non-audiophile needs some help, please

[BIGPERM]

OK I admit it...I am not well-versed in the audiophile speak. This is a hobby I am just getting into. I was born in 1975 and have always loved classic rock, 80's rock, 80's adult contemporary, etc etc and etc. I discovered the love and warmth and social aspect of vinyl albums on my dad's hand me down "hi-fi" system from the early 90's.

What i want is a hi-fi vintage set-up to play my vinyl albums on.

I currently am using;

Sansui G-5000 pure power reciever
Technics SL-D3 TT with Ortofon 2M Red stylus
Sansui s-2100U Speakers (from my dad's 90's setup)

Living in a house with large living area and we have parties frequently with volume usu at 50-60%.

I need to get the reciever re-conditioned, but aside from that I need advice on how to maximize listening pleasure from my amp/tt combo.

I need advice on a pair of $500 speakers that would go well with this combo as well as advice on whether or not I need a separate pre-amp for the speakers. And for that matter any advice whatsoever for a new guy into this amazing way of life.

[Mr Peabody]

A preamp is the low signal section with volume, selector and other controls. The power amp is what drives your speakers.

What is wrong with the speakers you have now?

If your receiver has preamp outputs you could look into adding a power amp for more drive and volume. A good bang for the buck on the used market are Adcom amps. You could probably pick up a 555 or 5500 for $500.00 or less, both are 200 watts per channel, the 555 is an older model than the 5500.

I don't know if you will find what you want in speakers for $500.00. You might take a look at some JBL or Infinity. There are very good bookshelf that could be had for $500.00 but it don't sound like what you are looking for.

Take a look at Paradigm speakers to see what price would get something you like.

I like Ortofon carts. You could try an external phono preamp to see if it improves on the one inside the receiver. My guess is it would, how much depends on what external you get.

Really there are a lot of things you can do. Maybe if you help us target what specifically you are looking to do we can narrow the options. Hope this helped some.

[02audionoob]

I'm on board with Mr. Peabody in that I was thinking a $500 pair of speakers might not be the best move. I found somewhere that the receiver's amp output is 45 watts per channel, so if I did indeed shop for speakers and I wanted vintage I'd say Klipsch. Some of their speakers are very efficient and could probably get pretty loud on 45 watts. Example:

http://www.klipsch.com/products/discontinued/details/forte-ii.aspx

[bfalls]

I'm on-board here too. A nice pair of vintage Klipsch' would be nice. I own a pair of Kg4s which would sound very nice and in your price range. The Fortes, Hereseys or Chorus' would also be good choices. The Hereseys are a little bass-shy for me, but they get great reviews from audiophiles for their mid-range transparency. I would also say the LaScalas (actually first choice), but I don't think you can find them in your price-range.

For vintage speakers you might also look at some Advents, Infinity Quantum series, EPIs, AR3/AR4, early Polks or Pioneers, but for your limited power I think the Klipsch' would be your best bet.

I can recommend the Kg4s whole-heartedly. I've had mine since the early to mid 80s and will never part with them. I also have a pair of $6500 Legacy Focus, which are excellent speakers, but I don't think any better, just different.

If you want vintage sound you might, dare I say it, go with earlier Bose 901s, or 601s. I'm not a big fan, but they were very popular during their time.

[BIGPERM]

Thanks for the info. I dont see a specific preamp outputs on the reciever; it does have an input and output for "4ch/nr". I have no idea what that means, though.

I guess there isnt much wrong with the speakers i have now. They are 100w max at 8ohms with 3" tweeter, 4"midrange, and 10"woofer. They came with the Sansui TA D2100 reciever. I guess I was just looking for something better, as I mine are not as popular as say Klipsch. I just havent seen anyone recommend people to go out and buy my model speakers.

[Auricauricle]

Don't buy anything just because it's "popular" or because somebody told you you have to have something, BIGP! When you say, "I guess there isn't much wrong with the speakers I have now", are you saying that they are physically intact, but that the sound isn't very appealing?

What, do you mean when you say this?

[Mr Peabody]

You might just try shopping around for a more powerful vintage receiver or amp. I have a Sansui AU-9500 I'd be willing to part with but it's a pretty sought after piece so it wouldn't be as cheap as finding a typical vintage piece. It don't have to be so old but look for a 100 watt Onkyo receiver, they have a strong amp section for a mass market receiver.

