$350-500 on receiver + speakers

[Nevets306]

I currently own a techniques 1200mk2 in black (eventually will do the power supply mod). I just moved to LA from NYC. In the market for a receiver and speakers. Looking for something with a vibe. I know there are so many options and don't know where to even start. I had a sansui G7500 at one point but thought it sounded kind of boxy and too midrangey but that could of been my RAL speakers which sounded terrible or some of the room acoustics as well. If you had 350-500 to spend on a receiver and speakers what would you recommend and where are some places to look online that you would feel comfortable having shipped? I listen to Classic Rock, Jazz, Newer electronic and Indie Rock, Classical. Maybe something vintage.

 

[Gmoney]

check out Accessories4less, you’ll be able to pick up a refurbished AVR and a pair of nice bookshelves but you’ll have to up around 5 or 6 Benjamin’s. 350? bottom feeders for sure. Polk bottom feeders L50 maybe AVR maybe but not both. Maybe check out Craigslist for used

 

[KEW]

These would be very good speakers to get in your budget:

2 Pack 6.5" 3-Way Tower Floor Standing Speakers Home Theater Audio DCM MTX Pair | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 2 Pack 6.5" 3-Way Tower Floor Standing Speakers Home Theater Audio DCM MTX Pair at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

I have bought from this seller and they are legit.

I wanted to suggest this stereo receiver, but it is currently out of stock. Give Accessories4less a call and see if they expect more anytime soon.

YAMAHA R-N303 2-Ch x 100 Watts Networking Stereo Receiver

Yamaha Factory Refurbished

www.accessories4less.com

Getting a good receiver with a phono input is not easy with your budget!

Unless you Sansui was messed-up, I think it was probably the speakers that sounded bad, but at 30+ years old, the receiver could be trash!

 

[Gmoney]

These would be very good speakers to get in your budget:

2 Pack 6.5" 3-Way Tower Floor Standing Speakers Home Theater Audio DCM MTX Pair | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 2 Pack 6.5" 3-Way Tower Floor Standing Speakers Home Theater Audio DCM MTX Pair at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

I have bought from this seller and they are legit.

I wanted to suggest this stereo receiver, but it is currently out of stock. Give Accessories4less a call and see if they expect more anytime soon.

YAMAHA R-N303 2-Ch x 100 Watts Networking Stereo Receiver

Yamaha Factory Refurbished

www.accessories4less.com

Getting a good receiver with a phono input is not easy with your budget!

Unless you Sansui was messed-up, I think it was probably the speakers that sounded bad, but at 30+ years old, the receiver could be trash!

yeah KEW! didn’t think about a two channel unit. with the speaker’s you posted up he should be able to find something in his price range. Sony has a two stereo for under 200. Also Yamaha has a 2 channel 100 X 2 @ 8 Ohms their 202 model can be had at BestBuy for 149. 00 new!

 

[Gmoney]

I currently own a techniques 1200mk2 in black (eventually will do the power supply mod). I just moved to LA from NYC. In the market for a receiver and speakers. Looking for something with a vibe. I know there are so many options and don't know where to even start. I had a sansui G7500 at one point but thought it sounded kind of boxy and too midrangey but that could of been my RAL speakers which sounded terrible or some of the room acoustics as well. If you had 350-500 to spend on a receiver and speakers what would you recommend and where are some places to look online that you would feel comfortable having shipped? I listen to Classic Rock, Jazz, Newer electronic and Indie Rock, Classical. Maybe something vintage.

check out Crutchfield Best Buy and Amazon

 

[KEW]

Also Yamaha has a 2 channel 100 X 2 @ 8 Ohms their 202 model can be had at BestBuy for 149. 00 new!

Unfortunately, he needs to step up to the R-N303 to get a phono input for his Technics 1200.
I am not familiar with the Sony receivers. I had heard positive things about them and if they have phono inputs, that is a good option.

