A newbie’s first post - what amp do I need..?
Jul 22, 2018 at 1:55 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 43

comiconart

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Hi all,

So...I am just now getting back into vinyl, and I want to do this right from the start, but a bit overwhelmed by what components best go together, and how to make the most of the pieces I already have. The more I read, the more I think I might have gone a bit out of order here...and now I am just looking for the best way to tie it all together now. So, here’s where I stand:

Started with a U-Turn Orbit Plus turntable (with built-in Pluto pre-amp), and paired that with Edifier R1280T bookshelf speakers (may look to upgrade here soon, but seemed like a great place to start based on reviews). Now, here’s where it gets murky for me: Also bought a pair of Sennheiser HD650 headphones...and I just don’t know where I need to go now. Do I need a dedicated amp for the cans? If so - do I also then need a normal receiver as well..? Or...is the receiver alone more than adequate to drive the cans and fully realize their potential..? Was looking at possibly going with a vintage receiver (Marantz 2238 or Yamaha CR-600, etc). Is this enough, or would I be best served also investing ina dedicated HP amp as well..? Goal is to find the sweet spot in terms of best sound without breaking the bank. Would like to get it right (for the most part) from the start.

Thanks for any help you can offer!
 
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Jul 22, 2018 at 2:05 PM Post #2 of 43
Welcome to Head-Fi.

Vintage receivers are an excellent low cost alternative to high dollar dedicated HP amps. They work great for high ohm headphones like the HD650s and planar magnetic headphones. Where youre not going to want to use a vintage receiver is with low ohm headphones and IEMs.

Of course not all vintage receivers sound the same. Some are warmer sounding than others,some are more detail oriented. Another issue is that some vintage receivers often need to be repaired/tuned-up,etc,so having someone near you that works on them is important.

Their upsides are numerous over dedicated HP amps.

If you have any specific questions feel free to ask.
 
Jul 22, 2018 at 2:15 PM Post #4 of 43
I have no experience with your speakers. I would suggest grabbing your rebuilt/tuned up receiver and seeing how your speakers sound paired up with it before deciding what to do next. Its quite easy to get overzealous and buy a bunch of stuff at the same time,and then not knowing which aspect of your system isnt to your liking.

As long as you stick to headphones 250ohms and higher(not including planars) you will not need a dedicated HP amp.

EDIT: After Googling your speakers they seem to be powered. Youre going to want to get passive speakers and let your receiver drive them,otherwise you will be bi-amping powered speakers,which can lead to distortion/destroying your speakers.
 
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Jul 22, 2018 at 2:28 PM Post #6 of 43
A good,well respected passive bookshelf speaker are these

https://www.amazon.com/ELAC-Debut-B...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=8VQM8Z8W3WEWVHBVVM2K

Theyre warm sounding as is. Adding a warm receiver+vinyl might be too much of a good thing. It depends on your personal preferences. I might suggest going with a neutral/brightish receiver to pair with those,unless you love that warm,warm sound.

There are certainly other passive bookshelf speakers out there,but I dont like to suggest gear I have never heard. Keep in mind that if it gets too bright,sitting close to the speakers might be fatiguing to your ears.
 
Jul 22, 2018 at 2:32 PM Post #8 of 43
I do not,sorry. If you provide your budget for the speakers perhaps others can assist.

You can try reading this thread and asking specifically for passive neutral suggestions there too.
 
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Jul 22, 2018 at 7:34 PM Post #9 of 43
Ok, thanks again. Ended up going with ELAC Debut B6.2. Now I just don’t know where to begin with receivers. This will be used almost exclusively for vinyl, so is there something specific I should be looking for based on the other components..? Not even sure if I should be looking at vintage receivers, or if something new would be just as effective, and less of a potential headache, etc. with vintage components, was looking at NAD 7140, H/K 430 Twin, Marantz 2230, 2238, 2245...and new, possibly Onkyo TX-8020. Also open to other suggestions. All of this is new to me. Thanks
 
Jul 22, 2018 at 7:58 PM Post #10 of 43
So...I am just now getting back into vinyl, and I want to do this right from the start, but a bit overwhelmed by what components best go together, and how to make the most of the pieces I already have. The more I read, the more I think I might have gone a bit out of order here...and now I am just looking for the best way to tie it all together now. So, here’s where I stand:

Started with a U-Turn Orbit Plus turntable (with built-in Pluto pre-amp), and paired that with Edifier R1280T bookshelf speakers (may look to upgrade here soon, but seemed like a great place to start based on reviews). Now, here’s where it gets murky for me: Also bought a pair of Sennheiser HD650 headphones...and I just don’t know where I need to go now. Do I need a dedicated amp for the cans? If so - do I also then need a normal receiver as well..? Or...is the receiver alone more than adequate to drive the cans and fully realize their potential..? Was looking at possibly going with a vintage receiver (Marantz 2238 or Yamaha CR-600, etc). Is this enough, or would I be best served also investing ina dedicated HP amp as well..? Goal is to find the sweet spot in terms of best sound without breaking the bank. Would like to get it right (for the most part) from the start.

