenance. Some people enjoy giving a car a lot of attention but most do not. Generally analog is for you if you enjoy the ritualistic aspects of setting up and maintaining delicate equipment and then treating the listening experience with reverence. This is being a true music lover but isn't the right fit for most people.
I was a beta tester for the PH9.0 with balanced outs, wonderful sounding pre the PH9.0X is another level up in transparency and detail. Also Mr Daniel Wright is a fantastic person on and off the clock...Highly Recommend
Absolutely 2nd that. Just got the upgrade... OMG!! Can not believe what a step up it is. It is end game all day long. I just don't see how it gets much better for the money. AND.. Dan is an awesome guy. I had an issue with what turned about to a twist lock RCA of mine and he was a class act the whole through. Great guy and would easily recommend his equipment over any other out there. It just has a sound that is so much more higher end for the money.
Another great review Steve. You’re like a fine wine… Your reviews are really reaching out to your viewers and they feel what you’re saying IMHO
Nothing like a good turntable with cartridge and amp The best lifelike music ive heard and i have many CDs
don't know why all the comments about the upkeep and maintenance of a TT, much less records. this is not a saltwater aquarium
I think both cd and vinyl are great. With me they each have their place and time and I love that option.
I still buy and listen to CD, but for me vinyl is still king
Same here 💿🎧🥃👍
👍👍👍 Steve, use the tube Splitt RIIA and go in Heaven
@@robertogarlaschi7826 thanks for the recommendation 👍👍👍
Same here.
Vinyl is great because you get the added bonus of pops and clicks with the music.
😂
So great to watch a vinyl video from you. Refreshing!!!
My LP collection is still here, but since my Bluesound Vault2 and Node2i arrived I've ripped over 12000 CD tracks.BUT I've spent most of my listening time discovering NEW MUSIC 🎵
Not really into wringing the last 1% of quality out of my old vinyl and repeated auditions of "In Rainbows" (Sean) ad nauseum. I believe that part of my audio journey is over.
Moving forward now 😁
Same here. I loved my Akai GX270D tape deck and tape collection because it could play just the tracks I like most, for hours on end. On many albums only 2 or 3 tracks are really good. Only a small percentage of albums have all good tracks. So now my music collection is condensed into the "top 10,000 tracks" in flac files on a computer. Not having to change media every few tracks, gets me into the music. And the LPs and CDs can be sold, freeing up space 😊
@@colanitower Please make sure you back up your hard drive. I learned the hard way.
@@homerwinslow9047 Thanks for the advice. No problem, I actually have two computers linked to two systems (a new HiFi system and an old system kept as secondary system). Both computers have the music collection and a portable music player installed. When changes to music or player are made on one computer, it's synchronized to the other and to a backup harddrive as well.
@@colanitower
That might be going a little far, but I'll keep an eye out for your CDs on eBay ;-)
@@carlitomelon4610 Taking it a step further still, when conversion to digital is complete I'll sell turntable and CD transport too. To family and friends, not on eBay ;)
A simplified HiFi system remains and it's going to be upgraded. Less components, more budget per component :)
Like you said before ...nobody ever says jeez’ that analog front end sounds so digital 🤣
Everything has its own signature due to its format.
Reel to reel , 💿, vinyl, streaming......
Off course
Nice to see you review a phono preamp and talk vinyl.
Can you please please please cover phono cartridges in the $1000-1500 range?
@@jasonhoffer9017 get either the Audio Technica ART9XI for mc or Ortofon LVB 250 for mm
@@jerrysnead2842 Thanks for the reply - I'm actually looking for a MC to go with my new Pearl 2 phono preamp DIY project - Looking at the Shelter 501 mk2 as a contender though I'm out of my depth and don't have first hand resources to bounce ideas off with.
Jump into the fire, is my go to track for bass.
Great choice.
@@keplermission4947
.l.p. p))
For UK viewers: "I am into big knob feel"
...but smooth and soft...no clicks....😲
Non ees - so much surface noise on vinyl EVEN when pristine ! Medieval - Steve has so much sunk costs in hsi vinyl he cant possibly migrate to digital -engaged by all that hissing and scratching surface noise LOL
@@johnwhite2576 digital is great if you love aliasing, time smearing and constrained frequency response
. . . 'feeling engaged by the music' . . . what we all seek, thank you, Steve.
I truly believe that feeling engaged with the music is everything.
