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My first setup.

Focalized

Focalized

New Member
Hi,

Let me introduce myself. I'm a 31 year old Belgian. I'm trying to put together a decent setup for the first time. I've been spending a few weeks learning a lot from comments and threads on this forum. With all this information i've looked up a lot of underrated vintage receivers on our local second hand buy websites. Because if i would buy something from craigslist or ebay (so American in general) the shipping costs are almost as much as the amount of money i was planning to spend on a receiver. The following list is a list of receivers and speakers that are available in my country. I would like you to put all your experiences with these products here, or opinions on what's good and what's not and also why.. You would help me alot :D

Speakers:

KLH model 6
Polk Audio Monitor Series 5
Tannoy Eclipse gold
Inifinity SM122

Receivers:

In price range of 200-250€:

Rotel RX-503/603
Rotel RA 712
Rotel RX 154
Onkyo TX-4500
Sansui 771
Sansui solid state 800
Kenwood KR-5600
Harman Kardon 430
Harman Kardon 340
Kenwood KR-4070
Kenwood KR-5400
Kenwood KR-3600
Marantz 2226(b)
Marantz 2220
Realistic STA-82
Realistic STA-77L
Sony STR-6046
Sony STR-6055
Pioneer SX-737
Pioneer SX-770
Pioneer SX-525
JVC JR-S300
JVC 5540U
NAD Model 60
Technics SA-5360/5370
Sanyo DCX 2500L
Yamaha CR-500

Really like the Realistics and Sony and Pioneer 770 and the Technics 5360
for their looks :p

300€

Technics SA-5600X
Toshiba SA-304

Thanks in advance.

EDIT: My setup will be placed in my basement of 215 square feet and i will be mostly listening to soft rock vinyl or cd. That's also the reason why i don't need TOTL material?
 
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Welcome to AK. North America is still waking up. Give it a bit of time and I am sure that will you get the info you are seeking :)
 
i've only heard the Kenwood kr-5400 and the Sansui 800. i liked the kr-5400 and most Kenwood gear. the kr-5600/kr-5400 are nice and easy to work on if needed.

My KLH model Six speakers are in the laundry room so they don't get a lot of critical listening. Your vintage speakers listed should be very nice. Any vintage speaker will be expensive to ship. I'd look for some ADS L400 series too. might be perfect for your small basement room. personally, I'd get some Jamo s803s from amazon and focus on a vinyl setup with any left over cash.

welcome to AK.
 
Threads like these take time to get rolling. There is a huge amount of information, and it takes time to process and create a response.

The key here is what you think about it and you won’t know that until you put something together. The interfaces between the amp and speakers & the speakers and the room are the biggest determinant. Therefore, get the best speakers you can (that sound the best to you) and change the electronics out after you have had time to really listen critically.

The set up of your speaker and your room is critical. Experiment.

As for which pieces to buy:

1) any of the amps you list will be a good starting point. Buy one in good cosmetic condition. If you catch the HiFi big you will be trading up in a year, and it’s easier to sell a pretty unit. If not, you won’t want to be looking at a nasty looking unit for a long time. Obviously, working is important, too.

2) spend your time auditioning to the speakers instead of electronics. Speakers are the voice of your system. No one here can say what sounds good to you.
 
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So after reading Semanon's comment, i bought the perfect looking Onkyo tx-4500 for 220$ (185€),
because indeed for what i'm going to use it, it'll do just fine.

Now speakers are something else.
The one's i've listed are too far away to take the car and go listen to them. Sure they'll all won't sound bad, but i would sure like to see experiences and opinions om them.
So once again i'll list them with link and price.

KLH model 6 (for 263 dollars)
https://www.2dehands.be/a/audio-tv-...6-floorstanding-speakers.html?previousPage=lr

Polk Audio Monitor Series 5b (with the SL2000 tweeter) for 270 dollars
https://www.2dehands.be/a/audio-tv-...kers-polk-audio-per-paar.html?previousPage=lr


These are both 100km from home so that's why i wanna make the right pick.
I like the KLH's more if it comes to esthetics.
 
