Tardcore

mostly agree with the above. $500 puts you toward the bottom of a lot of the typical midrange selections. My personal upgrade path went from some Polk Monitor 70s to a pair of Monitor Audio RX1s that I got new on clearance for around $500. From there I moved to a pair of Monitor Audio RX8s that I found used on Craig’s List for $750. There are a lot of solid choices in the $500-$1000 range used market.

Not vinyl related but I recently added some SVS Prime Elevation speakers to serve as front heights in my AV setup AV receiver - Marantz SR7012 Stereo Amp - Marantz PM8004 (powering Front L/R) Front L/R - Monitor Audio RX8 Center - Monitor Audio RX Center Front Height - SVS Prime Elevation Surround - Monitor Audio RXFX Subwoofer - Monitor Audio RXW-12 Sources - Apple TV 4k, PS4

Roger. I’ve owned the Marantz PM500x, PM600x, and PM800x. The PM5/6 seemed pretty similar to me and are a reasonable purchase if you can find one at the right price. For a while Amazon Warehouse was selling PM5004s off and on for less than $200. Very good buy at that price. the PM800x series is a different story. It’s made in Japan along side the $$$ reference series and is far beefier than the 5/6 series. The feature set is basically the same with the exception of the 8 series having a power-amp only mode that allows you to integrate it with an AV setup. This is the route I personally recommend. You can find a used PM8004 or PM8005 used for around $500 if you’re patient (I’ve bought 2 for under $500). There’s one on EBay now in that range with less than a day to go.

yeah...about that...

Jaime, Arya, And The Hound are basically the suicide squad. I’d like to see Arya abandon her vendetta v.s Cersei to help the Hound Kill his brother and Jaime step in to Queenslay his sister.

Should list what speakers you're using as well. Most of the usual suspects in your price range will handle a wide range of speakers but some may not be rated for a 4ohm load.

GRRM has said that the whole fire-proof thing is sort of a one-off (two-off?) trick. Fire-resistant may be more appropriate. John burned his hand way back in Season 1 when he saved Lord Commander Mormont from the wight.

important to understand that a receiver is by definition a preamp + amplifier + radio receiver. Usually at minimum you need an "integrated amplifier" which is simply a preamp + amplifier. The "preamp" part of the equation is basically volume control. Products like PM5005 or C 316BEE are Integrated amplifiers and will work great for a vinyl setup as they also include a "phono preamp". a "phono preamp" is not to be confused with the "preamp" mentioned above.

I “accidentally” bought a Marantz PM8005. I bid on it on eBay because it seemed too cheap and ended up winning. I might is it as a second amp to power my fronts (along with my existing PM8004)

be sure the tape out is selected. Usually you have to select the input and then tape1/2 to get sound output for recording.

does your receiver have a Tape Out?

if you have a computer, you probably just need a turntable.

I assume you can ground to the preamp and the turntable should come with the appropriate cable. You’ll likely want to eventually upgrade the speaker end, but it’s a good start. The only other thing is that you may want something like a Schiit SYS if you still want to use the speakers with your computer and then switch source to the turntable.

I owned a Marantz PM5004 and a PM6004 before eventually upgrading to a 2nd hand PM8004. If I had to choose between a PM5005 and the Rotel A10, I would probably go with the Rotel just because of the Preamp out/trigger feature that may come in handy down the road. THAT SAID, based on my own experience, I would recommend keeping an eye out for a used Marantz PM800(4/5/6). I see them come up used for around $500 (in the US) here and there and I am really happy with mine. Although, if you're in NZ/AU area, I understand that the prices/market for stuff like this is much different than in the US.

If you think insurance will cover it, I would just run it hard and see if it fails. You could pull it apart and see if there’s visable water damage, but if it’s working now, it’s probably ok.