Sailnir

Member
I am looking to buy some speakers and amp for my college dorm (don't worry about drunken parties or anything, where I am there is no alcohol). I have a fairly nice vintage Sony turntable with a new cartridge so I would like the amplifier or receiver to have a phono input and avoid the extra cost of buying that. I have a raspberry pi that I plan to use as a media hub for playing high quality digital, streaming and video and my other source will be the turntable for playing my vinyl. I have a fairly small space to fit them in. My roommates won't mind music. I listen to classical, alternative rock, jazz, acoustic guitar etc. on a regular basis. What sort of things should I look for when purchasing the speakers and amp? Any suggestions for new gear instead of used? My budget is around $400. New or used gear, doesn't matter to me so long as I can get a better sound than from my Philips speaker thing that I have right now, it is nice but doesn't do all that it couldRoom layout.png . I have included a rough picture of how the room looks below.
 
i would consider a lower power vintage receiver with small/medium footprint such as the JVC R-S33, Kenwood KR-5200, or Realistic ST-110. There are others, but I have those and can vouch for them. With receivers such as these for your dorm situation, you get the small/medium footprint, phono input, and potential matching vintage era look to go with your Sony table. You didn't mention which Sony table you have, but all above receivers have some wood finish to them, and I think looks do matter. Whether you realize it or not, it's also part of your interior decoration. I didn't need it, but I bought my Realistic ST-110 strictly based on looks with those two pretty side by side large knobs jumping out at me. Just make sure they work and in great cosmetic condition before buying them.

for speakers, I would consider slim(mer) vintage speakers such as the Sony APM series, KEF C40, Technics SB-X10. If there's space the DCM TF-275 is a possibility.
 
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Where are you located, Sailnir? We might be able to help you track something down.
Good job on the Raspberry Pi, btw! Do you have a DAC installed? I have a HiFiBerry on mine, but I don't much use it. I read that the line out was horrible on the Pi.
 
You will probably get as many recommendations as responses, but it will likely come down to what's available to you locally.

In general, in your price range, a vintage low power receiver and a pair of 8" or 10" 2-ways should fit within your budget. Certain brands (Marantz, especially) tend to fetch premium prices, but there are LOTS of options. The good news is low power, or entry level models, are both more common on the used market and not as collectible as the TOTL models. Plus, I just like the simple, clean look that comes with fewer knobs and buttons. Since you are in a small dorm room, you don't need a ton of power. You'd be surprised how good 10 - 20 watts can sound with a pair of moderately efficient speakers in a small. confined space.

I'm currently running a little Sherwood S-7100A (14 Watts Per Channel) in my dining room dedicated vinyl system:

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I just love the look and the sound of this little gem:

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For speakers, a good place to start would be this thread:

Your Favorite 8 inch 2-Way Speakers

The speakers shown above are a pair of JBL 4301B Control Monitors. They are a great sounding vintage 8" 2-way. Depending on your location, they may be difficult to find in your price range. If so, try looking for their fraternal twin JBL L19 or L19A. They are the consumer version of the 4301B Control Monitors (same drivers, similar sound). They tend to be more common and fetch lower prices than the 4301B:

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Most JBLs of this vintage will need the foam surrounds replaced. This can be a negotiating point for getting a good price. A set of replacement foams can be had for about 20 bucks, and if you're reasonably handy and patient, a good DIY project that can be completed in a single evening.

There are LOTS of other options in 8" (or 10") 2-ways from other highly respected vendors (EPI, ADS, Boston Acoustics, etc.). It really comes down to availability, price, condition and personal preference.

Whatever speakers you get, get them up on a pair of stands to get the tweeters at ear level and to clear the sofa on the left side of your diagram.

System synergy is also a factor. Some find the JBL's a bit forward, but I have to say, you could do a whole lot worse than a pair of vintage JBLs driven by a Sherwood S-7100A and a vintage Shure cartridge on your turntable. I can personally vouch for the synergy of these bits when used together. The little Sherwood has a warm, lush tube-like sound that nicely tames the JBLs. Vintage Shure cartridges are plentiful, and don't be put off by Shure leaving the business. There are LOTS of aftermarket replacement stylus options.

And, since you're into vintage, a Shure cartridge, a Sherwood receiver and a pair of JBL speakers would have been common in dorm rooms of the 70s and early 80s (again, I speak from experience).
 
I will 2nd the JVC R-S33 receiver. 40wpc will be all you need power wise. My daughter has one and I have the big brother TOTL R-S77 from that line in 1980 since new. The JBL 4301b's pictured above will be hard to find and expensive, but the L-19's will be very good as well.
Some other speakers to consider are AR4x's, ADS-almost any smaller models will be fantastic, L420, L470, L780-a bit larger. KLH Six's, superb vintage 2 ways.

