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Help me build a hi-fi setup

S

SierraGold

New Member
Ok, time for some help from you AK. I have been wanting to piece together a setup for vinyl for many years now and have never pulled the trigger. I originally was thinking of getting vintage gear, but the prices people want for anything silver is getting absurd. Also, originally I didn’t really understand that electrical parts inside may need replacing at significant labor costs in order to live up to its original potential, so if I go vintage I will need to leave room in the budget for refurbishment.

In addition, I am now considering new or at least modern gear. For whatever reason I am currently focused on the power portion of the setup, as it seems that will cost the most. (Or perhaps the speakers should cost the most?) Anyway, while I originally thought a vintage receiver would fit the bill, I am now considering separates or at least an integrated amplifier. So if I were to allow a budget of $1000 USD for an amplifier or receiver, what say ye of the following options. Keep in mind these are not necessarily similar in vintage or design and I also will not be able to demo anything more than likely, so I am relying on your opinions.

You will ask about my room and my budget. The room is 15 x 22 feet roughly. It will be an odd setup, as our sofa faces a particular direction and the best place for the stereo will be on the left side as you are seated.

Budget is open, but I would like to keep it around $2500 total (including turntable and speakers which I also don’t have yet.) I know there was a thread on here a while back that was similar (and it was helpful) but it went down a rabbit hole with little consensus. But, we may end up there as well with this thread.

Also of note is that we currently listen to music through a single speaker (either an Alexa or a Harman Kardon Onyx, depending if I am streaming from Amazon or directly from my phone.) So I imagine anything will sound better.

The choices:
  • Odyssey Khartago or Cyclops
  • Yamaha A-S801
  • McIntosh MC2100 (I know, just an amp, but so cool)
  • Sansui AU-717 or A-719 (I see both locally)
  • Marantz 1200
  • Emotiva XPA-5 Gen 1
  • occasionally I see a Primaluna pop up in the $1200 range….should I go tube?

Or…if you recommend the receiver route, here are some options located near me:
  • Sansui 881
  • Pioneer SX-1050
  • Mac 4100
  • Marantz 2285b
That's about it...anything else I should consider? Should I stick to lurking?!
 
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Welcome to AK.
Have you looked at the new Yamaha stereo receivers? There's something to be said for buying new gear with warranties. Yamaha has an excellent track record. I love vintage and have a ton of old gear but my main rig is mostly current models or close to it. Onkyo has some new models that are well reviewed also.
Good luck whatever you decide.

https://www.musicdirect.com/receive...MIrIW0nrXO7AIVCIzICh2I0gr8EAYYASABEgLSe_D_BwE
 
grillebilly said:
Welcome to AK.
Have you looked at the new Yamaha stereo receivers? There's something to be said for buying new gear with warranties. Yamaha has an excellent track record. I love vintage and have a ton of old gear but my main rig is mostly current models or close to it. Onkyo has some new models that are well reviewed also.
Good luck whatever you decide.

https://www.musicdirect.com/receive...MIrIW0nrXO7AIVCIzICh2I0gr8EAYYASABEgLSe_D_BwE
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Thanks grillebilly. I've just looked online at the model I referenced. It does get great reviews and I do like warranties. Thanks for the link!

the skipper said:
I'd start by finding speakers. They will be pivotal in determining your amp needs. Then, pick out your tutntable/cartridge combo. The electronics can be the last..
Click to expand...

Thanks skipper. Speakers are really tough to learn about online. It's a huge black hole for me. From what I have gathered, unless I am going to get Magnepans, aren't most speakers going to be fine with the power choices above?
 
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I agree with grillebilly. Unless you come across a sweet deal on a vintage unit that doesn't have any issues, I would drop money on a nice modern Yamaha integrated amp. If you need a tuner, you can pick them up easily. Yamaha makes newer stuff that still has an element of the vintage look to it. Buying a used turntable on line from a private party can be a risky and stressful event. Lots of people don't know how to pack and ship a turntable correctly. There can be good deals going the used route though. I bought a used table from an on-line seller... (capt.Mark). He refurbishes vintage tables and knows how to ship them. His prices are reasonable too.
Whatever route you decide to take, don't make an impulse purchase on something your going to later regret. Take your time and do research on what you want and really suits your needs. It's really easy to spend a lot of money in this hobby buying gear that ends up being not what you really needed.
Anyway good luck and have fun!
 
gizzyman47 said:
I agree with grillebilly. Unless you come across a sweet deal on a vintage unit that doesn't have any issues, I would drop money on a nice modern Yamaha integrated amp. If you need a tuner, you can pick them up easily. Yamaha makes newer stuff that still has an element of the vintage look to it. Buying a used turntable on line from a private party can be a risky and stressful event. Lots of people don't know how to pack and ship a turntable correctly. There can be good deals going the used route though. I bought a used table from an on-line seller... (capt.Mark). He refurbishes vintage tables and knows how to ship them. His prices are reasonable too.
Whatever route you decide to take, don't make an impulse purchase on something your going to later regret. Take your time and do research on what you want and really suits your needs. It's really easy to spend a lot of money in this hobby buying gear that ends up being not what you really needed.
Anyway good luck and have fun!
Click to expand...

