You must get this all the time.

Zymmee

Zymmee

Audiophyte
I have recently rekindled my love of listening to vinyl records. I have been researching my first audio system for the past few weeks and fell onto this forum. I thought I would list what I think I'm going to purchase and see if anyone has any other recommendations or points i should consider.
All I really want is a high quality 2 channel system dedicated to a turntable. I initially was looking for a power amp with a single component input but I ended up down the tube amp rabbit hole.
I am now looking at a:
Yaqin MS-23B tube phono pre-amp
Yaqin MC-13S tube amp
JBL studio 230 speakers.
I have an audio technica AT-LP 60 which I will upgrade at a later time.
My turntable is currently going through a Panasonic SU-HTB370. So I'm sure anything I get will be an improvement.
At 45 watts a channel will the 230's be sensitive enough? And do they need a subwoofer?
 
tyhjaarpa

tyhjaarpa

Audioholic Field Marshall
As you want high quality I would look for solid state amp/preamp instead of tubes as tubes will color the sound. For speakers I would look for AA Monitors if you are in budget.

What is your total budget for setup? How loud you want to listen? And how big your room is?
 
Zymmee

Zymmee

Audiophyte
Thanks for getting back to me!
The listening area is around 12' x 15' but it's a pretty open concept on the main floor. About 1000sq.ft. With an open area to the second floor.
Volume is not as big of a factor as quality. I want to be able to hear the music at a generous volume without any effort but don't have a need to make my neighbours ears bleed.
I have a loose budget of around $1k for an amp and 1k for speakers in Canadian so maybe $800 each US. I do want to find my best bang for the money however.
Thanks again for taking the time. I appreciate it.
 
zieglj01

zieglj01

Audioholic Spartan
The 230's need 20 watts per channel, having more power for a certain loudness (volume) level, the better -- they are around 86 db sensitive. They are -3db around 53 hz and -6db around 44 hz -- they tend to stay around 6 ohms and above. Sub is up to you.
 
Zymmee

Zymmee

Audiophyte
The 230's need 20 watts per channel, having more power for a certain loudness (volume) level, the better -- they are around 86 db sensitive. They are -3db around 53 hz and -6db around 44 hz -- they tend to stay around 6 ohms and above. Sub is up to you.
This is great info Zieglj01, You really know your stuff. I found this hilarious guy on you tube who reminds me of Jack Black that reviewed these and almost had me convinced but then I watched his review on the SVS Ultras. Now I feel my speaker budget may have just doubled. Do you think it would be worth the extra to go with the SVS or is it hard to justify double the price?
 
tyhjaarpa

tyhjaarpa

Audioholic Field Marshall
This is great info Zieglj01, You really know your stuff. I found this hilarious guy on you tube who reminds me of Jack Black that reviewed these and almost had me convinced but then I watched his review on the SVS Ultras. Now I feel my speaker budget may have just doubled. Do you think it would be worth the extra to go with the SVS or is it hard to justify double the price?
You won't get idea how speaker sounds from video of any kind as the microphone will cut sound out and your speakers / headphones will produce the sound differently anyways, if that is what you refer as youtube review of speakers.

Some here have liked the SVS Ultras and I would say they are pretty safe bet. Pair them with Denon/Maratz/Yamaha receiver that fits your budget and you should be good.
 
zieglj01

zieglj01

Audioholic Spartan
This is great info Zieglj01, You really know your stuff. I found this hilarious guy on you tube who reminds me of Jack Black that reviewed these and almost had me convinced but then I watched his review on the SVS Ultras. Now I feel my speaker budget may have just doubled. Do you think it would be worth the extra to go with the SVS or is it hard to justify double the price?
I do not put a lot of weight in those type of reviews. No one can guarantee anything for your ears. Nothing wrong with trying out the SVS speakers. You could always buy both SVS and JBL, and demo them in your home. Then see if you can justify the difference in sound and price between the two speakers. Then after you make the pick, send the other set back. Your decision and call. You will be surprised that a lot of times the differences in many speakers are small.
 
