Returning to vinyl

[Genxbrewer]

I have recently returned to vinyl after many years.

I have a HK T45C w AT-12SA into a Pioneer SX-580 out to some Advent Baby II and Bose 2.2 in a 14x12 foot room.

I would like to upgrade and add more power and better sound. I have about $600 to spend... any advice is welcome.

Amp upgrade? Add pre-amp?

thanks in advance

Josh

 

[xero-D-hero]

Better speakers (8 ohm / 90+ dB) and a small (8" / 100 to 150 or so wpc) subwoofer.
Just make sure the subwoofer accepts speaker level inputs / outputs for use with that vintage Pioneer receiver.
Plenty of lower wpc rigs can sound truly exceptional,so dont underestimate that Pioneer too quickly.

My Sansui AU/TU-217 rack system fits that premise.
Only 30wpc but it sounds oh-so-sweet.

Speakers for that Sansui system are some JBL LX-22 -or- LXE-330 on a rotating basis.
And a sub just fills out the bottom end oh-so-nicely.

Plus it helps a lower wpc system by carrying it's own weight in terms of wpc.

Should be easily do-able for that stated budget w/$$$ left over.

Go after more power later on when the budget is there to really do that sorta upgrade justice.
That's a pretty small room so with the right speakers even just 20wpc should be plenty loud.

FWIW ~ HTH

Bret P.

 

[Bob in WI]

If I remember my smaller Advents (1st generation), they did not need a sub.
But, if you really like thumping, maybe so.

I'd enjoy what I have for now but keep an eye out for upgrades.
I could say upgrade the speakers & a great deal on a receiver comes along. Obviously, you'd upgrade the receiver.
Just watch for opportunities & be ready when the right one comes along. One always does.

 

[xero-D-hero]

If I remember my smaller Advents (1st generation), they did not need a sub.

Maybe so,but the OP has Baby Advent II's.
Different speaker,different specs.

IIRC the Small Advent is rated down to like 33Hz +/- 3dB.
Those Baby Advent II's are rated at something like 60Hz +/- 3dB.
That's gonna be a noticable difference.

Also,if one chooses to "compensate" for seemingly lacking bass response the natural tendency is to crank up the bass knob.
So doing that just puts an additional load on the OP's 20wpc receiver.

A subwoofer lets one move some of that low end bass reproduction to the plate amp on the sub.
That inturn lets one dial back the receivers bass knob some.
If not running it "flat" depending on the bass controls given turnover Hz.
And doing that lets the low wpc receiver concetrate on reproducing everything else above the crossover Hz.

Some subwoofers even have specific filters to control this as a feature.

With a speaker like the Baby Advent II @ 60Hz I'd probably cross the sub over at something like 75-80Hz.
That lets the sub's output overlap the natural "drop-off" of the speakers low end response.

But, if you really like thumping, maybe so.

Done right integrating a subwoofer should be seemless and wont sound "boomy" @ all.
It just fills out the lower frequency range as would a speaker with a wider frequency range.

FWIW

Bret P.

 

[Bob in WI]

I guess Advents aren't what they used to be.
The decision then is, is it worth it to reinforce the bass or should the Advents just be moved on for a better speaker altogether.
At 20 wpc, the speakers would have to be pretty efficient but there's plenty of efficient speakers around.
Some guys are running flea watt amps that put out just a few watts.
Not sure how far $600 will take you in that direction however.

 

[Hoytis]

Agree with Bret...focus on speakers...rest of your system is decent. Just make sure they have high sensitivity so they're easy for that amp to drive. If I had $600, I'd be looking at something like (new) KLH Kendall floor standing or (used) Cerwin Vega D3 or Dynaco A-25

 

[onanysunday]

I'm not sure what the phono stage on your SX-580 sounds like, but for not a lot of cash (around $40 shipped NOS) you can pick one of these Realistic phono preamps that run in pure Class-A and sound really good (if you keep your eyes on the auctions). Models include 42-2101/A, 42-2109, 42-2930 etc..

 

[Genxbrewer]

Thanks for all the advice. I am looking at a pair of pioneer hpm-60 speakers locally or something better

 

[bluesky]

Amp: 1987 Sansui AU-X701, 100W. Has an MM / MC selector switch. No pre-amp required, sounds just fine.

Sounds simply wonderful. A cross amp between the old school sound & the new sound. It's Sansui's 1st 'alpha' amp.

It's the smaller brother of the AU-X901 - 130W (which I use as my main amp). The sound quality of both is identical.

Not easy to find - but not impossible, just can't be in a hurry.

 

[Bradbrews]

Better speakers gets my vote also.
I wouldn’t hold out for anything in particular though but go after something known to be decent that pops up locally.
I recently added some Snell KII’s and JBL L30’s to the group- although both need to be refoamed. Point being get something else to try out that you can pass on if you decide it’s not what you need.

 

[losthorizon]

I was moaning about the sound of my JVC r-s7, it sounded too bassy playing through my Yamaha NSF-51 speakers and I had to turn the treble fully up and reduce the amp's bass to get the sound I wanted, after going over the problem in my mind I changed over to a pair of Mordaunt Short bookshelf speaker on large stands, Wow there was the problem solved, my yammies were just too big for the room, everything sounds balanced now.