@@keplermission4947 When that day comes you can let me know. You enjoy what you like and I will enjoy what I like. Isn’t that what Steve wants on his network? Suggest you point your comments directly to Steve.
Man I love how knowledable you are and how you aren’t snopbby about how much you know. It would be so enjoying to meet you one day and just pick your brain!
Thank you for sharing all this and being so transparent, as a noob itr’s super appreciated
I do still play my records & I did have my 1987 phono refurbished & fitted with a Moonstone cartridge (not to be confused with the Moon Rock needle in Steve Martin's old comedy monologue). So often, when I purchase a CD or a download (remember those?) I hope for some magic. Sometimes it happens-- an old recording I listened to as a kid suddenly bursts to life with that pure, smooth off-the-tape sound that I rarely get from LPs or 45s no matter how carefully I clean them.
I will like to quote Steve Best buddy
I advise all audiophiles just starting out to avoid listening for audiophile checklist things like detail, high-frequency air, imaging, soundstage depth, etc. Instead, try to feel and observe the sound energy in the room. Does the energy coming from the speakers seem to convey the shape and spirit of the original performance? This is important because, in the attempt to achieve all that checklist stuff, density and life force are usually the first things sacrificed. What made the Sunvalley preamp so unusually exciting was how it excelled at all the normal checklist stuff and juiced up and amped up the sound of my records
Herb R.
I was becoming an audiophile when I started listening to classical music and in that time you couldn’t find Lp’s so I bought cds, now I have about 300 classical cds and the logical step was replacing my Lp’s that I loved and were turned grey and sounded badly and I had not the place to install a turntable and at that time turntables were rather expensive. I’m not questioning Analog sound but you have to make a choice.
Greetings Ludo Belgium
I really enjoy your content
I just received my copy of Yellow Dog Blues from Acoustic Productions and on the first cut when I heard the trumpet blare it knocked me back in my seat. Yes Steve, analog rules and I have been around the horn with my history of going from only analog (1958) to digital (1998) begrudgingly and now a combination of both. Analog is certainly the most musical and has a vsceral energy that digital does not at least to my ears.
@@keplermission4947 Given your inability to construct legible sentences, that penultimate line should probably be redirected back at yourself!
@@keplermission4947 I was actually just trying to understand what you were saying as it was kinda interesting, but I'm struggling to understand if this solder issue you speak of is related to new or old equipment!
@@keplermission4947 no I'm not accusing you of anything, I'm literally just curious to learn about things like this. I guess I'm pretty fucked then. As I'm fully digital and tend to keep equipment that I enjoy for longer periods of time.
@@keplermission4947 well I keep all my music stored on SSD and use a separate DAC and headamp (I'm a headphone guy) I know CDs don't last forever but I simply don't have the money to have all those albums on CD. Especially when I can just re-download my collection from the various lossless stores I buy from when I need a new SSD or I'm rebuilding my dumbass PC. I have a vague understanding of how unserviceable modern PCBs are so I understand that bit but I wonder how much of this degradation I can actually detect. I have a ten year old DAC/amp that saw a lot of hours use in it's day, but despite knowing it's sound very well I'm not sure if I could remember if it sounds any different now than when it was new.
@@keplermission4947 Thanks for the reply. Well, all I know or even really care about is that when you find the right equipment, I deeply enjoy listening to music through that system. As long as my ears cannot detect the degradation I'll happily go with "ignorance is bliss" I'm pretty near that goal now so it's all new equipment, I guess I'll either see how it sounds in a couple hundred hours, or forget about this whole conversation and not care.
Installing a vinyl setup is expensive these days. This is why I held on to my mid 80’s Turntable. I don’t trust the mid price analog stuff today (which would be all I could afford anyways)
Wait… did I miss the review? What was that? You closed with “and this was a review of the Modwright 9.0x”. I learned what albums are good and not so good. I learned that the Grail is $9k and sounds great. But you kind of just mostly glossed over the 9.0x with a few fleeting observations.
More and more of his videos aren’t even reviews anymore... pretty sad
i guess I'm kind of randomly asking but do anyone know a good website to stream new tv shows online ?
@Elijah Owen Try Flixzone. You can find it by googling :)
@Randy Louie yea, I have been using FlixZone for months myself :D
@Randy Louie Thanks, I went there and it seems like a nice service =) Appreciate it !!
Yesterday was an album of Weber's opera "Free Shooter" and side five contained some of the most beautiful female operatic voice I've ever heard.
