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Beginner's System

R

Robalino

New Member
Audio Technica LP-60X
Sony STRDH190 Receiver
2 x Klipsch R-51M Speakers
2 x Very Old Unbranded Foster Produced Floor Speakers - 11" woofer (from family member)

I am very much a noob in this space. I've had the turntable for like a year and a half now, but for the first year I was just plugging it into a bluetooth speaker with an aux cord. When I started using the Klipsch speakers with Tidal I truly couldn't believe my ears, and it is really exciting to know I still have endless more of those experiences to come as different aspects of my system can get upgraded. I'm really fascinated by the analog format, and that's where I want to put more of my focus for the time being. I grew up after vinyl's heyday, and I just am amazed by the fact that we can store the purest form of music on a piece of plastic with no data and play it back by running a needle across it. If I had to guess I would think the turntable is the current limiting factor in my setup. I can physically see a slight wobble as the record turns, and at times I feel the signal coming from the TT is weaker than it should be. I've also experienced a good amount of crackling and such without good silence, but I am just starting to clean my records before use, so that may improve a bit.

Another conundrum I've been having is with the speakers. I got the Klipsch(s?) and receiver for half price on Black Friday, and like was really blown away like I mentioned earlier. I had read that they were a bit bright sounding, and didn't have incredible bass, but I kind of expected that with a 5" woofer. When I listened to them though, I felt that the bass was more than satisfactory for the majority of my listening. For certain songs in the perfect range, the speakers were very rich and I could feel the bass as well as hearing it. But then we went down to my in-laws house for Christmas and my FIL was throwing away these big floor speakers, and with my newfound hobby I couldn't let that happen! He thinks they are ~30-40 years old and he's had them for at least 20. When I play them solo they sound really kind of awful. Muddy bass and far away, tinny sounding treble. I don't think I could listen to a full album with those speakers alone. However, when I pair them with the Klipschs, it sounds so much more rich and full than the Klipschs alone. Sometimes I switch between the Klipschs alone and all 4 speakers and I really prefer the sound with the richer, warmer bass. Do you all have experience with something like this? I don't know if my untrained ear is missing out on a lot of clarity by using the floor speakers, or if it is just a more ideal setup and the muddy floor speakers happen to balance out the bright bookshelves rather nicely?

Main questions:

-Limiting factor for analog setup?

-I have a phone without a headphone jack (USB-C), what kind of methods do you use to get good clean sound from a phone to your receiver?

-What do you recommend for me speaker-wise? Can the combination's sound be greater than the sum of the individual components?

This is a very cool community, thanks for allowing me to be a part of it!
 
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Limiting factor for analog is the turntable and cartridge. However, speakers are probably the priority.

Probably ditch the floor speakers. Add a subwoofer to your Klipsh’s to supplement the bass. Properly integrated, it will seem like you got new main speakers.

Can’t help with the phone.
 
Robalino said:
-I have a phone without a headphone jack (USB-C), what kind of methods do you use to get good clean sound from a phone to your receiver?
Click to expand...

Doesn't the receiver have Bluetooth? Pair the phone and receiver and see what you think of that sound.
 
marysdad said:
Limiting factor for analog is the turntable and cartridge. However, speakers are probably the priority.

Probably ditch the floor speakers. Add a subwoofer to your Klipsh’s to supplement the bass. Properly integrated, it will seem like you got new main speakers.

Can’t help with the phone.
Click to expand...

Any recommendations for an okay sub 10-12" thats fairly low budget new or can be found used? I'm under the impression that you really get what you pay for with subs but I'm not afraid of the used market.

dcmfan said:
Doesn't the receiver have Bluetooth? Pair the phone and receiver and see what you think of that sound.
Click to expand...

Yes I use the bluetooth, its not bad but I do think it feels a bit flat compared to when I plug my computer directly into the receiver or play records. Could just be placebo though
 
Robalino said:
Yes I use the bluetooth, its not bad but I do think it feels a bit flat compared to when I plug my computer directly into the receiver or play records. Could just be placebo though
Click to expand...

Ah, gotcha. Bluetooth isn't the best but it's a connection. Years ago I had an older iPhone and a docking station that would connect via RCA to a receiver. Not sure if something like that is available.
 
Those R-51Ms are solid speakers. Personally, I'd add a subwoofer and call it a day for a while. I had the R-15Ms pass through my hands in a trade recently, and I was pleased with them (started out with the B-20s myself, which are the 00s version). Playing 2 different pairs of speakers at once creates more problems than it solves.

As far as connecting your phone, I'd recommend an OTG USB-C to USB cable (~$10) and an external USB DAC from Audioquest, Cambridge Audio, etc. (<$100) I use an OTG cable that was like $8 on Amazon and the original Dragonfly with my phone and it's great (although mine is just old enough to still have the headphone jack to fall back on).
 
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