Glad that you found a good receiver. Why don't you put a new thread up in the Speakers forum asking your question? It will get noticed quicker. Also do a search here for both types of speakers. You mentioned the SL2000 tweeters so you may have already done that as they are discussed here: https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/polk-monitor-5-tweeters-suck.830162/

I'll give your Speaker thread (or this one is you decide against a new one) a bump later if it isn't moving.
 
I’ve never spent any time critically listening to Onkyo, but it is a pretty receiver. Enjoy and post your thoughts.
 
Focalized said:
So after reading Semanon's comment, i bought the perfect looking Onkyo tx-4500 for 220$ (185€),
because indeed for what i'm going to use it, it'll do just fine.

Now speakers are something else.
The one's i've listed are too far away to take the car and go listen to them. Sure they'll all won't sound bad, but i would sure like to see experiences and opinions om them.
So once again i'll list them with link and price.

KLH model 6 (for 263 dollars)
https://www.2dehands.be/a/audio-tv-...6-floorstanding-speakers.html?previousPage=lr

Polk Audio Monitor Series 5b (with the SL2000 tweeter) for 270 dollars
https://www.2dehands.be/a/audio-tv-...kers-polk-audio-per-paar.html?previousPage=lr


These are both 100km from home so that's why i wanna make the right pick.
I like the KLH's more if it comes to esthetics.
Click to expand...

Research the KLH model 6.
 
The only piece I have on your list, is the Pioneer SX-737. It sounds very lush and "warm/bloomy" (in a good, tubey way), and is absolutely beautiful, but it is a bit underpowered and not quite dynamic enough for me to have listened to it on a daily basis. It now is at my girlfriend's place, where she uses it solely for it's (very nice) phonostage, and to look uber hipster.

I have a pair of ADC 303AX speakers, which are apparently very good KLH 6 clones. Very good bass extension and feel, although not "fast", really. I am not a fan of paper tweeters, though. With a receiver like the SX-737, I imagine the presentation would be very mellow, but not really dynamic, detailed or really engaging for serious listening.

I would be interested to hear those Tannoys (even though not dual concentric like my 609s) and Polks.

No NAD 3020 on your list? That is a forever amp in my bedroom!

Let us know what you go with. Sorry I can't be more help.
 
Hi again, now i've also decided to go for the KLH's. They wake my interest the most. Thanks a lot!
Now we're here anyway... Can, in any way, a microphone be connected to the Onkyo or what do i need to
make a "70's studio"?
 
The manuals for the Onkyo TX-4500 are on the most excellent "hifiengine.com" website.
KLH 6 + Onkyo TX-4500 = very good match.
Parts for the 6 are easy and cheap to get, run them hard.
 
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Congratulations on the TX-4500. I got here late but was happy to see someone recommended it.
I have a TX-6000 and a mid-70s TX-330. Onkyo made quality gear.

I run my TX-6000 through vintage Goodmans and the Onkyos compliment old warm fairly sensitive speakers well.
 
Focalized said:
Can, in any way, a microphone be connected to the Onkyo or what do i need to make a "70's studio"?
Click to expand...
Most setups are really for playback, and don’t have all the functions needed for a studio. Your Onkyo has only line level and phono inputs. The line level inputs operate at about -10dB. Phono inputs operate at about the same level as microphones (about -60 dB) but have special circuits for RIAA equalization. This RIAA equalization will be very bassy and have an unbalanced frequency spectrum when used with a microphone. Some Kenwood (and others) had mic inputs, but most were phased out by he time your unit was built.

I would look for a modern USB mic and a USB to line level DAC or adapter. Older mics will be of poorer quality for the same money, and some newer mics have a retro look.

If you want to use a vintage mic, you can get a mic preamp. Post here before you do, because there are come nuances that can cause confusion, like dynamic vs condenser, balanced vs. unbalanced, etc. It is a different world.

Be aware, however, that mics and speakers in the same small room are a recipe for feedback, and may not work as expected.
 
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So, you’ve got the speakers and the receiver. What are your thoughts about sources? Turntable? CD? streaming online? stream local, tape?

Love to hear your thoughts when you get it hooked up. Let us know when it arrives.
 
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