no and yes or yes and no ...
Guys - Was thinking of getting into analog as I just found a tech. 1200 MK2 with all the KAB upgrades in my closet- I must have bought it a few years ago when my kids were babies and put it away- Anyway I have the Concert Fidelity Preamp and Dac with the new battery upgrade which sound wonderful-
So how much better would the analog sound then my digital- thks
To start, I no longer compare vinyl vs digital as a winner take all affair. Rather, I consider both in terms of the particular system/equipment/setup in which they reside; because generally, that more than anything else, determines overall sound quality. In my system, I enjoy 'em equally, although I listen to digital 90% of the time.
Also, Analog does add certain artifacts to the mix, without a doubt. But claiming that's some sort of "negative" in response to "better" digital reproduction, is both short sighted and flawed. I've heard far too many digital players add their own types of artifacts into the mix, and given that some digital artifacts are quite irritable to my ears, I can fully appreciate why others may prefer the added "warmth" of analog instead. However, based on my experience, a superbly well setup analog system can and does sound virtually IDENTICAL to digital; given the same mastered software. I've got more than a few CDs/LP which sound identical in dynamic structure and tonality - either played on my turntable or CDP (plus my own digital recordings of my turntable).
The thing is, it's much easier to maintain consistently fine sound quality with digital. Analog adds more and more requirements as you go along, so many minute variables exist in order to achieve "good" analog sound ... most importantly is the required subject matter experience to learn the craft, which takes much-much time.
As a turn-key solution, the Technics 1200 represents a nice "entry-level" turntable. It sounds decent enough, very upfront, overtly damped, and most importantly, the frequency extremes are severely compromised. The KAB mods improve instrumental timing, but not the extremes, which will forever remain compromised - unless a change of tonearm is provided. A stock 1200 sounds inferior to any good digital alternative, and even Time-Step or KAB modifications, if they retain the Technics arm (re-wiring this arm is IMO a complete waste of money), won't span that gap . However, I've heard a few modded 1200's with arms from Rega's and SME ... much improved, surprisingly competitive with many a more expensive turntable.
So no, if your KAB'd 1200 retains the stock arm (rewired or not) it's unlikely to sound as good as your digital player (to which I have no sonic reference). That said, it will certainly sound different, and provided a well cut / mastered LP, it will more than hint to why many audiophiles on a budget - still prefer analog.
tb1