I'd suggest looking at your local CL listings, and if you see something you like, go see and hear it, both receivers and speakers. Also see if there's any AKers near you who's systems you can possibly hear.
Based on the room layout, the speakers will benefit being on stands, especially the left speaker right in front of the sofa.
Good luck!
Glenn
 
I was going to suggest smaller speakers on stands since your room drawing shows one of them up against the sofa. If needed you could stick a small powered sub in a corner, but a lot of smaller speakers do a pretty good job so you may not need one.
 
Wow MCM fan, what a nice tidy set up, very cool.

Thanks! It sounds pretty good, too!

Also, if you exclude the Leroy Nieman serigraph hanging on the wall, everything in this photo came in under your $400 budget, and that includes the little teak credenza and the lamp.

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The JBL 4301Bs were the most expensive piece (more than everything else put together), but I got a good deal on them because they needed refoamed and recapped.

The total for this system was less than half your budget. I got a REALLY good deal on these JBLs (which also needed refoamed, the recap wasn't absolutely necessary, but I did it anyway):

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Yeah, I was going to say, don't expect to find plug-and-play JBLs for that kind of budget on the average day. :biggrin:
 
Are the Jones designed Pioneers still available, the SB-22 or whatever those were? They sounded pretty good to me for the price.
 
Are the Jones designed Pioneers still available, the SB-22 or whatever those were? They sounded pretty good to me for the price.

Amazon still has them listed at the $129 list price. Not sure if they still have the occasional ridiculous sales on them they did a few years back. A pair of the SP-BS22-LR on stands woundn't be bad for a dorm room, but I have less invested in my refoamed, recapped JBL L19As than I do my modified (Dennis Murphy crossover mods) Pioneer SP-BS22-LRs. I enjoyed the Pioneers in the master bedroom system for a couple years, but they are now in their original packaging in my closet and the JBLs are in the regular rotation.

Still, if the OP doesn't want to fiddle with refoaming, recapping and the other "joys" of buying vintage speakers, something new (like the Pioneers when they are on sale) would certainly be the path of least resistance. The Jones designed Elac Debut series (B5 and B6) would be other options when considering new.
 
Yeah, I was going to say, don't expect to find plug-and-play JBLs for that kind of budget on the average day. :biggrin:

Yeah, I watch craigslist like a hawk and pounce as soon as I see any affordable vintage JBLs. I prefer to get them in the unmodified, unrestored state. Many a well intentioned hobbyist mucks things up by installing the foams incorrectly, slicing off the original dust caps etc. I prefer to do my own work so I know it's done right.

One local repair shop regularly decreases the value of vintage JBLs by installing the foams on the front, slicing off the original dust caps and replacing them with non-original parts. Their logic is it's quicker, easier and they sound fine. This ignores the fact that vintage JBLs have become collectible (or at least "cool") and altering their appearance decreases their value. To me, vintage JBLs with improperly installed foams and incorrect dust caps just don't look right. When I see them for sale, I pass and wait for a better deal on ones that need some work.

Perhaps that's more work than the OP is interested in doing, but he did say he was looking for some vintage speakers, and like anything over 40 years old with moving parts (myself included), they need a little work to get them performing at their optimum level.
 
Right you are. Another option is to spend $25 to subscribe to AK and get access to Bartertown, and buy some fully restored vintage speakers ready to play! ;)
 
I have the Andrew Jones BS21 something or other and the Andrew Jones Elac B6. I much prefer the B6. Listening to Etta James on 'em right now! Something like $250 or $300 new. If you can find used Elacs (B5 or B6), I think you'll be very happy for the price. They are newer, so caps should be just fine.
 
Lots of options for you, too many to enumerate. Suggest you go to barter town on AK, or ebay. Personally I think a smaller Marantz coupled with smallish A/D/S speakers like the A/D/S L520 or L420 would fit the bill.
 
If not needing an fm tuner then why not a nice vintage integrated amplifier. So many brands to choose from, but I'm partial to vintage Kennys like the little KA-4006 for small systems. Has that nice vintage Kenwood house sound, punches way above it's specs, a d just looks so ef'n great.

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If that's a bit too vintage then maybe the KA-3500 more suits your taste. Both of these little amps sound fantastic, and currently can still be had for a song.

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So many speaker options. With no drinking then I'm assuming no wild dorm parties with music blaring so large speakers won't be necessary. If able to find a pair of Definitve Technology Studio Monitor 350 you'll be all set. I see a pair on eBay but local pick up only. Almost grabbed a pair a few weeks ago but as I currently have more than 20 pairs of speakers not in use I couldn't justify the purchase lol. Tiny little speakers that will embarrass many much larger speakers in bass output.

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Their specs, notice the bass is rated to 26hz.

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Too bad you're not closer, there was a set of slim tower NHT's on CL here the other day that would have fit your space admirably for $75. Keep looking around and you'll find the right thing.
 
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