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Absolute beginner!

M

M8och

New Member
Good Afternoon everyone.
Please have patience with me as I am truly completely new to all this and this would be my first post.

I will let you know my goal and hopefully you guys may have some answers or advice.

I want to basically enjoy my Vinyl collection amassed very late in my 30's now touching 40! All of a sudden I have all this vinyl and nothing to play it on.
But I have now purchased a Rega Planar 3.
Its all set up ready to go, but no amplifier etc.etc.

Now as I'm in the UK and from Yorkshire where people are very thrifty. I was wondering what do I need, I thin if I am not mistaken;
Amplifier
Pre - Amplifier
Cables
Speakers.

Let me focus on the Amplifier as I have been recently scanning the vintage ones, and boy oh boy I am a sucker for the knobs and dials especially keen on the Luxman vintage amplifiers and the preferred choice unless someone says otherwise the Marantz 1060 not the B as I have read up everyones stating the one without the B is better.

I am wanting to appreciate my mostly 70's folk music in a lounge roughly 4m x 5m its nt the Carnegie Hall but nonetheless its my space of tranquility and calm. If I could listen to Nick Drake using my Turntable and hear it in all its glory I would be a happy man.

Any suggestions and points of reference welcome.
 
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Welcome to AudioKarma!!
Find you a decent receiver and speakers, speaker wire and get
to hearing some music.
No need for Pre Amp and Amp, unless you are determined to
start out on the Higher spectrum of quality equipment right off the bat.
 
ramzilla said:
Welcome to AudioKarma!!
Find you a decent receiver and speakers, speaker wire and get
to hearing some music.
No need for Pre Amp and Amp, unless you are determined to
start out on the Higher spectrum of quality equipment right off the bat.
Click to expand...

Just my two cents but I agree with @ramzilla. There's something to be said for starting off with a simple system and it doesn't get much simpler than a turntable, receiver, and speakers. You mention you like the knobs and dials of vintage gear so you might also like the look of a receiver with a lighted tuner dial. There are plenty of reasonable priced vintage receivers that would look and sound great. If you don't care about the tuner than an integrated amp like the Marantz 1060 might be the right choice for you. You can always try separate preamps/amps further down the line. The choices are vast for both receivers and integrated amps. I would also recommend keeping the cable costs down at first. There are some pretty good low priced speaker and interconnect cable choices that will be adequate for your immediate needs. Cables do make a difference in sound quality but the differences are usually comparatively smaller than differences in speakers, receivers, preamps, amplifiers, integrated amps, and phono cartridges.

Once you have a complete system you can begin to experiment with different components and see how they change the sound of your system. The most important thing is how your system sounds to you. If you like the way it sounds that's all that really matters. There will always be something better out there so you can get caught up in an endless search for the 'perfect' sound.

As you're acquiring components, it's important to remember that each component of a system will affect the sound. If possible, listen to as much gear as possible before making a purchase so you can get some idea of your sound preference. Maybe you can find some local enthusiasts who would be willing to let you listen to their gear. Everyone has different preferences. Each brand of gear has its own 'sound'. You will probably find that you like the sound of certain brands over that of other brands.

As I said at the beginning of this post, this is just my two cents worth of opinion. Opinions of others may, and most certainly will, differ.

Thanks,
Joe
 
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I agree with what’s been said already, get an integrated with a phono section and get down to business. The only caveat to that is you might need a phono preamp depending on what cartridge is on your new turntable. Moving Magnet you’ll be fine, moving coil will require a phono preamp with enough gain
 
Welcome to the AK Crew, m'8.

Was gonna suggest a simpler route
going with Brit "Quad", but your mention of
being a "sucker for knobs and dials"
cancelled out this suggestion.

Which ever route taken, do allow
sufficient time to end up with what
you really want.

Q
 
Yeah. Find a nice integrated amp like a Technics SU-V707. I sometimes see listings for those over on Ebay and from a UK seller. Lots of choices. Denon. Marantz is good but pricy. Do you see some nice Luxmans?
 
Agree with what’s said, adding only this: input (turntable) and output (speakers) will make the biggest differences. You already have decided on the TT, so spend the bulk of your budget on speakers, and be conservative on the electronics. Once the system is set up, listen! Learn what you like and don’t like. All the opinions here are opinions. Your ears are the only thing that matters and if you follow them you’ll end up with a fine and unique system.

Welcome to AK!
 
Ah thanks for all the contributions guys. No pun intended but “sound” advice.

Embarrassingly I purchased my Rega Planar 3 T/T with the Elys 2 Cartridge nearly 2 years ago it’s still in the box. Never seen the light of day. I am not sure if this determines I need a pre-amp? Speakers is another huge thing, I am really liking the KEF Ls50 but wether this statement is right or wrong. I was led to believe that modern new vinyl is best on new hardware, if my taste is more 70’s I’d be better with vintage hi-fi. Is this true?