P

PENG

Audioholic Slumlord
Thanks for getting back to me!
The listening area is around 12' x 15' but it's a pretty open concept on the main floor. About 1000sq.ft. With an open area to the second floor.
Volume is not as big of a factor as quality. I want to be able to hear the music at a generous volume without any effort but don't have a need to make my neighbours ears bleed.
I have a loose budget of around $1k for an amp and 1k for speakers in Canadian so maybe $800 each US. I do want to find my best bang for the money however.
Thanks again for taking the time. I appreciate it.
If you can stretch you budget to 2K or a little more, you can get the KEF LS50 and a used 7.1 AVR in good condition. I paired my with a 13 years old Denon and it sounds so good that I don't bother using my separates on them any more. You can improve the sound further by adding a good sub later on, budget permitting. If you are in the GTA I can tell you where you can get a good deal on them. I recommend a 7.1 AVR for their more robust power supply that can be used effectively to deal with the relatively lower impedance and sensitivity of the LS50.

http://www.stereophile.com/content/kef-ls50-anniversary-model-loudspeaker-measurements#bs5qIJAYbrAKXLUW.97

http://ca.kef.com/ls50
 
psbfan9

psbfan9

Audioholic Samurai
@Zymmee, welcome to the forum!

Great suggestions so far.

If you're looking for two channel with vinyl I would suggest the Outlaw Audio RR2150 Stereo Receiver. It has all the ins and outs you require. It's a solid performer and well reviewed. $699.00


http://www.outlawaudio.com/products/rr2150.html

•High performance FM Stereo/FM/AM tuner

•Multiple inputs with separate record output bus

•USB input for playback of streaming audio output from compatible computers

•High quality phono input for both moving magnet and moving coil cartridges

•Processor/equalizer loop

The only stereo receiver with a subwoofer output that includes selectable, analog bass management

•Front panel "speaker equalization" selector adds a half-octave of bass boost at a choice of frequencies to improve performance with compact bookshelf speakers

•Front panel stereo mini-jack input for easy connection to portable devices such as iPod®

•Pre-Out/Main-In connections

And pair it with these;

http://philharmonicaudio.com/New Philharmonitor.html

$1,150/pr


The New Philharmonitor is the finest 2-way loudspeaker we know how to build for a price that is still affordable. We naturally chose a RAAL tweeter, since most any other dome or ribbon unit would compromise the completely open and natural sound that is the hallmark of RAAL drivers. Although the new RAAL model used in the Philharmonitor requires a fairly high crossover point, and therefore a smaller woofer, the Scan Speak 5.5" Revelator easily mates with the RAAL while still providing bass extension you would normally expect only in a high quality 6.5" woofer. The -3dB point is 45 Hz even without the aid of room gain, and there is useful output down to 40 Hz.

The sound of speakers is very subjective. I may love a speaker and you may not like it so much. Try to get out and listen to as many speakers as you can to find 'your' sound profile.

Good luck!
 
Pogre

Pogre

Audioholic Slumlord
This is great info Zieglj01, You really know your stuff. I found this hilarious guy on you tube who reminds me of Jack Black that reviewed these and almost had me convinced but then I watched his review on the SVS Ultras. Now I feel my speaker budget may have just doubled. Do you think it would be worth the extra to go with the SVS or is it hard to justify double the price?
I just bought a pair of Ultras a couple of months ago. I'm still in love with them. They're great speakers. You can sometimes find a pair with very minor scratches or chips for $800 US in their outlet. Some are even undamaged. That's what I did. Just kept an eye out for a week or 2 and scored a pair with such a minor chip we had to put a very bright light on it to see it.

They come with the full 5 year warranty and you have 45 days to send them back (shipping is on SVS) if you don't like them.
 
Last edited:
Zymmee

Zymmee

Audiophyte
So much to think about. Thanks to all of you that responded I loved getting everyone's opinion. I have a lot more options now to check out. I don't love the research or the shopping as much as I like sitting back and listening to some good music, but I guess I need to do it.
 
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