Newbie needs advice

[Krawen]

Hi. My name is Krawen. I love listening to quality music, especially classical, but I'm certainly no audiophile. I've had a 4 channel set-up since 1973 but it's almost totally kaput. Only thing still working properly is my Pioneer Pl50A turntable, so I'm looking for some advice on audio equip. I'm looking for a compact, uncomplicated, good-quality system appropriate for a small room. But first, what I really want and need to know is the best/simplest way to convert LPs, cassettes, and reel tapes to CDs? Will greatly appreciate any input.

[Mr Peabody]

What price range are you looking at and are you still interested in multichannel or is stereo good enough? NAD makes receivers with built in CD which might be an option. For Classical you might appreciate stepping up to a NAD or Cambridge Audio. Cambridge makes some small size components but I seen mixed reviews. Rotel is another option and cansometimes be found reasonable used. If this is more than you wanted to spend brands like Onkyo or Harmon Kardon still make budget price stereo receivers with decent performance.

If you have a computer there are several ways to go about converting your analog to digital. There are USB turntables that come with software for this. I'd highly recommend upgrading the cartridge before converting. There are turntable preamps that would allow you to use your current Pioneer turntable. There are guys here that do this and can give more specifics on certain brands. You could also buy a stand alone CD recorder and just plug it into your stereo and use it like you would have a tape deck. Some rip to computer and just listen from the harddrive.