I'm delighted with my Outlaw receiver. Specifically, I love the phono section. I'm gradually relistening to the 15' of lps I own but have ignored for years and, ya know, they sound easier on the ear than my cds, sacds, and dvd-as. There must me something to that good ol' fashioned analogue software! Too bad they don't last 80 minutes and require cleaning on the VPI and won't play in my car and are a pain to get into my iPod and...

Jay

Only 15 feet?

There's actually a really great explanation for this phenomenon, and here's a few links to some excellent articles that I just found very compelling:

The volume wars

And this one which I haven\'t read yet

The second article seemed too long for me to read as I was so tired last night, but will read it soon I guess. Basically what they speak of is how people who do mastering or producing are so ill over these idiot/ignorant "artists" who tell them to always make sure that the album is LOUD !

Making the master "hot", is responsible for all sorts of audible atrocities such as say, clipping, really severe compression etc.. The thing about vinyl is that you absolutely can not compress the frequencies like you can with a digital press.

This results in much better dynamics, a full frequency range being able to come through and be reproduced by your wonderful gear. But I'm not doing the explanation any justice, just read the articles.

Lastly, a short youtube video of an example:

Soundwars clip

Doug

Doug, thanks for the "loudness" articles. Really interesting stuff.

First, the phono section of the rr2150 is a real revelation. LPs sound just gorgeous. When you check the specs for the phono section on most receivers and amps, the numbers, especially S/N, are generally lower than those for the other inputs. Not so with the rr2150. Hopefully, this is not just an omission ;-)

I have a 29 year old Technics SLD2 with a Grado Green cartridge on it; hardly audiophilia, but it sounds great. There is also the whole ritual of vinyl that just makes listening more participatory.

Regarding the "loudness" links, they are both interesting and a bit demoralizing. Just another example of the corporate mentality of reaching for the lowest common denominator.

I have been archiving my vinyl to CD and WMA/FLAC, recording first with a CD Recorder, then moving it to the computer for cleaning and gain normalizing before burning to CD and converting. Friends have commented on the sound quality of my home-brewed CDs, and now I know why.

Lastly, this youtube video: How & Why They Still Manufacture Vinyl LPs!

Great video on how LP's are made! Thanks...

Sometime in the next week or two I am going to bring my Immedia RPM table and arm with a Lyra Helikon out front and hook it up to my 2150. This should be interesting.... I have a great system in the back room but since the second offspring arrived, I have had less and less time to go sit in the back and listen to it.

Currently listening mainly to SACDs in the front room, and they sound great. The current Rega P3 'table with Denon 103d cartridge sounds pretty good but those SACDs are darn convenient. All of it is sounding really good through the 2150 and I have had *zero* quality issues. Chalk me up as a happy customer.

As an extreme vinyl head, I must say for the money the RR 2150 does a great job. I get a very nice sound stage, open and with depth. I have heard some phono preamps that cost more then the receiver not live up to the RR 2150's capabilities. The thing can rock.

Getting sucked further and further into the audio vortex. Got an entry-level turntable yesterday (a Pro-Ject Debut III), and my first impressions of the RR 2150's phono stage are pretty cool considering that I haven't owned a turntable in 20 years.

We don't have too many LPs in the apartment (pssst: yet), but I cued up a West-African compilation, Ghana Soundz: Afro-Beat, Funk and Fusion in '70s Ghana, something I'm quite familiar with on CD but had never heard on vinyl. When I played the disc and LP side by side, I was surprised to find that the vinyl really opened up the drum sound. The 3rd Generation Band's "Because of Money" always sounds kinetic, but now it kinda felt like the group was coming off the rails; it seemed a reminder of how radical this music was back in 1973. I think I'm gonna have a lot of fun slowly easing back into LPs—especially well-recorded jazz stuff.

Welcome back to the world of analog, tru blu. Now does anybody know how the 990's phono section compares to the 2150's?