help old noob with missing pieces to rebuild a vinyl oasis

[Rynow204]

Hey Audio Gurus,

Years ago my grandad left me a pair of JBL Decade L26 8ohm speakers and a very nice techniques turntable of the same era. There was an amplifier stereo receiver (that died a number of years ago that I then sold at a garage sale). There's a bit of cracking in the foam on the big cones so wondering IF I should get them refoamed and IF that is a costly endeavor?

I'd like to be able to hook up the turntable and speakers with some new era components to play my vinyl collection. Don't need to have more that 4 outputs (incase I wanna add some extra speakers later) dont need to run it to the television or a cd player. Just wanna play records...Well...blutooth in there somewhere might be nice as an extra.

But not knowing much about it I don't know what I should be looking for. Just an amp or do I also need a preamp to boost the turntable signal and then connect that to the amp?

I also don't really want any cinderblock sized components so wanna keep it very minimalist.

Any advice and links would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks in advance

 

[Natertots]

What is your budget? There are many options that will serve your needs but without knowing if you want to spend $200, $2,000, or $20,000, it is hard to know what to recommend. I assume you want to keep things inexpensive but there can be a big difference in options and quality when you go from a $150 unit to a $400 item and then to the $1000 category.

You will need something with a phono input to use the turntable. There are many receivers and integrated amps that have a phono input. For simplicity sake, I would stay away from separate amp and preamp combos.

Many companies make budget receivers and amplifiers with built in Bluetooth. Also, you can add a Bluetooth receiver to almost any amp/receiver with a $20-40 adapter. However, for simplicity sake, a modern receiver or integrated amp with built in Bluetooth would be simplest.

The harder thing to find is something that will run four speakers at the same time. To do this, you will want something that is rated to run 4 ohm speakers. If you have 4 speakers hooked up but only plan to run one set at a time, then you do not need to worry about what impedance the amplifier can handle.

The JBL’s are worth refoaming. They are not especially valuable but you probably will not find something significantly better for the same price as the repairs would cost. Certainly not something new. For reference, in my market it would probably cost a total of $80-100 for the work.

 

[Rynow204]

Thanks for your quick reply.

Yeah budget is fairly small ...its just for when we decide to play some darts in the basement and music on the iphone is pretty lame when I have a nice set of speakers just sitting there. I might do the refoam myself after watching some youtube videos on how to do it.

Curious - why shy away from the pre-amp combos?

I was looking at some options on amazon that had decent reviews that fit the budget and form factor I was looking for.

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B07TLW8KFP/ref=ox_sc_act_image_1?smid=ADPE7GPX91ORE&psc=1

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B07Q26T5N7/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?smid=ATV3LXZ3ZXOW8&psc=1

thoughts are welcome

 

[goodolpg]

That second one won't work with your turntable, unless you also buy the first one or a similar phono preamp. Or a turntable with a built in preamp.

 

[Grenadeslio]

Thanks for your quick reply.

Yeah budget is fairly small ...its just for when we decide to play some darts in the basement and music on the iphone is pretty lame when I have a nice set of speakers just sitting there. I might do the refoam myself after watching some youtube videos on how to do it.

Curious - why shy away from the pre-amp combos?

I was looking at some options on amazon that had decent reviews that fit the budget and form factor I was looking for.

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B07TLW8KFP/ref=ox_sc_act_image_1?smid=ADPE7GPX91ORE&psc=1

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B07Q26T5N7/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?smid=ATV3LXZ3ZXOW8&psc=1

thoughts are welcome

Many new receivers will have an input labeled phono without an on-board phono stage assuming the deck will have one. Nothing wrong with that just doesn't serve your needs.

So whatever you choose make sure it either has one built in or purchase one along with the receiver.

Nothing wrong with going preamp/power amp combos (aka separates) but this will tax your budget more. An integrated amplifier with an on-board phono stage will be your best option if looking for a one box solution.

 

[grillebilly]

Yamaha and Onkyo both have receivers and integrated amps that have phono inputs.

 

[avionic]

Welcome aboard Rynow

 

[Natertots]

Curious - why shy away from the pre-amp combos?

The only reason would be simplicity, one unit, fewer buttons, fewer chords. Otherwise, many people think you can get better sound out of separate amp/pre.

When it comes to Chi-Fi stuff, it is hard to get a lot of good information. Because they are not as well known or distributed as the Yamaha’s of the world, actual performance is difficult to anticipate. Many of the people buying those products may not have more traditional gear to compare it to so it is hard to know what their basis of comparison is.

Conversely, because of the business model, it is possible to get good value out of the products. There are many of them and I have read/watched several good reviews of Chinese products. However, they have all been traditional stereo products, not compact systems. My guess is you will find few people here who own much gear like you linked. Some, for sure, but not a lot.

Something to consider is customer support. Should you have a problem with it and need warranty service, what is the process? I do not have any experience with these types of products, so it may not be a hassle, but I thought it worth mentioning.

It does not sound like this setup is going to get a lot of use, but tubes have a limited lifespan. I do not know what that lifespan is, it may last 100 hours or 1,000 hours. I imagine it depends on a lot of factors. Also, I am not sure how easy/cheap they are to replace. I assume not very expensive, since the whole unit is only $110. Being an inexpensive Chinese product may mean they use odd tubes and finding replacement tubes that fit may not be easy. Then again, maybe they are very common or you decide at that price you can just buy a whole new unit. Someone who is more knowledgeable about tubes may chime in with real knowledge.

Ultimately, at $150-$200 price point you can buy any number of units. You can go with a new budget receiver, like the Sony STRDH190. You can go used, buy a receiver that has a phono input plus a $30 Bluetooth adapter. Or, you can go with and combination of units like you have mentioned. Parts Express sells several compact Bluetooth enabled amplifier similar to the one you listed and there are many phono pre-amps near the $50 price point.

 

[RunOutGroove]

I might looks for an older stereo receiver (not a more contemporary surround sound receiver). Lower power ones that are slightly newer from the 80s and 90s tend to go for pretty cheap. Make sure that you can test it out to make sure that it's working well (or be able to return the thing). The speakers that you have shouldn't take a lot of power to work well and any of these type of units would have a phono preamp built in so you wouldn't have to worry about that. It would be a cheaper solution and it sounds like for the kind of use that you have in mind and your expectations, it might be all that you need. If you ever wanted to upgrade you wouldn't be out that much and likely would be able to sell the thing for what you paid...