Hildegard Behrens is a gem.
The day before it was Pink Floyd "The Wall". Naturally the solo on "comfortably numb" is legend.
Today it's The Firm "Mean Business" and the masterful "Live In Peace" will highlight the rest of my day.
Played through a modest Fluance RT85 turntable in bamboo with an acrylic platter, Schiit Mani phono preamp, an old Sony STR DG510 receiver into a pristine pair of Boston CR9 loudspeakers found at goodwill for $10 five years ago and a Polk Audio PSW350 powered subwoofer. I sent a photo of it in but let's face it, it's just not worthy and the photo was mediocre at best.
Long live vinyl!
-✌🏼
Ive rediscovered my vinyl collection when I retipped my Dynavector with Andy Kim from the Needle Clinic. Now enjoying a basic Allnic phono stage. Yes, an amazing phono stage will enhance your experiences. Thanks Steve!
If you have a vinyl - keep it. If you don't - don't buy it!
A great tube phono amp is a must to enjoy what vinyl has in its grooves.
I'm a total digital guy and the vinyl hasn't never been my thing for the following reasons. 1. Clicks and pop kill my listening enjoyment. 2 More components in the system with the added cost. 3 Larger footprint with some large shelves to accommodate it. Need a lot of care and cleaning in the process .More components in the system more is the likelihood of one of them breaks. A complicated setup. Don't like tweaking . Therefore quite readily to give up some of the organics for simplicity and convenience. Vinyl has his hardcore following but is a minority and with each passing day dwindles even more.
With each passing day, it dwindles even more.
So sad. Boo-hoo. 🎻
I suppose that has nothing to do with Steve saying he has heard "vinyl is back" for the last thirty years, or the fact that there are plenty of places to buy vinyl, and the equipment to play it, online, or the fact that there are still brick and mortar stores that specialize in selling vinyl records.
Yep, it's just dwindling away... 🎻 😂
@@keplermission4947 It adds the complexity
The shirt & review are Top Notch!!
Analogue kicks butt but you need both in a system. I use digital for the friends and family who know nothing and analogue for myself!
Man, I need to get mine upgraded! Thanks for the overview Steve!
I don't listen to vinyl. I listen to music ...
Except for the surface noice and scratches.
Haha so nice how you opened that video. The song just kept on playing in head.
@@keplermission4947 Ok... I only saluted the Beatles reference, so please roll down your sleeves and put your glasses back on . Btw, how did you know I have Cornwalls and a Shelby GT Mustang..? Are you from the government?
Did you mention the price? I've watched it twice and didn't catch the MSRP. I heard the Vandenhall is $9000.00 but not tree reviewed piece.
PH9.0 3K, PH9.0X 3.9K
My Miyajima mono step up has not one but three knobs for tone control. The number of combinations is mind boggling. Imagine what it does to my OCD
Dan Wright is a great guy who makes some really nice gear. HIs mods are great as well.
Love your enthusiasm for great sounding music!!! 👍👍👍
What an amazing shirt you have here Steve !!!!!!
Great review and a stunning shirt. What's not to like??
Having been a recording engineer and cut many times at Abbey Road,it should be noted ALL records are cut through a DIGITAL DELAY Line-pre delay(think about that) .There is No Bass on a record its all filtered off and replaced with RIAA equalization .they mono vertical compress whats left of the bass so the needle dosent merge into the surrounding grooves...and lets not start with centre groove distortion...By the way i used to be a big time vinyl Head until i heard NOS Digital with proper linear PSUs this is much closer to Studio masters then Record,Yes record has more musicality then 'standard' Digital but Defiantly not NOS Digital-go compare Steve x.
Thanks Steve. I'm in the market for a preamp and
Looking at a Lounge Audio LCR Mk. III and PS Audio Stellar for an upgrade. Now I need to check this preamp out.
I have vinyl from the 1960s and the recording quality of vinyl in the 50 years since then has improved a great deal.
I love digital and analog. It’s interesting to AP recordings on my system streaming, file-based vs vinyl. Sometimes vinyl sounds better, sometimes digital. I did like upsampling my digital to DSD.
I have some original pressings that are remarkably better sounding on vinyl than Tidal (through a high end digital stage). I also have repressings of the same record that sound terrible. But when you hit on a really good pressing, in my experience, nothing is better.