Ok, that's two votes for Yamaha. They do sound like great pieces of gear. I am really leaning toward new. Vintage is cool, but only at a discount.

So far no love for Odyssey. I have to say, assembled in USA with a 20 year warranty really is appealing. They were previously unknown to me (prior to me lurking on AK.)

As for turntables, I really wanted something like a Marantz 6000 series or Pioneer PL-500 series, but I am not paying $700 for an old table that may need a new cartridge. I am leaning toward this: https://usa.yamaha.com/products/audio_visual/hifi_components/musiccast_vinyl_500/index.html
 
I'd have to agree with @the skipper...Start with the speakers first. That will probably be the most difficult decision -- and by far the choice which will make the greatest difference in your overall satisfaction with the system. Your speaker system and personal listening habits together will determine your amplifier requirements.
 
Yamaha makes very good products.. I'd recommend them to anyone..
And as stated above choose the speakers that you feel will serve your needs, then power em with an integrated or rcvr of your choice..

And I know its not in your listed budget, but the A-S 1200 is a really cool vintage looking integrated... just had to share that.. :music:
 
CoastinHome said:
I'd have to agree with @the skipper...Start with the speakers first. That will probably be the most difficult decision -- and by far the choice which will make the greatest difference in your overall satisfaction with the system. Your speaker system and personal listening habits together will determine your amplifier requirements.
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Ok, thanks. Speakers are a bit of a crap-shoot for me. Maybe I will start a new thread. I'm always tempted to just try some cool vintage ones off Craigs and then if they suck I can flip them. There's some ADS L-620's on right now for a song. I also really like the look of the Vandersteens.

Swokie63 said:
Yamaha makes very good products.. I'd recommend them to anyone..
And as stated above choose the speakers that you feel will serve your needs, then power em with an integrated or rcvr of your choice..

And I know its not in your listed budget, but the A-S 1200 is a really cool vintage looking integrated... just had to share that.. :music:
Click to expand...

Ok, thanks. I agree with Yamaha, and while we're admiring high end gear, why not just go with the M-5000? :) https://usa.yamaha.com/products/audio_visual/hifi_components/m-5000/index.html
 
Speakers can be the best bang-for buck if you are patient. People have moved away from the big speakers of yesterday for tiny satellite and bookshelf models. So what I'm saying is they are often very cheap, and they don't have as many components to fail like amps do. Do some homework and shop wisely. Speakers are the first item I would look for in the used market. Some huge bargains await the patient buyer.
 
About speakers: They are EXTREMELY subjective. Just because some people swear by some speakers, you may not find them to your taste.

Your best bet is to hear them before committing or, if buying new, check out the dealers return policy.
 
Odyssey + Magnepan would be superb, I'd bet. To run Magneplanar speakers, you need about four feet between them and the wall behind them, with more even better. If you have the space like that, Magnepan's 60-day satisfaction guaranteed trial on their LRS model would give you all the time you need to determine whether they are for you. If so, that's a pretty straight shot at a top-flight system.

The thing is, a Khartago at $1K and the LRS at $650 leaves only $850 for a complete vinyl front end, which would be tough to do without going used and also having some pretty good luck.

Sometimes I wonder whether I would appreciate the sound I have as much as I do, if I didn't go through all the upgrades like I did, appreciating each one, and instead went straight to the final system right off the bat. Somehow, I think I wouldn't appreciate it as much that way. Hearing new things on familiar recordings makes this hobby a delight, in my experience.

Have fun! :)
 
Friend has a pair of Odyssey Khartago mono amps. They are very nice. Rest of the rig is kinda esoteric so those amps should sound good but I had them here and were the equal of a McCormack DNA-1.

What kind of sound do you want?
Arena rock and roll, power rock
Rock Concert
Lighter rock and roll, Steely Dan and others
Full orchestra
Full jazz band
Acoustic jazz band
Bluegrass band?

Each one points to a different kind of speaker. Horns, ported, acoustic suspension, panel, electrostatic all have different 'specialities' but most and play all kinds of music. Kinda hard to get Magneplanars and electrostatics to play heavy metal headbanging music to full effect.