As I have read the Marantz tuners, especially those with model numbers 22xx are not that easy to fix if they go wrong. Again only what I have read is that everyone so far can’t fall out with the 1060.

One thing I do love is the Amplifier full wooden case. Of which my Father in law to be is a real dab hand with all things carpentry. I was thinking as templates are widely available to make something bespoke with plywood. But some people may think that’s not the best medium. I really do appreciate the broad range of comments and the input.
 
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Just remember, if no use/need for a Tuner, go the Integrated Amplifier route.
Otherwise, get you a decent Receiver for the radio function and like
Semanon mentioned, put the most money towards Speakers.
 
M8och said:
I want to basically enjoy my Vinyl collection amassed very late in my 30's now touching 40! ..I have now purchased a Rega Planar 3.Its all set up ready to go, but no amplifier etc.etc.

I'm in the UK and from Yorkshire where people are very thrifty. I was wondering what do I need, I thin if I am not mistaken;
Amplifier
Pre - Amplifier
Cables
Speakers.

Let me focus on the Amplifier as I have been recently scanning the vintage ones, and boy oh boy I am a sucker for the knobs and dials especially keen on the Luxman vintage amplifiers and the preferred choice unless someone says otherwise the Marantz 1060 not the B as I have read up everyones stating the one without the B is better.
Click to expand...

Welcome to AK!! this is not meant to insult you or anything like that.

When you say amplifier that can mean different things to different folks so let's clarify

Power amplifier is used to amplify audio signals (Phono, CD, Tape etc) sent to it from a Pre amplifier.

An Integrated amplifier is a Power & a Pre combined into one unit. It will not have a Tuner (AM/FM)

A Receiver is an all in one unit combining a Power amp, a Pre amp (think of it as a control center) and a Tuner

The Marantz 1060 is an Integrated and would be a good choice in that it's an integrated and that it is a Marantz.

The Marantz 22XX series you referred to as a Tuner is a Receiver

So factor that in to you purchasing decision. The cost associated with purchasing separates (Amp, Pre, Tuner) could get pricey which is why I think most of the replies have been get an Integrated.

I'm biased so if you can score a a vintage Luxman then go for it. Here's some eye candy for you

https://www.hilberink.nl/codehans/luxman.htm
 
Welcome! No need for a pre-amp. Just buy an integrated amplifier or receiver that has a phono input and you'll be good to go. And I wouldn't worry about spinning new vs old vinyl. As long as you have a solid system, it will all sound beautiful. One thing to keep in mind, since it sounds like you might be mixing vintage and new gear, just try to make sure the impedance (ohms) of the speakers is the same or higher than the amp's rating. Basically, stay away from hooking up low impedance (4 ohms) speakers to an amp with a higher impedance, like an 8 ohm limit.
 
Welcome to AK M8och
Being in the UK affords you some of the best that British Hi-Fi has to offer. KEF, Spendor, Harbeth, Rogers, IMF, Linn and many other speakers can be bought previously owned for a fraction of their cost new. An integrated amp with a phono section from a company like Rega with your turntable and any of the mentioned speakers would be a great start.
Many AKers are big vintage fans, myself included. Many of us also can restore and repair our gear when needed.
Thirty plus year old gear might have that look you like but the ability and cost to have it repaired needs to be seriously considered.
Check the British Audio sub forum here and familiarize yourself with what others like.
Happy listening.
James
 
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I own a bigger more expensive Marantz receiver, a 2270, but I see that the lower power ones often go for pretty reasonable prices. That's a nice option if you like the idea of an all in one box and those things are known to sound very good. They have a built in phono preamp too so you won't need one of those, and they're so common than I'm sure it would be easy to fond a place to work on it, if you should ever need that. They look very cool too. The only real issue that I can see is with a lower powered unit like that you really need to pair the speakers more carefully. Probably any speaker would work, but lots of them take more power to sound their best. There are options though for ones that are easy to drive and that would sound great powered by something like a lower powered Marantz...
 
Wow, I went on craigslist and ukaudiomart, hoping to find some suggestions for you anywhere from Leeds to Birmingham, but there is hardly anything listed for sale on these sites!

Not sure where you go to find good, affordable vintage hifi gear over there. Here in North America, there are lots of sellers using sites like these.

Good luck on your hunt!
 
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Good equipment will sound good regardless if you are listening to new or old music. So just look for good equipment. And buy what you like. Also you didn't mention if you wanted to spend a little or a lot. Brand new equipment may cost a lot more depending on who makes it.
 
Welcome to AK.
Lots of great advice being sent your way, I find myself agreeing with just about all of the above.

Your listening space is not too large so you don't really need to chase down a very powerful amp (at least not until you are truly addicted. Ha!)

Regarding 'lots of knobs and buttons '; I leave all my tones set flat and tend to adjust speaker locations and room layout to optimize sound.

And there are lots of great amps and speakers made in the UK.

Enjoy the ride!
 
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