I am so over vinyl! I went down that rabbit hole from the 70’s through the 90’s I think. And, I loved every minute of it until I didn’t. Bought high end cartridges, to install in a Formula IV tone arm on a Rega TT. I spent countless hours meticulously adjusting and tweaking the tone arm/cartridge, isolating the turntable on a decoupled cement base, using anti-static platter mats and spindle clamp weights, only to be often disappointed by the vinyl quality. We all complained about surface issues and lusted after a click and popless aural background. It helps to be a little OCD to be into vinyl and to be rich. Today’s review of a phono stage product is evidence of how much more involved it has become. It’s not that I didn’t like the sound. It just wasn’t worth all the technical investment to sustain it. I just wanted to listen to music more than I wanted to screw around with equipment. Happy to be done with it.
Good for you, I’m a big believer in whatever works.
Once kids came along and they started jumping around in the living room, it was all over for vinyl and me.
Don, I could hear the stylus hopping across my best pressing as you mentioned it.
There are tinkerers. and there are those that are not. There is a lot of gear out there, where its set up and you're done. Any of the Rega TT's and a Pro Ject Tube DS2, or a BAT VK-P6. I love the ease of digital. I love the sound of vinyl. I really am into both.
In the '60s and 70s, I was just like you. I worked at a high-end audio store in Milwaukee after I got out of the Army. I remember Dr Bose sending me a pr of 901's I think to try with a wood front - When you think about great speakers I have had more than half of them and that Rega TT with the great arm I threw in the dumpster when the platter broke while I was looking for my records to sell in the '90s. My son has my Marantz 8b and I remember Neil Sinclair hooking me up with a Paragon pre-amp. So just like you, I was done with it. I still had a Big Yamaha for the TV and a small or of Klipsch speakers. Then last year I saw this or of Klipsch speakers at best buy for 200.00 and thought "let's try them" - that lead to another small Marantz amp and then a Rega P1 =- then Rega P3 and then B&W 607-2 (Thanks Steve-I bought on your review and they are wonderful) This system is in my bedroom and the used record guy did not want my audio vinyl which I still have. But I have added a lot of vinyl-only to realize that at 80 I can't get up and down to turn the record, so now I listen to my CD's through an older Denon. It never stops. But Steve helps.
not much info on this preamp in this review, bit thin, deserves more.
I like vinyl because it’s a lot more work.
"knob feel"... this phrase sounds very naughty to UK ears 🤭
I think that was the idea
Hi Steve, do you have a PH 150 preamp review?
Hi Steve in search for getting closer to the music as we do I was impressed by the Modwright PH 9.0X but then as a solid state guy I read about the Soulnote E2 which peaked my curiosity even more.
Is there any possibility that you could do a review of the soulnote E2 and who knows surpasses it the VdH Grail
Yes Steve...I watched that whole video. No...I do not own any vinyl...I lost my entire record collection years ago in a business deal gone bad 😟...I know that they are "better"..still..Waveform is better than plots of waveform..(I do have the Marantz SACD 30n coming 2moro...so I am getting closer! LOL!)...but...even if I did go vinyl...I would not be spending 4K on a turntable and MC cartridge...let alone a phono preamp. Steve...please come back to earth! 😂
I am truly happy for your lush experience!!!👻 Thanks for the music, as always!
Thanks for watching
I used to have a Nikko preamp with both adjustable capacatance and impedance. Adding a little more capacatance and reducing the impedance would give a bass boost without much impact on the highs. It really did something different from the tone controls.
I understand the allure of a quality vinyl playback chain playing an LP that is 100% analog, ie recorded, mixed and mastered analog.
I laugh at vinylphiles extolling the latest vinyl release that was remixed/remastered in the digital domain Why not have the digital files the vinyl was made from?
Why shouldn’t audiophile dacs have all the same analog components after the dac chip that phono preamps like this have, ie caps, transformers, power supply etc?
That said, an argument might be made that quality vinyl media may essentially capture more than 16/44.1 resolution, but I leave that debate for another day
Another argument for vinyl is that the vinyl mix has less compression than the mix intended for CD and streaming. Vinyl is targeted toward a more critical listener.
@@gurdyman1 Absolute rubbish. Vinyl cannot cope with a full frequency response …hence RIAA equalisation was devised (a fudge…)
Alexx. Exactly!
