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High End Setup?

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UnshippedNut

New Member
Hello all, was wondering if I could get advice from you all. I want to build a high end/top tier set up for my vinyl records. from my understanding I would need the following:

An Upgraded Turntable
A Receiver
Speakers
Shelfing

that being said I don't want to hop up to the top of the line slowly, cause to me that's a waste I'd rather just save up and buy the best possible all at once. Any suggestions on what to get?
 
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$10000 and we can talk. High end is a couple percent better than good quality gear you can get for a couple grand but it costs way more money diminishing returns at work here.

Might want to throw out a budget and get ideas. Cartridges range from $29-15,000 where do you start getting high end? Turntables, new and really good are a couple grand high end starts a few grand up from that and goes to 6 figures.
 
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Well, you need to set a budget. This will allow people to provide more specific help.

You should assume use of a separate phono amp, rather than the one built into a receiver.

And unless you need a radio, think about an integrated amplifier, or separates (that is,a preamp unit and a power amp unit).

High end is a relative term, but I would say it will take at least $5-6K to be in the neighborhood (or within walking distance). Top-tier? Probably $15K and up. Of course, sky is the limit.

If you are willing to buy used, you can buy nice high-end gear at a significant discount. There are risks (dishonest sellers, shipping damage, no warranty), but these can be mitigated to some extent by where and how you shop.

On the other hand, you can put together a quite nice sounding system for $2-2.5K.
 
If thinking high end then think bigger than a receiver.

As others have said, just how high IS your unlimited budget?


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OK, so now you've got your table, arm, and cartridge, just need your phono stage, preamp, power amps, speakers, interconnects, and speaker wires.

Then we can talk line conditioners, RCM's, upgraded power cords, etc, etc

Just how deep are your pockets lol?

Keep in mind there are much more expensive arms and tables out there.
 
I suggest starting a bit more budget friendly.

Something like this Kenwood KD770D, end game deck for most.

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thank you all for the responses! I appreciate how quickly you all broke down how expensive this kind of thing can get! I was talking with my local record shop owner and he said a good high-end set up would cost a total somewhere between the $1200 to $1500 budget range so that was where my mind was budgeting for. that being said, holy cow this goes a lot deeper than I thought. with what you guys have said boy am I admittedly somewhat red-faced thinking I'd be able to get that top level quality on the, comparatively, chump change I was thinking it'll cost lol
 
UnshippedNut said:
thank you all for the responses! I appreciate how quickly you all broke down how expensive this kind of thing can get! I was talking with my local record shop owner and he said a good high-end set up would cost a total somewhere between the $1200 to $1500 budget range so that was where my mind was budgeting for. that being said, holy cow this goes a lot deeper than I thought. with what you guys have said boy am I admittedly somewhat red-faced thinking I'd be able to get that top level quality on the, comparatively, chump change I was thinking it'll cost lol
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As I mentioned earlier, it is all relative. That said, you can get a quite decent set-up for around $1500. $500-750 for integrated amp, $350-500 for turntable and cartridge, $350-500 for speakers. Find shelves or cabinet on craigslist or FB marketplace.

Look up Yamaha AS-501 amp. Has built-in phono amp and DAC (for streaming from PC, phone, etc). Plenty of power, and can handle most speakers.

Lots of knowledge here about sub-$500 turntable/cartridge combinations (personal opinion = avoid Ortofon 2M Red cartridge!). Start a thread asking about turntable recommendations in the turntable forum.

Start another thread in the speaker forum looking for suggestions in the $300-500 range.
 
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With a 1200 buck budget you can do very well. Avoid the highly collectible brands and buy the bang for the buck brands. Onkyo, Nikko, Sony, instead of pioneer Sansui and Marantz and you will save hundreds per piece.

If you don't need the radio go with an integrated amp instead of receiver.

Get the system. Onkyo A-7 amp, ads L810 speakers and a nice Sony PS-X5 turntable. Or swap the a-7 for the TX-4500Mk II receiver.

Look up that gear and comment

Spend $25 for a one year subscription to ak and have access to the buy, sell forums of Barter Town. Good gear there no bay fees.

State your location and some can recommend local crap from craigslist.

Then you will have a fine sounding rig for short money that may be all you need. If not, vintage gear bought right will hold its value, sell and get something else.

AK is all about vintage and cheap with many here reaching some lofty heights in performance for pennies on the dollar of true high end gear.
 
UnshippedNut said:
thank you all for the responses! I appreciate how quickly you all broke down how expensive this kind of thing can get! I was talking with my local record shop owner and he said a good high-end set up would cost a total somewhere between the $1200 to $1500 budget range so that was where my mind was budgeting for. that being said, holy cow this goes a lot deeper than I thought. with what you guys have said boy am I admittedly somewhat red-faced thinking I'd be able to get that top level quality on the, comparatively, chump change I was thinking it'll cost lol
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Probably not the shop owners fault. Too many kids today grab a $100 Crosley all in one and figure good enough.
 
UnshippedNut said:
thank you all for the responses! I appreciate how quickly you all broke down how expensive this kind of thing can get! I was talking with my local record shop owner and he said a good high-end set up would cost a total somewhere between the $1200 to $1500 budget range so that was where my mind was budgeting for. that being said, holy cow this goes a lot deeper than I thought. with what you guys have said boy am I admittedly somewhat red-faced thinking I'd be able to get that top level quality on the, comparatively, chump change I was thinking it'll cost lol
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As others have already said, going preowned you can put together a pretty nice system for $1500.

A couple of examples.

Kenwood KD770D, should be able to get this for under $500
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Kenwood KA-7300, should be able to get this for under $400
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Jamo C-103, these are fairly new but should be able to find an open box set for under $500
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These also came in high gloss black or white, the wood veneer being hardest to locate.

Happy hunting and we'll be here to help along the way.
 
UnshippedNut said:
thank you all for the responses! I appreciate how quickly you all broke down how expensive this kind of thing can get! I was talking with my local record shop owner and he said a good high-end set up would cost a total somewhere between the $1200 to $1500 budget range so that was where my mind was budgeting for. that being said, holy cow this goes a lot deeper than I thought. with what you guys have said boy am I admittedly somewhat red-faced thinking I'd be able to get that top level quality on the, comparatively, chump change I was thinking it'll cost lol
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Now that's all out of the way, let's get an idea of your points of reference and see if we can come up with some actual suggestions.

What are you using for a system currently?

How do you clean/maintain your vinyl currently?
 
UnshippedNut said:
thank you all for the responses! I appreciate how quickly you all broke down how expensive this kind of thing can get! I was talking with my local record shop owner and he said a good high-end set up would cost a total somewhere between the $1200 to $1500 budget range so that was where my mind was budgeting for. that being said, holy cow this goes a lot deeper than I thought. with what you guys have said boy am I admittedly somewhat red-faced thinking I'd be able to get that top level quality on the, comparatively, chump change I was thinking it'll cost lol
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1200-1500 is a basic entry level system for vinyl. IMHO. If you go used you can do pretty good for around 5,000. Example: Music Hall 7.1 with cartridge 1,000. Emotiva preamp and power amp (new about 2,000. Tekton speakers (new, various models would work for you.) This would give you some pretty high end sound, again IMHO. That's my 2 cents, and worth about that much.
 
Wanted to say thank you all once again for the advice! ill be looking into the specific equipment you all gave me and if necessary posting threads in other areas for more ideas. As a novice into this whole culture I appreciate how informative this whole experience was!
 
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