darko Posted December 11, 2007 Share Posted December 11, 2007 So I just moved to an area where I have access to record shops that sell vinyl and picked up some old favorites today. I love records but don't know the first thing about how to set up a decent soundsystem. I currently just listen to music through my computer. I get the idea through browsing through some old posts that the Rega P1 is the turntable to buy. But what about the rest of the system? I'm kind of a minimalist and was thinking about combining the Rega with the Tivoli Audio RadioWorks system (see here: http://www.tivoliaudio.com/product.php?productid=195&cat=267&page=1) However, I'm under the impression that system has no preamp/phono input. Is there any way to work around that with that system? What about some other setups? What do you guys reccomend? (Please keep in mind I'm working with a somewhat limited budget, and would ideally like to spend no more than $800 total including the price of the turntable) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kyle Posted December 11, 2007 Share Posted December 11, 2007 An $800 budget pretty much puts takes out almost all of the really cool SET tube amps (IMO, tubes are THE way to listen to vinyl), but you can still get some cool shit. Here's a couple questions before I make some recommendations... -Do you mind buying used or do you only want to buy new? -Is vintage gear OK? (keep in mind that even though something is 30 years old stuff back then was built to last, they didn't build things with obsolesence in mind, furthermore with analog playback vintage setups will usually have a better sound than modern solid state equipment) -Do you have any experience with electrical work (soldering, etc)? You can get some awesome bang for your buck amps if you're willing to buy DIY kits (all instructions included). -The thought of building an amp mind sound outrageous but building a speaker is surprisingly easy and you can get the sound of $1000+ speakers by only spending about $150 (I'm not kidding) if you simply build the cabinets and such). Would you be down for DIY speaker building or do you want to buy off the shelf components? -Approximately how big is your listening room going to be? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darko Posted December 11, 2007 Author Share Posted December 11, 2007 My listening space is a 10x10 bedroom. No technical knowledge when it comes to electronics - basically I'm looking for something pretty small and low maintenence. I don't necessarily mind vintage gear though, provided it's affordable and easy to take care of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kyle Posted December 11, 2007 Share Posted December 11, 2007 First off, to answer your question about phono inputs... Most receivers and amps built today will not have phono inputs, you will need to buy a seperate phono-preamp. OK, if you want some killer sound and you want it done as simply as possible here's how I'd go... For a turntable the Rega P1 is a nice choice, although it eats up half your budget, but thats not a problem and it can be worked around. It still leaves you $400 for speakers and amp or receiver. I would pick up a Marantz 22XX model receiver (there are models ranging from 2210 and up to 2290, the two numbers after '22' representing the amount of watts per channel it delivers). 15W per channel is more than enough with a decent set of speakers. A Marantz receiver will set you back $80-200 on ebay depending on model and condition, they all sound great and will mate well with a turntable. This was hot shit in the 70s and they sound great, plus they have a built in phono-input. This vintage Marantz gear has a great reputation for build and sound quality. If you're only going to spend $150 on an amp or receiver, there's pretty much no better bang for your buck option out there. Do a search on ebay for Marantz, then limit your search to vintage electronics, and then to receivers and you should get 40+ auctions for 22XX series receivers. I own a Marantz 2216B receiver and its great, its holding me ove while I build my own tube amplifier and preamp. That puts us up to approximately $550 spent and you need to buy speakers. I'd go modern here, as vintage speakers have parts that can wear out, they can be fixed, but its less hassle to deal with. You really don't want to cheap out, no sense in buying a sweet turntable and a good receiver only to mate them with some crappy Best Buy junk speakers. There are some very good sounding speakers made by Epos, Infinity, B&W, etc. but most of their budget lines start at $300, which puts you over budget. That said, you can find used models for $200 and you're in business. Now, I hate to sound like I've been recommending all of this simply to plug my own stuff, but I actually have a set of Epos ELS-3 speakers for sale right now if you're interested http://vinylcollective.proboards79.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=sale&thread=1196717591&page=1 Another option for speakers is to build your own. Again, not nearly as hard as it sounds. You pick out a set of drivers (the actual speaker itself), build a cabinet, and wire it up (literally as simple as running the speaker wire from the speaker itself to the binding post in the rear where you hook up the amp to the speaker). Fostex FE103 drivers are $38 each, add about $40 in wood and you're pretty much in business. This stuff will sound a helluva lot better than some off the shelf systems that cost hundreds more. This is the route I am going, but the drivers I'm going with are going to cost about $100 each. Check out this page to see a simple design that you could build yourself http://diyaudioprojects.com/Speakers/Fostex-FE103E-Zigmahornets/index.htm Obviously you have lots more options, these are just some of the easist/most bang for your buck ways. If you wanted to buy an older turntable, you can save some money and get nearly the sound you can get from the Rega, but you might have to mess with re-wiring the tone-arm, adjusting the stylus, tracking, etc. that it might not be worth the hassle for you. If you wanted to actually try your hand actually building your own amps you can buy kits from http://tubedepot.com/diy-k12m.html (super sweet first time DIY amp build kit) or http://bottlehead.com/ (I will be getting the SEX amp and Seduction preamp, very good shit, but these two amps will eat up your entire budget). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kyle Posted December 11, 2007 Share Posted December 11, 2007 OK, I hope that didn't confuse you too much. I'll go ahead and write some Cliff's notes. IMO, probably the best ways to spend $800 on a turntable setup is to do the following: -Rega P1 turntable $400 (new) -Marantz 22xx receiver $150 or less (used) -Epos ELS-3 speakers $200 (used) And it still leaves you $50 to spend on cables. You get high quality stuff and you'll have pretty much no hassles. Honestly, except for the turntable, that is my exact setup and it sounds awesome. The only reason I'll be switching is I really want to run tube amps and I love building shit myself. Also, the speakers are great, but I have to sell them because they won't mate well with the amps I'm going to get (for dorky technical reasons). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kyle Posted December 11, 2007 Share Posted December 11, 2007 One more post... check out Audiogon.com for good deals on used audio gear. I'll answer any question you have, so feel free to ask more if you wish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronniethebear Posted December 11, 2007 Share Posted December 11, 2007 +1 for droppin' the knowledge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ps Posted December 11, 2007 Share Posted December 11, 2007 +1 for droppin' the knowledge. No shit. I might have to pick up a vintage marantz receiver to go with my new(old) marantz 6300. Didn't know I could get them that cheap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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