New to Vinyl: Help Me Pick My Complete System(Speakers, Amp, Pre-amp)

tommylittle

tommylittle

New Member
I'm brand new to playing records. Actually I haven't played one since I was 5 years old on my Fischer Price Record Player. I've recently ordered a custom cabinet from Gothic Cabinet that will hold 12 and 7 inch records as well as the components. It's due to arrive December 5th so I wanted to get the other pieces of the puzzle in place. With help from an earlier thread I think I'm going to buy a Technics 1200 (either MK2 or MK5, not sure the difference) from Kabusa with the tone arm fluid damper and Cardas Tonearm Rewire, (also possibly 78 rpm mod). I still need to decide on speakers, amplifier, pre-amp, and connecting wires. I'm already taking the turntable out of the total budget so, my remaining budget for the other components, (the speakers, amplifier, pre-amp and wires) is probably somewhere around $1500-$2500. The room I'm putting it in is approx 22 feet x 13 feet with 8 foot high ceilings. It's a carpeted room with a few couches. I mainly listen to rock music including Beatles, White Stripes, Raconteurs, Dead Weather, Killers, Shins, Rolling Stones, as well as some softer stuff like Jack Johnson and Bob Dylan.
Thanks for any help you can give me.
 
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I would keep it simple.

There are many integrated amps with phono these days in the $500-1000 range that provide good value for the money. Look at Cambridge, Rotel, and NAD.

Speakers are a personal taste. For rock, I would look at full-range floor standing dynamic speakers like the Vandersteen 1c or the PSB Image 5T.

Even with $200-300 for speaker cable, you could come in well under $2000. I assume you are buying new and not used.
 
I agree with vinyl1--keep it simple. NAD integrateds no longer seem to have phono stages, but, looking at online sites like Audio Advisor, their PP2 can be had for an additional $129 dollars and lets you choose between MM and MC cartridges, something most built-in stages at the budget level won't give you.

I'll disagree to some extent with the Vandersteen 1C recommendation, even though that's what I use in my own system. Vandersteen freely acknowledges in their FAQ section that the little 2-way has some compromises in terms of dynamic range and ultimate volume level. These limitations are not a problem with the space I have to fill, my preferred music (chamber works or small acoustic folk/jazz ensembles), or the volumes I need to maintain to be a good neighbor to my fellow apartment dwellers, but your needs might be somewhat different.

I would consider high efficiency speakers like Klipsch Heresy III's ($1600 per pair). With such speakers, a low-cost, low-powered but highly regarded amplifier like the NAD C-315BEE ($349) will give you all the power you need for dynamic, lively performance. I was very impressed with the sound quality a friend got with his NAD 3020 integrated and Klipsch Heresy speakers, and his tastes also ran to high-powered rock and jazz music.

I wouldn't spend a great deal on interconnects or speaker wire. I now hook up everything with generic type wires from the local hardware store (as per Frank Van Alstine's recommendation), and the system sounds great. At the very least, such cheap wire gives you a good standard for comparison. Several times when I've gone to a friend's home to trouble-shoot a system, I'd find some bizarre cables or wire they'd been told were great. It was amazing how often their system was "fixed" just by using some standard interconnects and wire.
 
NAD C326BEE Integrated Amp
NAD PP2 Phono Stage
PSB ALPHA B1 Speaker

You would easily be under $1000 here and would have an awesome bang-for-the-buck system with a Technics 1200.

I would take the remaining cash and get a Audio Technica OC9 MC cartridge for your technics. The PP2 has MC capability so your good to go.

Monster Alpha Snake interconnects and some 14 guage OFC speaker wire will round it out for not alot of money.
 
Well, since we're spending your money...

Outlaw RR2150 Stereo Receiver
Ascend Acoustics CMT-340 Loudspeakers
Denon DL-160 cartridge

The Outlaw has a very fine moving magnet phono stage that will work with any high output moving coil cart as well. It also delivers 100 wpc into 8 ohms, so you'll have plenty of juice.

The Ascends are really "mini-towers" and have surprising bass response for a bookshelf. But, if you want you can use some of your leftover budget and throw in a good sub, which will allow you to take advantage of the RR2150's analog bass management feature.