[cjpremierfour]

I think that your Sansui s2100u's are your weak link and should be the first upgrade. That's just my opinion.
There is a bunch of "Vintage" full range speakers in that $500 price range that you should research / take a listen to. Everyone has different taste and you will find that some of these brands have fans, while others may actually hate them....

If you want to go vintage:
Big Bozak's, Pioneer HPM 100's, Dahlquist DQ-10's, Fraizer Mk 5/6/7's. Genesis/ EPI ( 200,201) with the dual 8" woofers, DCM Time Windows, Infinity RS & Kappa series, AR9/ 98's, Polk SDA's, there are just so many out there.
But, if I had to recommend a vintage speaker for your set-up, it would be a pair of JBL L100t's. I think that your 45 watts would be plenty for this large 12" 3 way speaker, it should also play pretty loudly for your late night parties. If you get a chance, reseach the vintage JBL speakers. This company had their stuff together back in the 70's and 80's!

[BIGPERM]

I love it when my friends call me "BIGP!", auricauricle.

Well I have an update....My sansui speakers are the weak link, cjpremier4.

They dont carry any base....the highs tend to be shrilly. I bought a Polk subwoof this w/e. It gave the punch I was lacking but I think sounds kind of sound crappy when I have to separate the base from my main speakers like that. I am taking it back to bestbuy.

Peabody....I would like a more powerful amp, but love the g5000. I dont want to amplify crappy speakers anyway.

I just want an awesome set of speakers so I can feel Peter Frampton really come alive and the next moment curl up to Pink Floyd and pick up all the subtle nuances, while at the same time whipping out Black Sabbath, Jethro Tull, my newest 80's retro (whatever that may be), Smashing Pumpkins, and finlly Nine Inch Nails.

[BIGPERM]

Basically I have a vintage reciever and turntable, but need a great "all round" pair of speakers that will handle every form of music on vinyl from old to new.

Looking at Polk Ri10's or even the LSi series (both out of my price range)

[Mr Peabody]

I wouldn't normally say this but while at Best Buy give a listen to some Klipsch. If you are going to keep that amp then you will need speakers with Klipsch efficiency to Rock. Paradigm is a happy compromise between more efficiency and actually sounding good but may be out of your price range. You might also try some JBL, look for something 92 or higher SPL rating on efficiency. You'll see the Klipsch are probably at like 98dB efficient. Another alternative would be powered speakers but again you are going to be beyond what you might want to spend. I suspect you aren't going to like the Polk, too sweet, but I could be wrong, it's hard to completely know what some one will like from just talking. Sometimes we'll hear something we haven't even imagined and it will floor us.

[Mr Peabody]

I wouldn't normally say this but while at Best Buy give a listen to some Klipsch. If you are going to keep that amp then you will need speakers with Klipsch efficiency to Rock. Paradigm is a happy compromise between more efficiency and actually sounding good but may be out of your price range. You might also try some JBL, look for something 92 or higher SPL rating on efficiency. You'll see the Klipsch are probably at like 98dB efficient. Another alternative would be powered speakers but again you are going to be beyond what you might want to spend. I suspect you aren't going to like the Polk, too sweet, but I could be wrong, it's hard to completely know what some one will like from just talking. Sometimes we'll hear something we haven't even imagined and it will floor us.

[BIGPERM]

Yeah...i probably will do just that. Taking the subwoof back tomorrow. Just looking for full rich sound in a 2 speaker 2 ch setup and it aggravates me that I dont have it already! I will check out he klipsch. Any advie on a 2,3, or 4 way speaker set up? As in, "why a 2 way and not a 3 way?"

[02audionoob]

When you use a sub for music, my opinion is that you need to turn it down so you don't really notice it's there, adjust the cut-off of the low frequencies to probably around 80 Hz, and maybe place the sub sort of near one of your main speakers. If you can hear where the sub is coming from, it needs some adjustment. I definitely feel like I need a sub, but I don't always have it turned on. Sometimes I forget whether it's on or off.

[Mr Peabody]

The more drivers you have to do specific frequency ranges the more complex the crossover network needs to be. Hence, a 3-way and above will require a more complex crossover than a 2-way. If done correctly complexity = more cost. There's probably other more technical reasons as well like driver matching and all that entails. When buying budget speakers you are more likely to get a better sounding 2-way than a 3-way at the same cost, generally. Audio is like the tax code there's always exceptions.

[theebadone]

Why buy new, you already have a vintage receiver. If i were you i would keep an eye on my local craigs list, you just might be able to get more speaker on your budget than you think. just my .02 cents worth. good luck on whatever you decide