 

[KEW]

@Nevets306 , If your budget it strict and tight (or the receiver ends up costing more than I hoped), two of these for ~$175 is another great option:

DCM TP160CH Main / Stereo Speakers for sale online | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for DCM TP160CH Main / Stereo Speakers at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

This is a sister product in the DCM Time Piece (TP) series to the one I linked above. These speakers are being liquidated and that is why they are such a great deal. They have solid cabinets and too expensive drivers to be in this price range under normal conditions!
Here is a thread about this series. It starts talking about the bookshelf version that went for $~80 pair (the price gradually changed over time). But my main point here is these speakers represent the best deal on getting quality speakers for budget pricing I have seen. I consider it a "once in a decade deal". You can find similar discounts, but they are not such a good deal because they were not such great speakers to start with.
Trust me, these are your best option.

DCM TP160S Bookshelf Speaker Deals

Depending on the color, these are some real good prices ranging from $69 a pair, up to $199 for 2 pair https://www.ebay.com/itm/2-Pack-6-5-Bookshelf-Home-Theater-Speakers-100W-RMS-TP160S-CH-DCM-by-MTX-Audio/193084846113?hash=item2cf4c0f021:g:~NoAAOSwh0ldcRTR...

forums.audioholics.com

However, I can certainly understand if you want to buy speakers that you can return if they don't work for you. If that is the case, IMHO, the Sony SS-CS3 is your best option. Best Buy has a 14 day satisfaction guarantee. Sony made these in response to the Pioneer speakers designed by Andrew Jones. The Sony is a very good speaker for the current $160 ea. price. It would have been my first suggestion for you if the DMX deal did not exist.

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/sony-core-series-dual-5-3-way-floorstanding-speaker-each-black/5926456.p?skuId=5926456&ref=212&loc=1&ref=212&loc=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwtLT1BRD9ARIsAMH3BtU2XqpylGMVy62wBEnJvJGUT8e5zFbi0RR8GQ3XH8EVMO0d-0EnotAaAoCTEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

[Pogre]

Those TPs are exceptional speakers for the price. I have a pair of TP160s that I still listen to occasionally. They're pretty special for the price. I don't believe you'll find better in that range. You'd be hard pressed to find something even close.

 

[davidscott]

Those TPs are exceptional speakers for the price. I have a pair of TP60s that I still listen to occasionally. They're pretty special for the price. I don't believe you'll find better in the price range. You'd be hard pressed to find something even close.

Id like to see an Audioholics review of those speakers sometime. Never heard them but they sure do look good for that price. Plus I had some DCM Time Windows back in the day and they were flat out SHCWEET! (I know different company and all)

 

[KEW]

Id like to see an Audioholics review of those speakers sometime. Never heard them but they sure do look good for that price. Plus I had some DCM Time Windows back in the day and they were flat out SHCWEET! (I know different company and all)

I don't know if you saw it or not, but Dennis Murphy checked out the TP160S. He said something along the lines of "with speakers like this at $80/pr, I'm wasting my time (working on budget speaker options)". He measured them and ended up recommending a mod of installing a single resistor across the tweeter leads (which pulled down some of the highs about 1-1.5dB! As you know, if that is the only mod Dennis suggests, they are very good speakers out the door. I thought about modding mine, but found doing a similar tweak on my AVR's EQ accomplished the same goal without the soldiering iron. But that is getting very picky for this price range. These speakers without any mod/eq are very impressive. The Infinity Reference series are a small step up, but not enough to justify an upgrade (IOW, when I had them side by side, teh Infinity was better, but I don't think I would distinguish an improvement if I could not listen to them without a delay from switching speakers). The JBL Studio 5 series is the cheapest speaker that makes enough improvement to consider an upgrade!

 

[Gmoney]

Unfortunately, he needs to step up to the R-N303 to get a phono input for his Technics 1200.
I am not familiar with the Sony receivers. I had heard positive things about them and if they have phono inputs, that is a good option.

Doesn’t that Tech TT have a built in pre? my Technica 120 had one

 

[KEW]

I don't know - don't do vinyl any more.

 

[Nevets306]

@Nevets306 , If your budget it strict and tight (or the receiver ends up costing more than I hoped), two of these for ~$175 is another great option:

DCM TP160CH Main / Stereo Speakers for sale online | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for DCM TP160CH Main / Stereo Speakers at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

This is a sister product in the DCM Time Piece (TP) series to the one I linked above. These speakers are being liquidated and that is why they are such a great deal. They have solid cabinets and too expensive drivers to be in this price range under normal conditions!
Here is a thread about this series. It starts talking about the bookshelf version that went for $~80 pair (the price gradually changed over time). But my main point here is these speakers represent the best deal on getting quality speakers for budget pricing I have seen. I consider it a "once in a decade deal". You can find similar discounts, but they are not such a good deal because they were not such great speakers to start with.
Trust me, these are your best option.

