budget vinyl setup possible for >$200?
Jul 14, 2006 at 9:20 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 11

quoteunquote

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I have a lot of vinyl being passed down to me from my parents and I've used this califone that I obtained locally, but I've found that it's not playing my records at the correct speed. Besides, I'd like to have a proper setup.

My budget is about $180 dollars for everything. Turntable, Amp and Speakers...is it possible to get something going? It doesn't have to be up-and-over supurb..but allow me to enjoy the vinyl I own.

Any suggestions are very much appreciated.
 
Jul 14, 2006 at 9:35 AM Post #2 of 11
That's an awfully tight budget to work with... most starter turntable recommendations I see begin around $300, just for the turntable (sometimes includes a cartridge.)

You might be able to get an old, used AR XA belt drive table for $50. Its tonearm is awful, but, it'll outperform most cheapo direct drive and belt drive units available in places like Circuit City.

There's a buzz about these inexpensive speakers:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1138085354138

You might want to check those out.

The only budget amp that offers quality sound that I can think of is the Outlaw receiver which includes a phono stage... but, it's about $600.

Good luck.
 
Jul 14, 2006 at 10:50 AM Post #3 of 11
You need to check out local thrift stores and classified ads. Old AR / JBL speakers can sometimes be had for very little as transporting speakers is expensive. You also need to look out for old 70's recievers from the likes of Pioneer or Marantz which have built in phono stages or else integrated NAD amps from the 1980's like the 3020.
 
Jul 14, 2006 at 10:09 PM Post #4 of 11
I'd say to look for a decent Califone. There was one made in the 70s that was stereo and had a flipover needle to play 78s. It's a party machine!

See ya
Steve
 
Jul 14, 2006 at 10:19 PM Post #5 of 11
I bought some Sony bookshelf speakers (MB100H) for $26 each, I think the newest ones (MB150H) are approx. $50-60 each and are very good for the money and I also bought the Sony LX250H turntable ($130), both from Best Buy but Circuit City carries them too. I have an older receiver that I bought off Ebay, but there are a number of receivers that will work just as well. (Harmon kardon, some of the Sony, Panasonic digital, others as well). I just love this little system. It is on the warm side of neutral, but there is plenty of detail. I am amazed at how good it sounds for the money. I don't care for the Sony floorstanding speakers, but their bookshelf speakers are excellent for the price. I have less than $300 invested in this system and I just love it. My friends are also amazed at how good it sounds.
 
Jul 14, 2006 at 10:40 PM Post #6 of 11
Here 'ya go:


Numark PT01


I had a co-worker who was a DJ on weekends, had one of these in his cube to check out vinyl he'd picked up during lunch breaks. It has a built-in phono stage, headphone out, even built-in speakers and will run on batteries!

I don't think this would qualify as a "proper setup" to most Head-Fi vinylphiles, but it'll get you somewhere, and you'll still have the better part of $100 left over for a pair of Insignia 6.5s and a Sonic Impact T-Amp!
 
Jul 14, 2006 at 11:29 PM Post #7 of 11
Quote:

Originally Posted by clarke68
I don't think this would qualify as a "proper setup" to most Head-Fi vinylphiles, but it'll get you somewhere, and you'll still have the better part of $100 left over for a pair of Insignia 6.5s and a Sonic Impact T-Amp!


I'm loving this answer..this setup would work? Just output from the headphone out to the T-Amp and then from the T-Amp to the Insignias? Sounds like it would be fairly decent.

Any comments anyone?
 
Jul 15, 2006 at 12:28 AM Post #8 of 11
Quote:

Originally Posted by quoteunquote
I'm loving this answer..this setup would work? Just output from the headphone out to the T-Amp and then from the T-Amp to the Insignias?


It would certainly work, I have no idea how it would sound.

The Numark has a regular stereo line-out as well as two (count 'em, two!) headphone outs, so with an inexpensive stereo RCA > mini converter from Radio Shack you could try them both and see which was better.

The T-Amp doesn't have a whole lot of juice (the tripath chips are only distortion-free up to 5-7 watts), but the Insignias are fairly efficient...would probably work okay in a small room or for near-field listening. I read a post somewhere from a guy who was happy with his Insignia/T-amp combo.
 
Jul 15, 2006 at 5:59 PM Post #10 of 11
Just remember that you also want to also enjoy listening to your system, so going as "cheap" as you can won't necessarily be the best answer. There are plenty of reasonably priced, good sounding speakers, also reasonable but good sounding amps out there, but you must do your homework to find them. I suggested the Sony bookshelfs, some of the Radio Shack speakers are also good for the money, if you live near a Best Buy or Circuit City they have cheaper speakers and amps that may work for you.
 
Jul 15, 2006 at 6:43 PM Post #11 of 11
I started with a freebie old Technics table from another head-fier and it really helped me decide whether I liked the vinyl sound. I had a few records and obtained a few more cheap discs and immediately fell in love. If you just want to get something to try and do the same don't be too picky. If you're careful you can grab an 80's DJ table from a goodwill and then stop by a instrument shop and get a Shure Cartridge.

I ran a setup just like that for justabout a year before the motor died on my Technics table but it was obviously well used when I got it, so it was expected. Don't play any rare vinyl on it, just go to the $1 section and see if you like what you hear.

Eventually I got a killer deal on another old table but a very nice one. It was a hookup through another head-fier and I literally almost stole the thing so I can't give you much advice on a similar transaction.
 

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