antoniofhowe

Well I just picked these up... http://www.monitoraudio.ca/products/bronze-bx/bx2/#/overview I listened to the Diamond Wharfedale 10.1's (they didn't have a set of 10.2's) and the 10.4's and these... these definitely sounded exactly what i was looking for. Now to hook them up!

I put another few hours on the 2M Blue last night and just now did some playing around switching between the 2M Red needle and the 2M Blue needle and I don't notice it anymore, so it must have just needed a burn in period. Looking forward to new speakers though because it still sounds like something is limiting the potential of the 2M Blue.

Thanks, I've had my eye on the Wharfedale 10.2's for quite awhile now. I'm going to see if I can find a pair in Calgary to give a listen too.

Yea I was thinking that too... any advice on a speaker upgrade? (I know it's rather subjective). BTW, love your city. For three years in a row I spent the last week of August there for work. A lot of time spent at State Street Brats, go Badgers!!

Hello everyone! Another upgrade advice request... Here is my current setup: Pro-Ject Debut Carbon with Ortofon 2M Blue (Just upgraded from a 2M Red last week) Cambridge Audio Azure 551P Phono Pre-Amp Cambridge Audio Azure 351A Integrated Amp Polk Audio TSi200 Bookshelf Speakers What would you guys consider to be my weakest link? I have $400 - $500 to spend on an upgrade this weekend and I suspect it's either going to be the Pre-Amp or the Speakers. I'm not sure if it would make a difference but I've noticed that the bass seems to be lacking a bit since upgrading to the 2M Blue, but I'm not sure if that's just a burn in issue (I have approx. 10-15 hours on it since upgrading).

Man I wish I had read this yesterday! I had a 2M Red on my Debut Carbon and went out and purchased the 2M Blue... then spent a good three hours swapping them and trying to get it aligned properly. Are you seriously saying all I had to do was swap the stylus unit? Hahaha For the record, the Blue sounds amazing! Now I just need to upgrade my Polk Audio TSi200's

I'm very new to vinyl as well but I believe the speakers are somewhat dependent on the size of the room. If it's a small room you can probably get some great quality bookshelf speakers for what would be entry level pricing for floor standing speakers. Just remember that if you go that route and buy stands, make sure they are not too tall. I made the mistake of getting 36" stands not thinking that when i'm going to be listening to my records i'm going to be sitting on my couch. Because of their height I'm missing out on some of the highs. I looked at that tube pre-amp as well but read an article about how the way it's designed is so entry level that it's basically a marketing gimmick and isn't a true tube type. I think you should get some advice from some of the pro's here before going for it, you may be able to get a better quality pre-amp for the same price. I went with the Cambridge Audio 551P but I think it's one of the first major upgrades I'll be doing. I went with the Debut Carbon as well and am very happy with it. The static cling of the felt matt drove me so insane though that I upgraded to the Acryl-it platter after two weeks. As for the amp, I went with a Cambridge Audio 351A but the Marantz PM6004 was second on my list. I never actually heard the PM6004 (they didn't have stock) so I can't say which is better or not, but at $400 ($200 off) I find it highly unlikely you would be disappointed. Anyways, enjoy the new hobby, I know I do! It's been a little more expensive than I thought (I've spend around $600 on LP's in the last three weeks, after dropping $1500 on the hardware). One thing I've learned is that the quality of the vinyl makes a huge difference. I have a couple of LP's where I really like every single song on them and want to play them all the time but the static drives me nuts. Then I have other brand new LP's that I also like and sound amazing with extremely little to absolutely no static. I've learned to search online for reviews of the vinyl before i buy it to see if anyone has issues with the quality. If it gets a bunch of bad reviews I just don't bother.

Thanks everyone, I've decided to go with the following setup: Pro-Ject Carbon Debut TT ($449) Cambridge Audio Azure 551P Phono Pre-Amp ($149) Cambridge Audio Azure 351A Integrated Amp ($549) Polk Audio TSi200 Bookshelf Speakers ($100) I've got everything on hold and am picking it up tomorrow morning, I can't wait! I'll still have to get speaker stands as well as a stand for the TT and Amps, not to mention cables so all In all I think I'm in for a good $1500 easy.

Yea, I think it would be beneficial for me to go phono-pre --> amp --> speakers. I will want to upgrade in the future. I've been getting a lot of recommendations for the Marantz PM6004 for the amp, does anyone have something else to recommend? Also, I don't know the first thing about phono-pre's, what brands should I AVOID?

I am in a top floor condo unit of a three level building. I have a neighbor below me I want to be conscious of so I'm not looking for something where I can "blast" my music and I plan on putting my speakers on stands to help reduce any sounds travelling through the floor.

Hello everyone, I've decided to get into vinyl and am basically starting from scratch. I've been doing a lot of research over the past couple of weeks and have become more and more confused. I've finally decided on the Pro-ject Debut Carbon for the TT. I also have the option of purchasing a set of barely used Polk Audio TSi200 bookshelf speakers from a friend for $100. My first question is, I know I need a pre-amp, but would it be more efficient to go straight from the pre-amp to a quality set of powered speakers, or does it make sense to go with the pre-amp and an amp OR an amp that already has a phono in? The part where I am most confused with is what are the benefits/negatives of going straight from a pre-amp to powered speakers over an amp and regular speakers? I want my turntable setup to be completely standalone, even with an integrated amp I would not be adding any other devices (tape deck, cd, etc..), it is strictly for the TT. My primary listening style will be 30's swing/jazz to 70's classic rock with a few modern jazz/blues LP's thrown into the mix. My overall budget is $1100CDN. I expect the TT to cost me near $450 so that leaves me $550 for a pre-amp and amp (or an amp with phono in) or $650 for a pre-amp and powered speakers. Any advice would be greatly appreciated, as well as an explanation of the pros/cons of going straight to powered speakers. Thank you!