@@gurdyman1 Good point, but I mentioned having the actual file used to master a vinyl pressing if mastered digitally, without the Riaa eq or other filtering done to compensate for vinyl physics, so assume dynamic range should be no worse than the vinyl mastered from it
For the 50+ guys, nostalgia is a big part of vinyl. For younger groups, novelty, retro cool, or techie geek factors
From a practical real world perspective, 100% of all tv shows and movies and music you hear are digital, even most fm radio music, played from digital satellite or local hard drive sources, other than low power college stations that might play an all analog vinyl lp live
So for basically all but live acoustic performances, everything broadcast or screened is digital audio, making the digital vs analog issue moot. Unless you plan to record your all analog vinyl to cassette tapes on a restored calibrated deck for use with a Walkman tape player while you work, exercise or drive, which are the music listening use cases accounting for most of the time people use to listen
Tube rectification ?
Hear the ModWright here! Tons of vinyl on it, absolutely LOVE this phono stage!
czcams.com/video/Hoj_RkPVMQQ/video.html
czcams.com/video/GJU-mebirac/video.html
Go all American , Soundsmith AIDA cartridge. Its blown me away in my Revox turntable. No eq. needed.
I guess we should all just go back analog TV and vcr.
to analog
How does that have anything to do with enjoying good music?
Do you prefer watching concert videos to listening through a dedicated stereo?
😂😂😂Some people are stuck in the 19th century……
A high res, high qualitydigital recording is closer to reality. The limited dynamic range of vinyl is more limited, and so is the resolution. Nothing wrong in preferring the music stripped for a bit of information obviously. It’s a matter of preference. Today’s modern vinyl record is recorded in high res digital and then converted to analog for the vinyl pressings. So any argument that vinyl is better must at least be on very old records.
Happy for Dan, thanks Steve.
Any chance of reviewing Dan's Ambrose One preamp.
Reviews of the Ambrose line are rare; especially the pre.
Any chance you could review the Modwright 225i Steve
I heard vinyl is out now, and people are going back to eight track tapes. You get so much more warmth from wow and flutter than you do from pops and clicks.
I grew up with vinyl , 4 track and 8 track and the holy grail was always reel to reel . I don't get the fuss of vinyl regarding sound . I always found it a pain . Reel to reel is another story and can be very enjoyable no pops or skips however very expensive hobby and hard to get tapes . I was ready to take out my turntable after listening to Sara Vaughns Images on Qobuz because I can't possible imagine vinyl sounding better but I was willing to go back . I looked for the vinyl version and found it . Over 200 dollars for the Sara Vaughn album ! What are you nuts ? So for that reason my turntable is going back in storage . I might look into reel to reel if I ever want to go back to digital remastered analog . LOL
The real question is the best value analog Vs best value digital (for is cheap people with a small budget I call #StudentFi)
As someone who owns a Modright KWH225i Integrated Hybrid Amp ….0 feedback .. 400 watts in 4 Ohm’s .. 25 watts pure class A then A/B Dan Wright makes beautiful Beautiful sounding equipment
One of the best people in the business
No doubt that the Mod Wright is an excellent phono stage - but that price! $3895! Not quite affordable for the average music enthusiast!
Interesting review Steve. I don't recall you reviewing a digital source at the same price as your SME/MW combo? If you are comparing with a BlueSound node 2i...
Would be interested in a comparison with a 20k+ digital source. How about ExaSound into dCS for example? Or my Auralic (Aries G2.1) into Chord Mscaler/HugoTT2 - which is also in the same price range as the reviewed system. Love my system. Greetings to you and yours.
Regardless of what vinylphiles claim, Analog is just Model T technology! What would you rather drive - a Ford Model T or that new electric F-150?
not the 9.1?
Outstanding review whereas you dotted the issue and crossed the task. I have that Neilson pressing which I use as a reference recording that I share with family and friends. This album takes my Magnepan 3.7i's to the limit. What a phenomenal over the top demonstration by the musicians and production team.
One of my favorite Nilsson albums!
A very good review. I am about a 95% vinyl guy. I only stream to check out stuff that I might be interested in buying on vinyl. My #1 complaint about vinyl is the expense (because vinyl has gotten incredibly trendy). A new record is crazy expensive. I've done a lot of buying off from Discogs and I'm fortunate enough that my modest-sized town has two used record stores. The problem with a lot of the used vinyl I've gotten off Discogs though is that too many vendors rate the quality of their used vinyl much higher than it actually is. At least my local stores have turntables set up so I can check out what I am thinking of buying. I 100% related to your friend who had two 'tables: one for his new/pristine vinyl, and another for the more compromised records in his collection.
