Help! I’m building my first vintage system!

[Vinyl infant]

Hey Guys!
My names Dave and I’m brand new to the world of high end audio. And especially to the world of vintage gear (hence my username)

I wanna start off by saying that if I’m posting in the wrong forum please let me know.

Ok so I recently decided after building quite a record collection and listening to it on a $50 turntable with a built in speaker that it was time to step things up. I live in LA so finding used gear is fairly easy but there’s so much stuff on Craigslist that I have trouble deciding. What I’m looking for is help picking out a vintage turntable, integrated tube amp, and speakers. I have a $1500 budget for everything but am willing to go over that of something amazing pops up.

I also wanna say that I completely understand that so much of this is about taste but what I’m asking for is advice on which pieces are tried and true as far as quality on my price range and have a nice warm sound.

Below are links to the Vintage turntables, Amps, and speakers on Craigslist in my area. I would love it so much if any of you had time to look at these and help me pick some stuff out!

Turntables:
https://losangeles.craigslist.org/search/sss?sort=rel&query=turntable

Amps:
https://losangeles.craigslist.org/search/sss?query=+integrated+amps&sort=rel

Speakers:
https://losangeles.craigslist.org/search/sss?query=vintage+speakers&sort=rel

 

[swechsler]

Hi Dave, welcome to AK. This is probably not the appropriate forum. Better would be to either start a thread in the General Audio Discussion subforum, or one thread in Speakers, one in Solid State, and one in Turntables. Also, you can't link to Craigslist listings in any subforum except for Dollars & Sense, although since you didn't link to a specific ad, you'll probably be OK with this. And lastly, you can't ask if anyone is looking to sell something, except in Bartertown, for which you need to be a paid subscriber.

Many AKers (including myself) prefer to design a system around a pair of speakers; that is, choose the speakers first, then pick an amp that's appropriate for those speakers. This may be a little difficult for you since you're basically starting with nothing, but if you make a few initial selections based on what's available to you, then ask opinions here, we can help narrow your choices down before you start checking them out. In this time of uncertainty, it would probably also pay for you to contact the seller of a particular component to ensure that the unit's still available, and clarify anything that's not made perfectly clear by the pictures and description.

The turntable can be an independent choice; that is, pretty much any turntable will work fine with any amp that has a phono input. Keep in mind that not all turntables will include a cartridge, and even if a cartridge is included, it may need to have the stylus replaced. All this should be taken into consideration, as a good cartridge can cost a decent fraction of the purchase price of a turntable without one.

When making your new posts regarding speaker and amp selection, it will be helpful to know the size of the room, how loud you like to listen, and the type of music you normally listen to. You might also want to consider if there are any other sources you might want, such as CD, streaming or video.

I look forward to future posts from you.

 

[Vinyl infant]

Hi Dave, welcome to AK. This is probably not the appropriate forum. Better would be to either start a thread in the General Audio Discussion subforum, or one thread in Speakers, one in Solid State, and one in Turntables. Also, you can't link to Craigslist listings in any subforum except for Dollars & Sense, although since you didn't link to a specific ad, you'll probably be OK with this. And lastly, you can't ask if anyone is looking to sell something, except in Bartertown, for which you need to be a paid subscriber.

Many AKers (including myself) prefer to design a system around a pair of speakers; that is, choose the speakers first, then pick an amp that's appropriate for those speakers. This may be a little difficult for you since you're basically starting with nothing, but if you make a few initial selections based on what's available to you, then ask opinions here, we can help narrow your choices down before you start checking them out. In this time of uncertainty, it would probably also pay for you to contact the seller of a particular component to ensure that the unit's still available, and clarify anything that's not made perfectly clear by the pictures and description.

The turntable can be an independent choice; that is, pretty much any turntable will work fine with any amp that has a phono input. Keep in mind that not all turntables will include a cartridge, and even if a cartridge is included, it may need to have the stylus replaced. All this should be taken into consideration, as a good cartridge can cost a decent fraction of the purchase price of a turntable without one.

When making your new posts regarding speaker and amp selection, it will be helpful to know the size of the room, how loud you like to listen, and the type of music you normally listen to. You might also want to consider if there are any other sources you might want, such as CD, streaming or video.

I look forward to future posts from you.

ETA: one thing to keep in mind: you may find that many

Thanks brother! I’ll repost with the appropriate changes. Appreciate you taking the time to explain!

 

[lightcapture]

Though not vintage, looking over your local CL ads the Yamaha A-S801 is a very good amp. A Technics SL1200mkII turntable that is complete, fully working, and not abused by a DJ is a superb turntable. Elac UB5, Vienna Acoustics Haydan Grand, or Monitor Audio RX2 speakers are also superb. These components would give you a superb no fuss system with excellent sound. Offer these sellers a bit less and negotiate with them on price.