Need Advice on Equipment for Vinyl

[Dom]

Hey guys. I'm new to this forum.

I've had a pretty basic record player for about 3 years now, and my vinyl collection has been getting a lot bigger the past few months. I need a new set up, as I don't really notice much difference between my records and my cd's. I listen to pretty much any kind of music on vinyl (Radiohead, The Beatles, Charles Mingus, Aphex Twin, Serart, etc etc) so I need a set up that would provide maximum range, ie, not too much emphasis on high or low frequencies etc. I've tried doing some research but to no avail, because I'm fairly bad at it. I have a budget of around £200, I'm not sure where that'll get me, but I'm sure I should be able to get something decent. I'm not too bothered about wether the speakers would be floor speakers or not, and I suppose I could make room for a subwoofer, but only if it's gonna make a lot of difference. This is purely for vinyl purposes, so something that plays exclusively vinyl is fine, anything else is a bonus.

Hope I can get some handy tips. Thanks for reading!

Dom

[JohnMichael]

Hey guys. I'm new to this forum.

I've had a pretty basic record player for about 3 years now, and my vinyl collection has been getting a lot bigger the past few months. I need a new set up, as I don't really notice much difference between my records and my cd's. I listen to pretty much any kind of music on vinyl (Radiohead, The Beatles, Charles Mingus, Aphex Twin, Serart, etc etc) so I need a set up that would provide maximum range, ie, not too much emphasis on high or low frequencies etc. I've tried doing some research but to no avail, because I'm fairly bad at it. I have a budget of around £200, I'm not sure where that'll get me, but I'm sure I should be able to get something decent. I'm not too bothered about wether the speakers would be floor speakers or not, and I suppose I could make room for a subwoofer, but only if it's gonna make a lot of difference. This is purely for vinyl purposes, so something that plays exclusively vinyl is fine, anything else is a bonus.

Hope I can get some handy tips. Thanks for reading!

Dom

Dom I guess welcome to AudioReview. Judging by your other posts I wonder about your interests here. I am not sure if 200 pounds is going to do much for you. It sounds like you are expecting a complete system for that price. Please correct me if I misread. You can barely buy one componenet of a stereo for 200.

[02audionoob]

I would have the same concern as JM. Since we're talking about vinyl, though, I'd suggest looking at used Rega gear.

[JohnMichael]

I would have the same concern as JM. Since we're talking about vinyl, though, I'd suggest looking at used Rega gear.

Yes but he also wants floorstanding speakers and a subwoofer.

[Dom]

I wouldn't take notice of my other posts, I had to post 5 times before I could post a thread...

If we can forget the budget for the moment, how much would it cost for something decent. I am fairly new to all of this, and at the moment it's mainly me researching it all. I don't really know how much I would need to spend, I thought £200 would be enough... I didn't saw I want floor speakers and a subwoofer, just that I'm not bothered about either. It's three questions really...

How much would it cost for a decent enough set up to notice a quality difference?

Would a sub woofer make much difference?

Would I need a diamond needle? (I think I've heard somewhere that they're better)

If there's any other questions I should consider, let me know. Like I said, I'm new to this and a bit lost as to what I need to look for.

[02audionoob]

There will be several pieces that need to go into the system, but I'll start with a turntable suggestion. The Rega Planar 3 shown for example in current eBay auction 250859506509 is about what comes to my mind first. You'll need a phono preamp unless your system already has a phono input. The Rega Fono Mini would be a nice economical choice to combine with the Planar 3.

But this takes quite a bit of your budget. If you want to keep prices lower, you might want to try Japanese turntables from the 1970s, like the Technics SL-Q202 in auction 180697461062.

To address your question about diamond needles. They're the standard in the industry. Anything worth having will have a diamond tip.

[JohnMichael]

We might be of more help if you can tell us what kind of equipment you already own. If you are willing to buy used you might find a system for that price. You would need a turntable with a cartridge and an integrated amp with a phono preamp built in and a pair of speakers. I have no idea where you can shop for used gear in your area. Second hand shops might be a place to look. Buying new and in US dollars I would think you would have to spend between $300-500 for a turntable and cartridge. $300-500 for an integrated amp with built in phono preamp. Small bookshelf speakers around $250 and up.

[Dom]

Well I have a Steepletone SMC99R and some crappy Sanyo speakers. That's about it. I'm really desperate for an upgrade and something a bit more serious... at the moment it sounds like I'll need to roughly quadruple my budget.

[02audionoob]

If you want to stay with new equipment, something like the Rega RP1, Marantz PM-5004 and Mordaunt-Short Mezzo 1 are examples that are in the ranges JM has suggested.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rega-RP1-Turntable-Titanium-Ortofon-Cartridge-/170664356985?pt=UK_AudioTVElectronics_HomeAudioHiF i_Turntables&hash=item27bc636c79

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Marantz-PM5004-Amplifier-black/dp/B003R7KMTC/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1311468001&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mezzo-1-Black-Mordaunt-Short/dp/B003H1E40Q/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1311467896&sr=1-3

[hifitommy]

i am not familiar with the steepletone. it looks like a cheap all in one unit that should be given to one of your children or a friend that has no unit at all.

i would begin by looking for real components and buy used. 200 pounds could buy a turntable and cartridge as a starter and more if you buy a receiver and speakers.

i suggest frequenting some of the stereo shops near your residence and get a feel for what you really need.

i hope you dont take offense to this assessment but i was once in your shoes. it took a fair amount of going around to shops and figuring out why speakers sounded different.

and yes, a sub will increase your feeling of realism but first you'll need some credible speakers and a good receiver or integrated amplifier.

if youre already familiar with some products, let us know about that and perhaps someone here can more appropriately guide you.

[blackraven]

I would look at a pair of Wharfedale Diamond 10.2's. Also consider a pair of Monitor Audio S1's, S2's,RS1's, RS2's and RX1's. The Mordaunt Shorts mentioned earlier are nice as well.

These would be a great start to a good budget or midfi system that would do well as you upgraded the rest of your chain- http://www.superfi.co.uk/index.cfm/page/moreinfo.cfm/Product_ID/5589 They are an excellent sounding speaker. Here in the US they sell for about $500. I was wanting to buy a pair for my son but they were out of his budget and we went with a pair of PSB B6's which is another excellent budget speaker. I just gave an updated review on them in the speakers thread.

For amps or receivers consider Cambridge Audio gear.
Here's a great buy on an Onkyo Integrated amp-
http://www.superfi.co.uk/index.cfm/page/moreinfo.cfm/Product_ID/3467 This sells for $600 here in the US.

The Pro-ject turntables on this page are good budget tables-
http://www.superfi.co.uk/index.cfm/page/category.cfm/category/104/StartRow/1/pageno/2/sort/asc

A system with those Wharfedale Diamond 10.2 speakers, Onkyo A9155 amp and a Pro-ject debut or expressions turntable would be a kickass budget system.

But Dom, on your budget, you should definitley consider the used route for gear. There is a lot of good used gear available and you can build a really nice system and save yourself a lot of money.