neo_the_one

When the output of your phono pre doesn't provide enough gain.

Did you use the cable like a whip? That must have hurt. Please, use it for passing the signal from component to component, not from person to person. Seriously...

It's not real unless your wife could hear the difference from the kitchen.

Getting up is a ritual that is good for the days I am feeling sharp. On days when I am exhausted and would like to lie down and listen to music, I guess digital it is. But yes I do feel sometimes the vinyl would change itself. Spoiled by today's software.

I think I overly conscious of the stylus more than anything else.

I don't use a deck any more but... whether it is audiophile or not, I would /always/ have gone with semi-automatic, ie the stylus is lifted at the end. Sometimes one wants to drift off and dream, not click...click...click worry about the stylus

so I must say the whole notion of spending X to get Y performance is not linear at all in the analog domain. the relationship can even become inverse. and you should get involved in it not for Y performance but from whatever satisfaction you may derive from playing or collecting records. if you get Y performance eventually, even better.

I think it was also mentioned before that the turntable route might only be worth it if you prefer older music (pre-1990s), before digital recording became the norm. Modern vinyl may sound extremely similar to the digital formats.

^ This is a very interesting take. I will try this out. I have ordered a couple of relatively new recorded vinyl to do an A/B test.