Finally, the DL-160 is a great match with the Technics arm (either mk2 or mk5). Mount it on a Zupreme or Sumiko headshell and you're set.

Agree with the other posters on interconnects and cables. I've used various AudioQuest cables, and I've also used the much lower priced Blue Jeans Cables. Both sound great to me.
 
The Vandy 1's are a great choice, and cheap, though the 2CE/CE Sigs can be had for $600 or thereabouts (+/-). They are an incredible speaker, and a big jump over the 1's. They are kind of big, though. If space is more of a consideration but you can still do floor standing speakers, I like the Quad 22Ls. There was a pair on AGon yesterday for something like $800 if I remember correctly. Very beautiful. For CD, I like the player I have - the Rega Planet 200. They are very cheap used at around $400. You cannot go wrong. I went the inexpensive route on my TT and accessories a few years ago, and I bought the Rotel RQ-970X over the PP-2 NAD. The Rotel gets really good reviews, and costs $199 new. The Bellari is also polular under $200.

With respect to the table, I'd skip the Technics and go with a good used Music Hall or Thorens or Pro-ject, and then spend a little more on a new cartridge. There are lots of great tables in the under $500 range (Project Debut IIs for $249, for example...). I have the 1 Xpression, and it has served me extremely well for three years. Good luck and have fun!
 
Check out these Tekton speakers. I have read nothing but great things about them for the last couple of years. Specifically the 4.5 ($300) model. They look awesome with the Bubinga wood (additional cost to $500 I think).

http://www.tektondesign.com/loudspeakers.htm

They have a free 30 day in home trial if interested. But from what I have read (never owned or heard a pair myself) these are truly amazing speakers for the money. One owner who I respect (Mark Deneen) who designed and built VRD amps and JuicyMusic Blueberry preamp raves about these little speakers. Which is a pretty good testimonial as far as I am concerned.

I won't chime in on amplification, but if you do decide to try the Tektons, they require very little power to drive them.

If you don't have experience mounting and aligning a cartridge on a TT, you might want to talk to Kabusa about one of their cartridges (I think they are Stantons) that don't require alignment until you get a little more familiar with how it is properly done. It isn't rocket science, but there is a learning curve.

I think the 1200 MKII is a smart purchase. Built like a tank and is very serviceable.

Good luck, sounds like you are going to have a pretty nice setup when all said and done.
 
You're getting some great advice here, tommylittle. I don't think I have anything to add except to say that the answer to your question about Rega vs. Music Hall vs. Technics is probably not so much a question of one being better than the others but of personal preference. I think if you do enough searching on this and other forums, you'll probably find lots of opinions to help shape yours. Just be aware that none of them is likely to "blow out of the water" (as so many like to say) the others.
-Bob
 
No mention of cartridge in your OP, budget at least 200 bucks for that. Any used gear dealers where you live so you can listen for yourself? Used gear will double, at least, your return for your money.

A nice vintage Yamaha or Sansui integrated amp will get you a very good phono stage along with a very good amp.

The Vandersteen 1C's sound far better than the later 2C versions if you don't measure goodness by volume.

Cables are up to you, but don't buy them at the same place you buy weed-whacker wire at least for your TT if it can use detachable cables.
 
tommylittle said:
I'm brand new to playing records. Actually I haven't played one since I was 5 years old on my Fischer Price Record Player. I've recently ordered a custom cabinet from Gothic Cabinet that will hold 12 and 7 inch records as well as the components. It's due to arrive December 5th so I wanted to get the other pieces of the puzzle in place. With help from an earlier thread I think I'm going to buy a Technics 1200 (either MK2 or MK5, not sure the difference) from Kabusa with the tone arm fluid damper and Cardas Tonearm Rewire, (also possibly 78 rpm mod). I still need to decide on speakers, amplifier, pre-amp, and connecting wires. I'm already taking the turntable out of the total budget so, my remaining budget for the other components, (the speakers, amplifier, pre-amp and wires) is probably somewhere around $1500-$2500. The room I'm putting it in is approx 22 feet x 13 feet with 8 foot high ceilings. It's a carpeted room with a few couches. I mainly listen to rock music including Beatles, White Stripes, Raconteurs, Dead Weather, Killers, Shins, Rolling Stones, as well as some softer stuff like Jack Johnson and Bob Dylan.
Thanks for any help you can give me.
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You will not get any easier to set-up or easier to live with TT than the Stiff Technics (or similar stiff japanese average TT) but when it comes to quality of sound You could get better TT's than the Technics at same or lower price tags.
These alternatives might be belt driven or suspended or even both which might demand a shelf mounting and proper adjustment will be needed.

