Mid level Vinyl Headphone System - Head-Fi: Covering Headphones, Earphones and Portable Audio

Pricey · 07-13-2008, 05:08 AM

Mods not sure if this is the right place to post. Feel free to shuffle.
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My Alessandro MS1's have finally carked it. I really enjoyed having good music to listen too and have appreciated every second of them and they've held up strong for two years of portable abuse.

I'd like to purchase a headphone setup for home. I'd like to go vinyl before I go CD's as I haven't got much of either, but I'd prefer the vinyls to CDs. I don't have any gear at the moment, so I'll need a complete setup.

I'm a student and don't have very much cash but I understand the difference between entry level and mid level gear, so I'd like you guys to recommend me a setup that fills the void between quality and price.

My listening habits are mainly new genre's;
Jazz/Blues/Rock/Indie/Funk/Nuwave/Concrete/Electro

I plan on buying another set of MS1's for portable use and will purchase a set of dedicated 'at home' headphones. Perhaps MS2's?

I don't care for names. Quality speaks for itself. Prefer to go brand new as I don't know much about the gear yet, so have a high chance of getting dud gear going 2nd hand.

I a similar thread has previously been discussed could you please show me links before chopping me as a blackbelt search nazi. Cheers!

Gazza · 07-13-2008, 05:12 AM

Do you have a rough budget to go by?

Pricey · 07-13-2008, 05:18 AM

Well not really. Just looking across a few websites to judge prices and what not, I've come up with a $1500 budget (AUD). But I haven't dealt with vinyl before, I'm not sure if sources are more expensive going vinyl that CD.

Though if I had to spend an extra couple hundred to get a product that was alot better, I would.

juniperlater · 07-13-2008, 05:22 AM

If I had $1000 (didn't set a budget) for only new gear, I would buy this:

Pro-Ject Debut III ($349)
Belari VP129 ($250)
Litte Dot MKIII ($200)
Grado SR-225 ($200)

Done. Great analog rig. $999.

*EDIT* He added a budget while I was writing this.

Gazza · 07-13-2008, 05:32 AM

Hmmmm... an Aussie.

Prices here aren't the greatest and importing a turntable is a recipe for disaster due to the delicate nature of the thing.

Having said that, you can still get a decent set-up for your money.

Firstly, I'm a source-first kinda guy. Garbage in, garbage out and all that.

I'd say a Rega P2 with a decent Ortofon cartridge (moving magnet) and a NAD PP2 phonostage should eat up about $1000 of your budget. The great thing about a vinyl rig like this is that it's well made and the sound quality is very good. The RB250 tonearm can take a number of quality cartridges which means you can upgrade over time and only need to change cartridge.

After this, well, there are better people t suggest a good amp/headphone combo.

Pricey · 07-13-2008, 06:52 AM

juniperlater that looks like a sweet setup for only $1k!

Gazza, point taken. How do preamps/amps fair? Are they as susceptible to damage in transit?

Gazza · 07-13-2008, 07:13 AM

Preamp/amps/headphones are great to import as they're usually not too big and the Aussie dollar is strong against most major currencies.

Damage, well that depends how well they're packed.

Uncle Erik · 07-13-2008, 07:25 AM

Originally Posted by Pricey

I don't care for names. Quality speaks for itself. Prefer to go brand new as I don't know much about the gear yet, so have a high chance of getting dud gear going 2nd hand.

Even with a repair, you're still better off going used. A new Rega P3.24 will run you at least $1,000. You can get an excellent P3/Planar 3 for about $500. As long as the deck is disassembled, it'll ship fine. The Planar 3 I had was close to 20 years old, still going strong with the original parts. It needed a new belt and I cleaned out and re-oiled the bearing, but that wasn't bad at all.

There isn't much that can break on these simple turntables. There's a motor, a switch, a bearing, a belt, a platter, and the arm. The arm is the most delicate part. Ask for and pay for it to be shipped separately in a large box of foam peanuts. The other stuff can be replaced with a screwdriver inside of 10 minutes, you probably don't even need a manual.

I'd pick up a Rega P3 or Planar 3 with an RB-300 for about $500. You can find a used NAD PP2 phono stage around $100. Those don't break or go bad, either. But I'd spring for a new cartridge. The Grado Gold sells around $200 and sounds amazing with the Rega. That takes you up to $800.

$425 will get you a very nice Eddie Current EC SS, for a total of $1,225. Now, if you skip the second MS-1 pair, you'd be very close to picking up the Alessandro MS-2 as well for just about $1,500.

Pricey · 07-13-2008, 10:54 AM

Will the solid state preamp and amp you've mentioned detract from the analogue nature of the vinyl?

The NAD PP2 seems to be a favourite here.

juniperlater · 07-13-2008, 03:32 PM

Originally Posted by Uncle Erik

Even with a repair, you're still better off going used.

Absolutely.

You can find a used NAD PP2 phono stage around $100.

I checked this out and the phono stage in my receiver sounded better. I often see the Belari used for $150 or so. [/quote]

The Grado Gold sells around $200 and sounds amazing with the Rega.

Have you not had any problems with the Grado hum? Rega runs on AC current and the Grado is an unshielded cartridge. As the arm swings closer to the motor, the more evident the hum becomes. That is one of the reasons I recommended a turntable that runs on DC - less of a chance of cartridge problems.