Vinyl record stereo setup?

[JelloPuddingChat]

Can any one comment on or suggest the makings of a very good stereo setup for listening to vinyl? I'm talking Speakers, amps (tubed), turntable or anything else that should be included. I'll probably use it for other audio sources too, but I do want great vinyl quality. I own some old records from my dad, but I want to start collecting more current music and have never owned anything to play them. I know these things get expensive. I guess 2 to 3 grand is a realistic budget that I could see myself investing. I just want some ideas. Thanks.

[greghead]

I recommend checking out the speakers/audio gear thread. It's buried somewhere in the misc. lounge.

[JelloPuddingChat]

I will do that. Thanks.

[newnostalgia]

if your gonna go out and buy a deck.. get a technics. handsdown the best recordplayer on the market, for any genre.. i use mine primarily for old school rnr and anything else i wanna hear with that full sound. i dunno much bout old school amps or speakers though.. im sure itll sound amazing with some tubes.

[wmgaretjax]

Don't buy a technics. They really aren't really good playback tables. They beat entry level stuff, but that's about it. A mid-level table from rega or pro-ject (and many vintage models) with a decent cart will blow them away easy.

[newnostalgia]

im gonna have to disagree man.. depending on what technics table u got. ive heard rega.. and personally i think its crap. their speakers suck even more.

[wmgaretjax]

what rega model? with what cartridge? what kind of preamp and what speakers?

no one in their right mind would deny a mid range rega wiped the floor with a technics given the rest of the set up meets it in quality... an argument about value might carry some validity, but it all depends on how much you are willing to invest.

most likely you have a technics slated with a super bright cartridge (like most) and think that bright sound = quality.

[Alchemy]

Jared,

I'm considering a Pro-Ject Debut III. Should I not use its cartridge? Are there good cartridges that aren't too much more than $100?

Thanks,
Tim

[wmgaretjax]

Yeah. There are plenty of good cartridges for much lower prices. I'd recommend upgrading to somethin like the Denon dl160 and using the stock cartridge as a back up. You can probably spring for something nicer but that is a really good starting cartridge that will treat your records really nice. It'll also expose you to a nice warm sound that you can use to feel out your preferences in that department.

[RoughSteez]

jello pudding pop's are fucking delicious.

[JelloPuddingChat]

Thanks for the feedback. I have yet to search for the old thread, but I'll bump it if I find it. And that's the thing I'm looking for with turntables is audio playback. If there's a performance turntable that sound great then I'll consider that, but I was thrown off when Technics were mentioned.

[microcuts]

I have a technics sl 1200 mk5 with a shure m25 cartridge (planning on upgrading that real soon), audio technica pre-amp, going through a jvc 5.1 home theater system. Not sure how much everything was but probably around the 1000 range.

And I couldn't be happier honestly. Yeah, you could probably throw down several grand more and get arguably subtle improvements. Just get what you can reasonably afford and you WILL be pleased.

[shoegazer76]

Technics have just recently announced they are no longer making the 1200. Its a great turntable but not the best. Tens of thousands of dollars can be spent on a turntable. Thorens & Lynn Sondek are audiophile turntabes at reasonable cost. Most audiophiles prefer the "warm" sound of tube amps by makers such as Sansui, Marantz, and Mcintosh. Speakers made by Bowers & Wilkins, Miller & Kreisel, Apogee, definitive Technology & Dahlquist are all audiophile quality. You can spend thousands on a cartridge also. I use a $120 Ortofon Arkiv cart to transfer vinyl to digital with Audacity. This program also allows you to remove crackle and pops from old records. Oh and its free!

[wmgaretjax]

Thorens have great tables. Truth there. The upkeep on them is a bit more than Regas and Pro-Jects (simply because they are less readily available) from what I know.

Personally, I'd argue against a tube amp unless you really know that's the kind of thing you want (i haven't really been sold on them unless they are over a grand or so, so I have a non-tube one myself). The best way to decide really is to find a good audiophile shop and have them demo stuff to you. If you get a table, be sure to take your gear in though so you aren't wooed by things that are outside your chain.... It's easy for a 500 buck tube amp to sound incredible if it's wired to a 5 grand table with a 1 grand cartridge.

[shoegazer76]

I prefer solid state also. Outlaw receivers are really awesome. I forgot to add that speaker connectors are a big deal also. You can spend hundreds on speaker wires also. You don't want to buy badass speakers and use shitty speaker wires & connections. There are makers of amps speakers and turntables that many have never heard of before. The ones I listed above are for serious audiophiles with a bit of cash that aren't multi millionaires.

[wmgaretjax]

while i agree connectors are important. i honestly believe you can get really great ones for fairly cheap. the biggest things in my book are keeping all the cables as short as possible and using identical lengths for each channel.

[JelloPuddingChat]

Great insight. Thanks guys. I think a visit to and audiophile shop would benefit me the most. Is there no discernible difference between solid state and tubed? I know when it comes to guitar amps that the difference is huge. Of course this is probably just a whole other animal.

[choice cat]

I bought a marantz 2230 receiver a couple years back and it has worked fabulously for me. nice tube sound. get one that has the wooden case, looks really clean.

[wmgaretjax]

jello, there is definitely a huge difference. there are just lots of cheap-ish tube amps that are designed to capitalize on their appeal. as such, I've found that most low-mid end solid state amps trump similarly priced tube amps in quality.

one thing that hasn't been mentioned... in my opinion pretty much every low-mid range turntable will benefit from a quartz speed control (like the pro-ject speed box I or II)... you also get the benefit of being able to push a button to switch from 33 to 45 (if your table doesn't already have that functionality). you'll get huge gains on the quality of playback for fairly cheap.

[gazercmh]

I think a visit to and audiophile shop would benefit me the most.

Yeah, it can be very helpful to go in and listen to a few setups across different price ranges and see if your ears really pick up the differences, and if you think the differences are worth the cash.

20 years ago I bought a Hafler amp, NAD preamp and KEF speakers, and they're still going strong. Or my ears have deteriorated at the same rate they have haha...