mid-fi turntable system questions

jcparks

jcparks

Full Audioholic
Ok so first some background
My wife and I were talking about decorating ideas for the back wall in our living room... She wants to do a custom self system on the wall for books with a couple of wing back chairs. I suggested along with the books we could place a simple stereo with a record player, then we could also decorate with LP's which are cool as hell IMO. She totally bit... so now I get to build a humble midfi record player stereo system.

So my first question...
This system will be exclusively for vinyl. What exactly do I need?
I know I am going to need a turntable and a stereo amplifier, but I get confused about preamps... there are turntable preamps, general preamps, what exactly do I need? and how will everything be connected?

Second question
I think I am going to get a turn table from this company
[URL="http://uturnaudio.com/"uturnaudio[/URL]
for the rest of the system I plan on "treasure hunting", craigslist, flea markets, ebay, etc... So what are some brands that I should watch for? I'm not concerned about speakers, just the other components. I'm not picky about tube, or solid state. The more options that I have the better.

Thanks guys
-Chris
 
macddmac

macddmac

Audioholic General
How bout an integrated amp like a marantz pm 5004 ? The phono pre (mm) is built in.
Cheers, Mac
ps- nice work selling it to the wife
 
ImcLoud

ImcLoud

Audioholic Ninja
What you need will depend on which route you take, if you get a stereo receiver with built in preamp thats all you need with some speakers, if you get an integrated with no preamp then you need a preamp, if you get a power amp and a preamp, ect, ect...

What is your budget?

The Uturn looks like a nice table for the money....
I think this would make a fantastic little shelf system ,that you can also add another source too if you wanted, ipod, phone, ect...


MUSICAL FIDELITY M1 CLiC & M1 PWR BUNDLE at Music Direct I heard these and played with this controller, this stuff is very nice...
WHARFEDALE DENTON LIMITED EDITION 80TH ANNIVERSARY BOOKSHELF SPEAKERS (PR) at Music Direct {I own a piar of these they are really nice and super well made...

But that will be over over $2000 with the table and a behringer preamp... I just think it would look awesome together, but there are tons of options...
I own and love this tripath amp
Amazon.com: Topping TP60 Tripath TA2022 50WPC (80WPC 4 Ohm) Mini Amplifier: Electronics
preamps are cheap or expensive, emotiva just came out with one for 175 music hall has one for the same price, the behringer pp400 is $15 or so, rolls makes a $50 one, there are tons of them....

Speakers are the toughest part, I would say look for something front ported if you are going to put the rear of them close to a wall, and get something that digs deep without being to inefficient since you are probably not going to want a huge amp...

Since it is for aesthetics, you may want a tube amp, I have a jolida 202 they are around $1200 but it works really well and sounds good, not as good as ss, but it does the job, they are much more money per watt that is for sure...

So figure out a budget and let us know, maybe we can help with point you in the rite direction, who knows maybe you will want to add a cd player or streaming to it in the future... I find myself listening to music more than I ever watched tv...
 
jcparks

jcparks

Full Audioholic
I like the music fidelity set up, very attractive... but way more then what I'm looking to spend.
I'll explain my situation a little better.
My living room is a decent size, 25x14. On the south wall I have my theater system with a recently purchased TV, Sony receiver, and soon to be purchased HSU speakers and sub woofer. I subscribe to google music, and I use the chromecast to stream most of my music through my phone.
My couch is placed approximately 15 feet from my tv, and the theater is centered around that.
Behind my couch is approximately 10' of unused space. So my wife and I wanted to split the room up and take advantage of the empty north wall as a focus to utilize the remaining space in the room. That is where we will have the record player and shelves.
I am going to spend a good portion of my Tax return to purchase the Hsu speakers, for my main home theater in the front of the room. That is going to tap most of my big spending money.
The budget for the back of the room is going to be used mainly for actually building the custom shelves on to the wall. I will likely be bargain shopping for the furniture on craigslist, flea markets.. etc.
For the speakers I will be using my old JBL shelf speakers but I will be watching ebay and craigslist for a good deal on a set of Vandersteen model 1 or 2s, as I love the aesthetics and sound of that speaker. 3 months ago I passed on a beautiful pair of model 1's for 80 dollars cause I wasn't sure where I would use them, now I'm kicking myself. :p
I'm not in a hurry to purchase anything, but I am always browsing craigslist, and there is a really good flea market that I occasionally visit near where I live in San Jose, so I am always looking for deals. However on with amps, pre amps, etc I am a little clueless. So I need to learn what to keep an eye out for to jump on it when I see a deal.
The treasure hunting is half the fun...
 