But overall good sound can be had from many quality vintage brands. ADS is commonly spoken about here as they are very high build quality, fairly common and there is someone that is doing factory type repairs of the drivers. There are others, too.
 
SierraGold said:
I really wanted something like a Marantz 6000 series or Pioneer PL-500 series, but I am not paying $700 for an old table that may need a new cartridge.
Click to expand...

Read about the Pioneer/Marantz/Sansui/McIntosh tax. Spending more than you need to because you have to outbid someone that wants those brands.

Lots of great tables from mid-70s to later 80s that don't have those names and can be found reasonable and if they have a good cartridge maybe they need a new stylus...sometimes replacements are available from some of the companies making/selling those. Otherwise, cartridges are 29-16,000 and you get what you pay for up to a couple grand.
 
sqlsavior said:
Odyssey + Magnepan would be superb, I'd bet. To run Magneplanar speakers, you need about four feet between them and the wall behind them, with more even better. If you have the space like that, Magnepan's 60-day satisfaction guaranteed trial on their LRS model would give you all the time you need to determine whether they are for you. If so, that's a pretty straight shot at a top-flight system.

The thing is, a Khartago at $1K and the LRS at $650 leaves only $850 for a complete vinyl front end, which would be tough to do without going used and also having some pretty good luck.

Sometimes I wonder whether I would appreciate the sound I have as much as I do, if I didn't go through all the upgrades like I did, appreciating each one, and instead went straight to the final system right off the bat. Somehow, I think I wouldn't appreciate it as much that way. Hearing new things on familiar recordings makes this hobby a delight, in my experience.

Have fun! :)
Click to expand...

I did have a look at the LRS. A very nice looking speaker. I think you're right about skipping the process. I may end up with a great system, but really wouldn't be able to appreciate how great. I've seen the same thing happen when I introduced friends to mountain biking...they had the cash and bought the best. They had no idea how good they had it.

Thanks!

Blue Shadow said:
Friend has a pair of Odyssey Khartago mono amps. They are very nice. Rest of the rig is kinda esoteric so those amps should sound good but I had them here and were the equal of a McCormack DNA-1.

What kind of sound do you want?
Arena rock and roll, power rock
Rock Concert
Lighter rock and roll, Steely Dan and others
Full orchestra
Full jazz band
Acoustic jazz band
Bluegrass band?

Each one points to a different kind of speaker. Horns, ported, acoustic suspension, panel, electrostatic all have different 'specialities' but most and play all kinds of music. Kinda hard to get Magneplanars and electrostatics to play heavy metal headbanging music to full effect.

But overall good sound can be had from many quality vintage brands. ADS is commonly spoken about here as they are very high build quality, fairly common and there is someone that is doing factory type repairs of the drivers. There are others, too.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply. I had to look up McCormack DNA-1, that's how new to this stuff I am (though not new to earth)

As for music, at this very moment I am listening to Steely Dan, so good call. I tend to like similar music mostly (Gerry Rafferty, Journey, Dire Straits, etc. etc.) We do listen to a lot of Sinatra, but also enjoy the occasional hard rock night (Ozzy, Zeppelin, Alice in Chains, Van Halen, etc. etc.) We like Jazz and Blues also. The hardest we ever get is maybe Rob Zombie or Metallica...nothing to hard I guess.

Thanks!
 
Roll into your local Hi-Fi Emporium and give a few different brands of speakers a listen.

From what you are saying the Magnepans will work but you would need a sub for extra meat in the music but they will do very well with your lighter rock selections and Frank. Hell you'll be able to see his blue eyes.

The LRS are backordered about 12-16 weeks right now so if you were to buy them it might be a while. They have the satisfaction guarantee and if you enjoy them for a while and then after the grace period decide against them, someone will buy them as folks are waiting for them.
 
Blue Shadow said:
Roll into your local Hi-Fi Emporium and give a few different brands of speakers a listen.

From what you are saying the Magnepans will work but you would need a sub for extra meat in the music but they will do very well with your lighter rock selections and Frank. Hell you'll be able to see his blue eyes.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply.

You mean Best Buy? I don't think we have Hi-Fi stores around here. If we do I've not seen one. For clarification, I am not really leaning toward Magnepan. I will likely go with a more traditional speaker...maybe a vintage JBL, Polk, or Vandersteen. I live in Sacramento and there are often good deals on old ESS speakers.
 
SierraGold said:
maybe a vintage JBL, Polk, or Vandersteen. I live in Sacramento and there are often good deals on old ESS speakers.
Click to expand...
Those Vandersteen 2Ce are very nice and reasonable on the used market. That is what the DNA-1 wa driving before my brother loaned my the amp 20 years ago.
 
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