Agree there seems to be awful grading these days. Good is trash. But what used to be graded VG or VG+ is now graded NM. I've noticed a bunch of sellers state on forums as far as they are concerned if the record plays through it is NM. lol. And what used to be dollar bin quality now routinely sells for between 10 and 25$.
Unfortunately no matter how good vinyl is you cannot escape the legacy of poor pressings. I have a we’t cleaning machine and even with that the background noise is too distracting. I have a good tSME turntable and arm with a KOETSU cartridge. Yes it does sound good with a good pressing but these are few and far between.
Lets get real here. Factoring in the streaming and downloads of music only 3.6% is vinyl album music consumption. That's not likely to increase very much in the coming years.
Hey Steve, have you ever heard or reviewed a tube amp or pre amp from Atma-Sphere? I just ordered their MP-3 Pre-amp based on the recommendation of Clayton Shaw of Spatial Audio. But I have never heard it nor have I seen any reviews on youtube for it yet.
Good point, I think I requested one of the ramps a few years ago and they didn’t seem interested in a review from me
@@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac What are your thoughts on monoblocks vs. a stereo amp? Maybe do a video on that? Which is better and why?
I've been hearing this most of my life. I grew up with vinyl. And let me tell you, unless you were lucky enough to have money falling out of your
pocket. Most people were running stock gear. Lower end Pioneers, Technics, Dual, Garrard, BSR turntables-with Shure, AT, Pickering, carts, etc. They DID NOT have state of the art
CLEANING machines and their, our, records had a Himalayan landscape of snaps, crackles and pops that the stylus made its way through, you know.
When the early CDs came to be we used to sit there and MARVEL at the LOW NOISE floor. Nothing, except tape hiss on Analog to Digital transfers, lol.
Objectivity? Subjectivity? Unforutnately we have both. Torn forever between the two what can a MERE HUMAN DO?
The CIRCLES we move in also often DETERMINE what we think and how we act. Vinyl is a social phenomenon. Don't think for one moment it is NOT. An entire culture with its own language, expectations, values, behaviors, and myths. You have to enter it to understand it. You must be a part of it. And once you are, there is nothing to doubt or question, you can NOW hear it after all.
Consideing the fact that Steve has been a member of this culture for most of his lifetime. How could he possibly escape it?
It's as natural as drawing breath and exhaling. As a well-known anthropologist once said, "the most natural thing is the most cultural thing".
Hey, in the end we're all deluded, intoxicated by what we've learned, been taught, been socialized into. And then? We're gone!
So you are playing a record on a nearly $25,000 dollar turntable and phono preamp and it sounds to you better than digital playback (CD or Streaming). I would hope so. I probably average at least one LP listen a day on my systems. I also stream, listen to CDs and SACDs, and throw an occasional cassette in my deck. With the exception of the cassettes, to my ears often the digital source sounds better. That said, my favorite format for Deep Purple Machine Head is my nearly mint original UK pressing (I also own this in CD, SACD, 25 Anniversary CD, and an audiophile 180-gram pressing). I get tired of people suggesting vinyl is better when it is just better to their ears. What is even more true is that every different component in my listening chains color the music slightly differently. This includes five phono preamps, two turntables, seven different CD players, two streamers, two AVR's, one receiver, one integrated amp, and three sets of speakers across my three main systems. I am grateful for the vinyl resurgence and love listening to and buying LPs but I also know vinyl has many shortcomings that CDs and streaming do not. So, let's just enjoy all the great ways we now have to listen to music. Do I have too many CD players?
Love ya, man! Hope you’re doing really well!!
Thanks!
Although I see the price in the comments it was never mentioned in the review. Going down the vinyl rabbit hole would be $$$ and honestly I wouldn't know where to begin. Which turntable, which arm, which cartridge, mm, mc, separate phono preamps with outboard power supplies, direct drive, belt driven, 33, 78, 45, etc...so much to take in. Not to mention all the proper setup and routine maintenance of the player and records themselves. And than the hunt for all the different pressings of your favorite music 😀 a long journey!
You can make it easy, or you can make it hard. The Fluance RT84 turntable with Ortofon cartridge is $500, Schiit or iFi phono pre around $150, very decent sound for a decent price. LPs from friends, relatives, coworkers, found on the street, thrift stores, you can find plenty of decent vinyl with some hunting. But then again, if you’re not interested that’s OK too
1:01 Would you say that vinyl communicates something different or maybe even better than digital even if you weren't allowed to know if it was vinyl or digital, as in a blind test or A/B/X test? Or does that feeling you talk about perhaps come from the ceremony of putting a vinyl record on? Both are valid, I'm just curious. :)
If you heard it and felt it, ya know. You just can't explain it. I'm all digital now for convenience but it's not the same.