ImcLoud

ImcLoud

Audioholic Ninja
What do you use for an avr? why not wire it through there if it is in the same room, you can put the components where ever you like, just run the cables.. You really just need a preamp and an amp you can do it really cheap... lepai 2020 and a behringer pp400 will cost you under $50, you already have the speakers, just need a table...
 
jcparks

jcparks

Full Audioholic
I could wire the avr to the back of the room... but I was looking to do more self sustained. I am kinda of envisioning almost an old school analogue. I will have a little wine bar in the area, and one of those electric fire places. I sit down with a guest, pour a glass of wine, pick an LP off the shelf to put some background music on. There is no fancy remotes or modern gadgetry. It is just a relaxing, old school environment. Almost a conversation piece itself.
I am familiar with Lepai, I use one to power the enerygy take 5 speakers that I have attached to my computer. ( I picked a full 5.1 energy take 5 at the flea market for 35 dollars). I like the Lepai, but for this area I am looking for more of a vintage feel, I however am not very well versed on vintage amp or preamps, and would like to know what to look for when I am out treasure hunting.
:) I'm complicated
thanks for all the help so far...
-Chris
 
dalumberjack

dalumberjack

Audioholic
I'm not in a hurry to purchase anything, but I am always browsing craigslist, and there is a really good flea market that I occasionally visit near where I live in San Jose, so I am always looking for deals.
High Five :) to another local silicon valley guy!

Good luck going to all those flea markets! Get a tamale from the old lady in the front, their delicious!
 
ImcLoud

ImcLoud

Audioholic Ninja
If you are going for "ambiance" I can tell you there is nothing like a tube amp, in my bedroom I have a Jolida 202 {$1200 or so for 40 watts}sitting on a custom made Black walnut amp stand, and a set of Satin Red Tekton Lores {very sensitive so they don't need much power to scream} there is nothing like letting the amps glow light the room and let the music put you to sleep..

You can get a decent tube amp cheap... Amazon.com: Jolida Audio - FX 10 Integrated Tube Amp Black: Electronics Rivals Audio Class A Single Ended EL34 Tube Amplifier | eBay then there are diy kits and a bunch of other options but they are definitely conversation pieces... Not a lot of power but if you are doing it for conversation ambiance, you won't be blasting music while entertaining...
 
slipperybidness

slipperybidness

Audioholic Warlord
What do you use for an avr? why not wire it through there if it is in the same room, you can put the components where ever you like, just run the cables.. You really just need a preamp and an amp you can do it really cheap... lepai 2020 and a behringer pp400 will cost you under $50, you already have the speakers, just need a table...
Normally that would be OK.

I would be really hesitant to run phono cables that far though. The small signal on the phono cable needs more gain than other types of sources. Combine that with a long run of cable that is more likely to act as an antenna, and you will almost certainly have a buzz in the system.

A good shielded cable may fix the issue, but a run that long might be quite expensive.
 
slipperybidness

slipperybidness

Audioholic Warlord
If you are going for "ambiance" I can tell you there is nothing like a tube amp, in my bedroom I have a Jolida 202 {$1200 or so for 40 watts}sitting on a custom made Black walnut amp stand, and a set of Satin Red Tekton Lores {very sensitive so they don't need much power to scream} there is nothing like letting the amps glow light the room and let the music put you to sleep..

You can get a decent tube amp cheap... Amazon.com: Jolida Audio - FX 10 Integrated Tube Amp Black: Electronics Rivals Audio Class A Single Ended EL34 Tube Amplifier | eBay then there are diy kits and a bunch of other options but they are definitely conversation pieces... Not a lot of power but if you are doing it for conversation ambiance, you won't be blasting music while entertaining...
Yup. If it is really vintage and ambiance that you want then tubes are sweet. They do require a bit more upkeep than solid state (setting bias, replacing tubes, careful not to short-cycle if it has a tube rectifier, etc). I would probably be looking at something with a bit more power than the ones listed unless those speakers are very sensitive.

Is DIY tube amp an option? And what is your budget?
 
jcparks

jcparks

Full Audioholic
First of all...
Halftime GO SAN FRANCISCO!! :)
Second
You guys are totally on the right track for what I'm looking for now.
Imcloud that Rivals audio amp is beautiful, that may end up being the one.
Now a question about vintage
If I find a vintage tube amp, What exactly should I be looking for? I am not afraid of DIY at all, I have built several computers and took an electronics class in college so I have some basic training. Tube amps seem to be a somewhat expensive thing to experiment on though. If I were to purchase a vintage, are the tubes, caps, transformers etc readily available, or will I spend lots of time and cash searching for brand specific pieces?
Thanks for all the info so far, it is great to have all this knowledge on tap when you need it.

-Chris
 
M

marksas

Audioholic Intern
I think this would look cool as hell for your setup...




This is a sweet vintage Kenwood KA-5700 integrated amp, of course there are plenty of others from this era as well to choose from. The last pic is with my speakers I built this year.
I would buy one that has been already "serviced" to ensure best audio quality or bring it to a local hifi shop if you have on near by.

Also, I've read great things about those Uturn audio turntables, great choice!
 
slipperybidness

slipperybidness

Audioholic Warlord
Hey Mark, very nice stuff....

JC, if you are not afraid of DIY, look into these guys...

Class A Single Ended EL34 5Z3P Tube Audio Amplifier 13W 2 HiFi Valve Amp DIY Kit | eBay
Personally, I would be a little cautious on that one. Looks like it's coming straight outta china and the instructions are gonna be tough. Probably better for an experienced builder.

The price on it is pretty good, on the other hand.....

But of all the items suggested, if I were the OP, I would most likely be taking a serious look at the Outlaw stereo.
 
bears_t2

bears_t2

Junior Audioholic
WOW!!!! I use to have a KA5700.. I bought it in Butte Mt in 1979... I wish I had it now. It was a great unit and sounded GREAT/
 
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