Challenge: Best Bang for the Buck Stereo System/Turntable for ~ $450

[leesonic]

Easy.

British/German

Dual 505 turntable with Ortofon ULM cartridge to match.
NAD 3020 amp.
Mission 700 speakers (the originals with the white baffles).

American/Japanese

Sansui SR-222 turntable, AT95E cartridge.
Sansui AU-317 amp.
Acoustic Research AR18S.

You could obtain either of these systems under $500 with some careful shopping. You did say receivers, so I'd go with the matching NAD or Sansui tuner. Those 317s are creeping up in price, so you could maybe substitute a Sansui A-60 or A-80 amplifier in place.

Lee.

 

[sxty8goats]

M91ED w/ New Generic EVG stylus will cost you somewhere between $35 and $55 if you search the Bay for a bit. Stylus is @$14, the cart ranges from $20 to $40. It will blow away the M97xe if you like a full warm sound with clear highs. They sound great on the Technics SL models mentioned here. I've run them on SL1200Mk2, SL1600Mk2, SL1800 and SL1950.

 

[leesonic]

How could I forget, the best speaker bargain of the decade? Of course, I'm referring to a pair of DCM KX10 Series 2. I'm listening to a pair as I type, I drove all the way out to Delaware to pick these up. Very efficient speakers, will partner well with low powered receivers and amps.

Lee.

 

[Br1ck]

Nor Cal or So Cal?

 

[bearchuck]

When I first started out, I owned several of the pieces already mentioned in this thread, and I would definitely recommend them to anyone just starting out in the world of vintage gear. All are capable performers that can be found for reasonable prices on Bartertown, Craigslist, eBay, etc etc).

Sony 6065 ($150)
Harman Kardon 330C ($60)
AR-XA ($250 ... but it was pretty heavily modified. You can obviously find them in stock form for less)
Dual 1229 ($140)
Genesis Model 10 Speakers ($40)

The Genesis speakers are definitely a great value because they fly a bit under the radar. I'm also a big fan of ADS, which can be had for under $200 depending on the model.

The Hagerman Bugle is a great preamp that you can buy for about $160. However, if you're good with a soldering iron and schematics, you can buy a kit and the components for nearly half that. I also have an ART DJPRE II, which is a very capable performer. It won't blow your mind, but for $40 it's decent.

Good luck! I think it's a great thing you're doing for your friend. I'm sure you'll be able to put something together that sounds really nice. Maybe she'll be content for years to come, but if not, she'll have a terrific jumping off point should she decide to upgrade!