I listen to both , and when I go from vinyl to digital it just feels like somethings missing
@@shanec6664 Yes….surface noise, clicks, wow and flutter……😣
@@steven2809 hahahahahaha
@@steven2809 that’s mainly down to how clean you keep your records , it is a bit tedious but it’s worth it
Steve, I'm considering getting into vinyl. Turntable recommendation around US$500?
I wanted to chime in. First thing, listen to really nice turntable setups, regardless if you can afford them or not.
Rega and Thorens are good brands that have entry level equipment.
If they don't meet your price point, I would recommend looking on the used market.
Fluance RT84
@@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac Hey Steve. Have you reviewed the Fluance RT84? Thanks for your videos! Their awesome!
Great teaser Steve, thanks for this review. More and more intrigued by Modwright gears (still pretty rare in Europe, or at least in France where I'm based). Regarding turntables, I'm so close to jumping in... But some barriers remain: looks like a risky move for those inclined to spend more as upgrade paths look expensive. Also, proper set-up does not look particularly friendly when I watch turntable setup videos. All this without being sure I'd fall in love with it... Tough call!
I'd say it's worth it if you have an existing LP collection and the associated nostalgia. I do, but all my new music is HR streaming and CDs.
Vinyl is a hassle. Nice sounding, but noisy, bulky and fragile.
Besides, modern vinyl has been through all the "evil" digital processing before it's cut to LP, so don't kid yourself;-)
I’m the opposite of Carlito and have switched from digital to vinyl about 2 years ago , extremely fun and sounds so much better in my opinion , I enjoy the whole process of playing vinyl records but it can be very overwhelming if your starting from scratch , if your looking to jump in I’d say look on eBay for used or vintage gear, for me it was well worth the hassle !
@@carlitomelon4610 Good points. I would also add that every time we play an LP there is a certain amount of wear and tear done to the grooves.. This equates to degradation of the recording over time. Higher quality turn tables, arms, and cartridges (moving coil vs. moving magnets) helps, but there's still friction and wear involved. Not sure if one can still acquire laser type vinyl players. I recall them being the big thing back in the day. I'm not seeing that type of player in the modern turn table reviews.
@@fredflintstone8048 Some of the better moving magnet/moving iron carts with a high compliance stylus can, in a light arm, track at very low tracing force and do better at not wearing a record than moving coil carts can.
@@gurdyman1 Ok, but I think of the arm as being one source or tracking force, and the cart as being another. The MM style tends to have more mass (the magnets) connected to they stylus so the side to side motion tends to be greater than the MC simply because the coils have less mass than the MM. It's a fine point of concern, but in general is still a factor for groove wear and that's why I mentioned that the MC carts in general will provide less wear than the MM. I'm using a MM cart myself, and don't worry about the wear. I have some old records that I play that are so well worn it doesn't matter to me.
What bullshit. The bass response, and overall frequency response and dynamic range is much better with CDs than vinyl. Especially when playing dynamic Classical music. An album is literally technically not capable of reproducing bass with the same impact as digital. Now, I’m not saying analog can’t or doesn’t sound great. It’s just not as great as digital for “some” types of music.
Pardon my language.
Music reviews are great. Loved your enthusiasm. You kind of strayed from reviewing the phono pre. You didn't really summarize your feelings about the phono pre at the end, but I take it you liked it a lot. I'd like to know how this compares to comparably priced products such as the Sutherland current mode phono pre and the PS audio phono pre. 4k seems to be the sweet spot all the companies are targeting.
Thanks for mentioning the Pixies, Steve.
I actually got to see Frank Black (aka Black Francis, aka Charles)
in concert once at a little hole-in-the-wall place in my town.
It was quite a show. He did all original material that I'd never heard, but the venue acoustics were pretty bad. When someone requested a Pixies song, he said (paraphrasing) "Come on, nobody wants to hear that crap!"
However, he did do one Pixies song near the end of the show.
I was standing about ten feet away from him.
Good times.
If he thought people would rather hear his tedious solo material instead of Pixies songs, he was quite delusional.