Thanks for any help you can offer!

Those Edifiers won't need a receiver to drive them as they have a built in amp. If you have a a headphone amp with preamp output you can hook up its preamp output to the speakers' input, and you can control the volume from the DAC-HPamp.

Personally I wouldn't bother with regular Hi-Fi speakers and receivers taking up a lot of space - not just for power but for all the inputs and outputs you need to integrate a headphone and speaker system into the same space - if you don't even have a large enough space where you have the speakers equidistant and far from the side and rear walls. If anything maybe get a studio monitor. Even if each speaker has its own amp (which means you need to plug in both), these are designed to work as nearfield monitors close to you and the walls.

If you have the space to sit 1.5m or farther from the speakers while the speakers and your seat are at least 1m away from the walls on all sides then get hi-fi speakers and a good amp, preferably one with direct input to the amp or a pure power amp to work with the preamp output of a headphone amp that has it. Or find one that has a fixed voltage output to the integrated amp driving the speakers.


Ok, thanks again. Ended up going with ELAC Debut B6.2. Now I just don’t know where to begin with receivers. This will be used almost exclusively for vinyl, so is there something specific I should be looking for based on the other components..?

Other than a dedicated phono preamp input (ie just because it says "Phono" on one RCA pair does not mean it has a phono preamp built in) if you're not buying a phono preamp, or conversely, if you're buying a phono preamp make sure that the amp you buy does not have a phono preamp buitl into the phono input (or use any input other than Phono), not really. You'll have to look more into the amp power for your speakers. Also whichever way you go with those make sure you get the correct cartridge as phono preamps might not work with both MM and MC cartridges.
 
Jul 22, 2018 at 8:29 PM Post #12 of 43
If you look at my signature you will see I own several receivers. They go...

Ultra warm-Sansui 5000a-tremendous bass,lacks air,detail.Warmer than many tube maps Ive heard,without the euphonics of tubes.
Warm-Marantz 2226b-gave this unit to my son. Not a fan of the sound. Doesnt have the bass of the 5000a and it has some grain in the sound too,after getting it refurb'd.
Neutral/warmish-Sansui 881-prolly my best sounding receiver. Warmish sound,yet doesnt lack mids nor detail. Sounds phenomenal with my AKG Sextetts.
Neutral-Akai AA-1150-pretty neutral sound. Picked this up for $50.00,good bass,good details,clean sounding. Competes well with my bigger name receivers.
Neutral/brightish-Onkyo TX6500 MKll-Very detailed. Nice sounding receiver. Doesnt do anything bad. The only receiver I own who hasnt been to the shop.
Neutral/brightish-Kenwood Eleven GX- My most beautiful looking receiver...its simply stunning to look at. Sadly the sound isnt quite as impressive. Bass doesnt have the authority of my Sansuis. Needs to go back to the shop again.

Understand that I no longer own any vinyl so I cannot comment on their ability in the phono stage section. I would suggest narrowing things down to a few receivers and then reading and/or asking over on AudioKarma about the specific receivers phono stage.
 
Jul 22, 2018 at 8:38 PM Post #14 of 43
Also regarding modern gear....

I own a NAD T758,which is a modern AV receiver that costs around $1300.00,purchased it brand new. It cannot even come close to my vintage gear when it comes down to stereo sound,and is absolutely awful from the headphone jack.

Most modern gear uses a cheap,weak op-amp for the headphone jack. Vintage gear used the main amp for headphones with a resistor built in so you dont blow your headphones/ears.
 
Jul 22, 2018 at 9:11 PM Post #15 of 43
I just re-read your first post where you say:

U-Turn Orbit Plus turntable (with built-in Pluto pre-amp)

Does your turntable have RCA outs or just USB? If it has RCA you need not worry about the phono stage of the receiver. It should work fine going into the AUX input of any receiver,assuming again that it has RCA outs.
 

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