Venture Into Vinyl

[SplinteredSkull]

I'm hoping that you all will be able to help me out on what I need to get to do this. I have decided that I want to get a home audio setup to play some vinyl records, both new and old.

My goal is to get something that has good sound quality, with the best bang for the buck. I'm not looking to be really cheap, but I don't want to spend more than I have to to get something good. While I currently have a speaker setup to play music from my computer and phone, I wouldn't mind upgrading. So in essence I need the whole shabang:
-Turntable
-Preamp
-Power
-Speakers

I've pretty much decided on getting the Audio Technica LP120-USB as the turntable. It seems to be the standard as a good budget turntable that has USB conversion. As for the preamp, I've come up with a small list of budget preamps with good reviews: Rega Fono Mini A2D, U-Turn Pluto, Cambridge Azur 551P, Schiit Mani, and Emotiva XPS-1. Any input out of those?

Where I need the most help is with the power and speakers. I have no idea what I should be getting. I'm looking to decently fill a small room (surround sound, semi-surround?) with accurate sound that spans the dynamic range of the music (subwoofer probably needed). I don't need quite audiophile status, but I want an enveloping atmosphere where I can at least hear some subtleties of the music. My budget on speakers+power would probably be $600 after spending $400 on the TT and preamp ($1000 total budget).

Should I be looking at home theater setups? Studio monitor types? Should I be getting a stereo receiver or some sort of power amp? (I'd rather have a passive speaker setup)

Finally, are there any extra accessories you recommend getting, like things to reduce sound interference? A specific mat material that works well? Something to go under the TT to reduce shock? I assume I'll need a Shure scale and some sort of protractor to align my cartridges?

[These are the speakers I'm currently using along with 2 old towers: Invalid Link Removed They're not bad for what they are]

 

[the harp unstrung]

Welcome Aboard!
I got my jeans in a knot a couple of years ago when we FINALLY couldn't live with what our old, incontinent cat had done to the wall-to-wall in the Music room. I pulled up the carpet and laid down faux panel flooring. I thought the room would lose all its warmth. It went the other way! The room came alive, and music out there has never sounded as good. Bear in mind; I'm the guy who HATES change...lol.
It's a big room...originally a two-car garage that the owners closed in some time in the 1980s. They did a fine job. Our Bose 501s, a Yamaha 100 watt amp from the early '90s, and a beautiful Bang Olufsen turntable that I inherited from my brother-in-law (spent $100something dollars to get it tuned up) fill up the room completely. I bought the 501s from a college friend who was moving from the 'Cuse to someplace in Arizona...he couldn't fit them in his Bug. I paid him $100 apiece in 1976. I've had them re-coned twice since then. They are 'the way music sounds' to me. I wouldn't understand the function of a pre-amp in our setting. I bought a digital tuner from Best Buy for $99 about 10 years ago. It works fine. The Sony CD player (one disk at a time) goes back almost 20 years.
I imagine that in 'today's dollars' we have $1000 dollars invested, but it's a HELLUVA system. I'd bet you don't have to spend nearly that much. Keep your eyes and ears open. There is an ocean of used gear out there!
Send along updates as it comes together. I'd love to hear more...

 

[Mike_D]

I will throw in my 2 cents on a few of your questions. There is no 'right' answer, everyone will have a slightly different perfect system.

Audio Technica LP120-USB is probably fine but remember that if you are on a budget, only pay for features that you need. This turntable has built-in preamp and USB conversion so if you are going to use those features then great but if not maybe there is a better choice. I went with the Pro-Ject Debut III based on simple design and high quality cartridge included.

Audio Technica LP120-USB:

• Built in pre-amp means that you can plug directly into a receiver or integrated amp that does not have phono specific input.
• Built in USB means that you don't need additional equipment to record records if that is your intention
• This is kind of a DJ style turntable so probably has features that you don't need (plays backwards). At a minimum, if you are interested in quality and upgrade-ability, look for adjustable skate and tracking (which LP120 has) so that you can adjust for different cartridges in the future. Additionally you need to decide if you want the turntable to be fully automatic (self start/stop), semi-automatic (lifting the needle at the end), or full manual.
• This is a full manual turntable, it will not place the needle on the start track or more importantly lift the needle at the end of the album. This is not a problem unless you think that you are going to leave it playing unattended - if you go to sleep with it playing it will still be running with the needle on the runout when you wake up.

Pre-amp: I have the Cambridge Azur 651P and I like it. I am not an audiophile so I can't fill pages of descriptive prose of its sound but I think that it sounds great and seems to be a high-quality piece of gear. 651P has subsonic filter built in which can prevent record undulations (warping) from fluttering your speaker cones. I would like to restate that your preferred turntable has a built-in preamp so buying a dedicated phono preamp is something that you can eliminate from your initial budget and save as an upgrade for later if you are so inclined.

Power amp and speakers: Vinyl is a stereo format. Surround sound is for home theater. Along the same lines, subs are great for Home Theater but for music I prefer full range speakers. If you listen to music with tons of bass, this may be hard to achieve and so you may be happier with bookshelf speakers and a sub. If you think that you will want a sub, you can build a very nice sounding system with bookshelf speakers and upgrade to a sub in the future. Studio Monitors are for Studios, they tend to have a very flat accurate sound which may or may not be to your liking. Amp wise you would be looking for a receiver or integrated amp, integrated amp is just a receiver without the tuner. I went with an NAD C720BEE and a pair of Klipsch KG-4's. You can also go vintage or find a receiver that still has a phono input thereby removing your need for outboard phono preamp, new receivers with phono input are limited but there are some.

Accessories: I have an audioquest carbon anti-static brush to take the dust off of records and an RCA Discwasher to clean filthy bargain bin records. I wouldn't worry about a scale or protractor initially. The counterweight is marked with tracking weight, I am sure a scale is more accurate but certainly not essential. Likewise with the protractor, I think my turntable came with a printed card that I could put on the turntable to adjust the cartridge - I did and it was perfect from the factory.