@@mikrophonie5633
Oh, he knows exactly what people want to hear.
However, he resents being pidgeonholed as an artist.
Similar to being typecast as an actor.
He once said that he regrets that anything he does for the rest of his life is going to be overshadowed by a little band called The Pixies.
Edit: You have to remember that The Pixies was Charles's band. He wrote all the material and directed the other band members to play the way he wanted to hear it (one of the reasons they didn't get along, and broke up after the third album).
For those first two albums, the Muse was with him. Then, for whatever mysterious reason, it left.
A tragic fate for a composer.
@@keplermission4947
ꋖꍩꈼꍩꈼꀯꀗꂑꌚꋖꍩꁲꋖ
Changed From Blue to Bronze, and it was mind blowing better,. But 2M .
To Hell with that hiss.
And I have so many LPs I have lost count!
Sure, a $15K TT, a $5K arm and a $2K cartridge will make most LPs sound great! But not many music enthusiasts can afford this! A Pioneer PLX1000 TT and a Denon 103R mc cartridge is a great budget setup - and doesn't give up much to the $22K system! I added the PLX1000/103R to my collection of over a dozen vintage TTs to try out something newly manufactured! Thumbs up to the Pioneer/Denon mc combination!
Among my vintage TTs I have four Empires, a Rek-O-Kut, two Thorens (125 and 160), a Garrard Lab 80, a VPI HW19, a Technics 1200, a Kenwood KD600, a Mitsubishi Linear Track, a Revox 790 linear track, a B&O 8003 linear track, two Ariston RD11s, a Linn Sondek with Grace 707 arm ... Not to mention three RTRs plus tapes! Yet I feel Analog is Model T technology! So I have a large - and growing CD collection! Plus six CD players and a newly acquired DAC - Khadas Tech Board in a custom case. Along with three DVD players (Toshiba TOTL, JVC and Sony 7000ES) for use as transports.
@@robertjermantowicz8619 as for CD players, I have a Rega Planet 2000 that is quite "analog" relatively. I do have to use the Bryston BDA-1 for a DAC as it does surpass the Rega DAC. Interesting you mention the Pioneer with the Denon 103 I was looking at that but may just stick with the Rega P3 and Elys 2 along with a new Bryston BP 2 MM I am getting in soon to be tied to my MPS-2 power supply should be a big improve.
Jump into the fire is awesome!
Another good thing about any physical media is you don't need to pay anyone to play it. No internet, no streaming.
I'll bet that my Audio Research SP6 and my CJ PV3 tube preamps are competitive with the Mod Wright 9.0X! For a lot less money too!
Well my CJ PV10B phono stage with the two NOS Mullard 12AX7 is pretty special. I use it to make CDs lol
Digital is transparent. But sometimes you want tone control
I don’t really know if you loved it or not?
That's over 2X cost of EATs well regarded E-glo Peit pre.
Shit yeah! Sly and Nilsson! Just thinking about the intro to Luv n’ Haight gives me chills. I’m going to have to go throw that album on right now! Great choice with the Pixies record too.
Thanks
@@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac I've seen John Darko say something about Pixies in a recent video, and now you, and for me it's a litmus test for the quality of the reviewer; you passed! ;-) Wel put into words, thanks
The moment I have a spare 4K lying around I'm going right out and get one. IOW, prolly never.
I guess you realize that you opened up this video with a Beatles line with a one-word difference.
Jim Keltner was a great rock drummer.
Steve so far best streamer on your channel was bluesound node 2i as far as I know so yes if that is your best vinyl is probably better. Like your videos 👍
Steve reviewed the Mola Mola Tambaqui. It has a built in streaming endpoint. Additionally, he uses a Jay’s Audio transport into a Denafrips Terminator as a reference.
I'd like to know more about reducing vinyl glare. I'm hearing that in my system and I didn't know other people heard it too.
Patiently readjust your cartridges alignment.. Dial in until Magic occurs.
Sandpaper?
Steve do you keep your shirts in a separate rented storage facility?
Of course
I think the key phrase Steve uses is that it's subjective. Analog can sound better than digital but it requires the ideal circumstances such as how Steve listens with his setup. It's like owning an expensive foreign car that needs constant maintenance. Some people enjoy giving a car a lot of attention but most do not. Generally analog is for you if you enjoy the ritualistic aspects of setting up and maintaining delicate equipment and then treating the listening experience with reverence. This is being a true music lover but isn't the right fit for most people.
Well said!