Within that budget, it would, in general, give more for the buck to stay with integrated amps and if you can find a integrated amp famous for having a good phono stage that would be the best.

To get external RIAAs/Phono Stages competitive with really good internal phono stages would probably set you back around $ 750 or more.

Consider a good cartridge.
You won't get much great sounding cartridge below $300-500.

When it comes to speakers, it is not easy to know the preference yours and if you by all means want all the frequencies or you want it to be honest.
Within your budget it will be hard to get both.

I would gladly advice more precisely on brnads and models of each but first, please take into consideration what I wrote.

"dolph"
 
If you don't mind buying used equipment, an Adcom GFP-565 preamp and Adcom GFA-535 (60w at 8 ohms), GFA-545 (100w at 8 ohms) or GFA-555 amp (200w at 8 ohms) would make great companions with your SL-1200...including a good phono stage on the GFP-565...and probably consume only around $500 of your budget. That would leave you at least $1,000 for speakers.

Speakers are a wide-open topic in my opinion, but being able to spend at least $1,000 there would be important to me. Depending on how much power you will have, I like the Focal Chorus series...especially the bookshelf models. With floorstanders, I might look elsewhere. I would not match up the Chorus with the GFA-555, though....too much power for them. Perhaps spending a little less, I propose a look at the Klipsch RB-61 and RF-62. Extremely efficient, so another good match for lower power. I'd also recommend looking at Monitor Audio. I like the RX6 floorstanders, but again...not with the GFA-555. Pretty reasonable prices:

http://www.monitoraudiousa.com/products/silver-rx/rx6/your-speaker

Again on the topic of used equipment, I'm a big fan of the ProAc bookshelf speakers, which could perhaps be squeezed into this budget on the used market. They have amazing midrange. My expectations on bass aren't huge, so I guess this is a disclaimer on my part...as wonderful as the midrange is, some people might expect more bass out of them. In a room the size of yours, some people might expect the need for floorstanders. My experience, though...the bookshelf speakers can get plenty of volume going...it's more a matter of taste. If a floorstander isn't really well-built, you may notice some coloration that wouldn't have existed in the bookshelf model.

For those interested in the turntable discussion, I would recommend reviewing tommylittle's other thread so we don't repeat too much here and get confusing.

tommylittle said:
Are Rega P3-24 or Music Hall MMF-5.1 SE better TT's than a Technics 1200?
Click to expand...

Endlessly debatable topic.
 
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tommylittle said:
Are Rega P3-24 or Music Hall MMF-5.1 SE better TT's than a Technics 1200?
Click to expand...

They are different.

If you really want a 1200 to sound good, you have to rewire the tonearm and remove the circuit board so that the tonearm cable goes direct into your preamp. Even with this tweak, the Rega has a better arm and will take a better cartidge, although guys are always rewiring Rega arms too.

You should really listen to these tables in a system similar to your and see what presentation you like best, but there are a lot of variables.
 
Is it possible to get any tube amplifier in my budget? I've always loved the look of the McIntosh MC275 with the cage off.
 
It is possible, but

tommylittle said:
Is it possible to get any tube amplifier in my budget? I've always loved the look of the McIntosh MC275 with the cage off.
Click to expand...

A good tube amplifier would eat up a large portion of your budget, and likely limit your speaker choice to an efficient speaker. I would first try to listen to as many speakers as possible to see what sound I prefered. That will help in the choice of amp that you need to best drive the speakers. I'de then choose the turntable/tonearm/cartridge to try and balance out the system for the sound i was looking for.

But, be forwarned most of us wind up with more than enough gear
 
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