DCM TP160S Bookshelf Speaker Deals

Depending on the color, these are some real good prices ranging from $69 a pair, up to $199 for 2 pair https://www.ebay.com/itm/2-Pack-6-5-Bookshelf-Home-Theater-Speakers-100W-RMS-TP160S-CH-DCM-by-MTX-Audio/193084846113?hash=item2cf4c0f021:g:~NoAAOSwh0ldcRTR...

forums.audioholics.com

However, I can certainly understand if you want to buy speakers that you can return if they don't work for you. If that is the case, IMHO, the Sony SS-CS3 is your best option. Best Buy has a 14 day satisfaction guarantee. Sony made these in response to the Pioneer speakers designed by Andrew Jones. The Sony is a very good speaker for the current $160 ea. price. It would have been my first suggestion for you if the DMX deal did not exist.

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/sony-core-series-dual-5-3-way-floorstanding-speaker-each-black/5926456.p?skuId=5926456&ref=212&loc=1&ref=212&loc=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwtLT1BRD9ARIsAMH3BtU2XqpylGMVy62wBEnJvJGUT8e5zFbi0RR8GQ3XH8EVMO0d-0EnotAaAoCTEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

How do TP160 compare to DCM MTX?

 

[Gmoney]

I don't know - don't do vinyl any more.

Same here I give up all my Vinyl to my oldest Son plus my TT. for some reason he wanted all my LP’s so I said sure here take my TT to. To be Honest I was glad to give it up just sat most of the time Collecting dust after 40+ years of holding on to those old LP’s giving all them to him was like a Right of passage. Guess he thinks those old LP’s may be Worth some coin down the road.

 

[KEW]

How do TP160 compare to DCM MTX?

My understanding is the MTX is not as good, but I have no direct experience. Hopefully @zieglj01 will get a chance to respond cuz I believe he has some familiarity with the MTX and how it relates under the DCM umbrella.

 

[zieglj01]

How do TP160 compare to DCM MTX?

DCM amd MTX are owned by Mitek ... the DCM side has far better speakers with better engineering

As far as the MTX side: they are overall poor sounding and poor quality - the woofer and tweeter do not play well together. -- They are bright, loud, harsh, sharp, edgy, coarse, grainy, and scratchy sounding. Plus, artificial sounding with voices and instruments and the box rings. Even Bose is better than the MTX Monitor 5i speakers.

 

[lovinthehd]

Doesn’t that Tech TT have a built in pre? my Technica 120 had one

No, the Technics SL1200mk2 didn't come with a phono stage. In black it's probably the 1210, tho. In LA I'd think the used gear choices would be pretty good, altho might entail some drive time @Nevets306 what part of the LA area will you be in? Maybe we can make some craigslist suggestions....

 

[Gmoney]

No, the Technics SL1200mk2 didn't come with a phono stage. In black it's probably the 1210, tho. In LA I'd think the used gear choices would be pretty good, altho might entail some drive time @Nevets306 what part of the LA area will you be in? Maybe we can make some craigslist suggestions....

Thanks HD, wasn’t sure on that 1200

 

[Nevets306]

No, the Technics SL1200mk2 didn't come with a phono stage. In black it's probably the 1210, tho. In LA I'd think the used gear choices would be pretty good, altho might entail some drive time @Nevets306 what part of the LA area will you be in? Maybe we can make some craigslist suggestions....

I'm near the tar pits. Picking up on craigslist right now is not so realistic. So I think my best bet is to buy online but by a tech or shop that has already recapped and repaired older units or is reputable for new and used stuff

 

[lovinthehd]

I'm near the tar pits. Picking up on craigslist right now is not so realistic. So I think my best bet is to buy online but by a tech or shop that has already recapped and repaired older units or is reputable for new and used stuff

Looking at such shops selling serviced/reworked receivers prices tend to be kinda high like this place http://www.oaktreevintage.com/Stereo_Receivers.htm

You budget is kinda skinny.