Beginner looking for help with first semi budget audiophile setup

[mixlsplitz1]

So I've been researching for about a month now and I pretty much have my choices narrowed down but am certainly open to suggestions from those who know more and have experience with how different components sound together. Im getting a technics 1200gr with a nagaoka mp200 or vessel r3sm, a pair of kef q150 bookshelf speakers, and an svs pb 1000. I eventually want surround sound for my living room tv too so I'm looking for suggestions on an avr with phono input, sub out, and at least 5.1 capability. Or an avr without phono input and a pre amp suggestion. As far as the speakers for my tv I was looking at svs as well just because they have an amazing customer bill of rights with the upgrade option within a year. My priority is my turntable setup. The living room is very open with 70/30 hardwood laminate floors and tile respectively and vaulted ceiling. Thanks in advance

 

[MDK210]

You seem to be asking/saying a lot of things in this post. What exactly are you looking for advice on, your living room? If so, where are the Kef's and if not then why did you mention them? A little confusing honestly and things such as budget would help.

 

[nathan_h]

Sounds like a great start. If your budget is 500 then get a Yamaha avr that has their ypao system with reflective sound control, and if your budget is closer to $1000 consider a Denon or Marantz with xt32. But even with those systems you will want to spend a few hundred dollars on room treatments to get better sound.

Many AVR have a phono input but double check. All will handle the speakers and sub you plan on getting.

 

[lovinthehd]

You're going to start with a $2k record playing setup but only spend $300/pr for speakers (and okay, a $500 sub so that's a bit better, but....)? Seems a bit backwards to me....but if you already have a large vinyl collection I suppose it might make more sense. Pick an avr that suits your needs, the inclusion of a phono stage in an avr was getting scarce but seems its hanging on in some models still. Overall pick the features/connectivity you need at a price you like for the avr.

You going to cover the hardwood floors or treat the room otherwise or ?

 

[mixlsplitz1]

Covering the floors with an area rug would help? Other than that, how else can you treat your room? And yeah I do have a pretty decent vinyl collection already, i just have a shitty victrola with built in speakers to play them though. I plan to get speakers for full surround sound eventually, but am just gonna start with the 2 fronts, My budget isn't unlimited. Mainly I'm looking for suggestions on a on a suitable avr. But also advice on placement and room treatment.

 

[nathan_h]

GIK Acoustics is a great place to learn about room treatment. They will also offer you FREE advice about what would help the most. Of course they will give you a long list of their own products, but you can ask them to prioritize AND you can crib from their advice to augment with some of your own DIY stuff if you cannot afford all their stuff.

For an AVR, on a budget, this is the best deal going: https://www.costco.com/yamaha-tsr-700-7.1-channel-network-av-receiver.product.100686465.html

You can get the same unit under a slightly different model number from places other than Costco, MSRP at $500. And note that Costco sometimes has this below their normal $400 price during sales (recently it was $330).

This has a phono preamp, good room correction, good power and features for the price.

As I say, if you can go up to $1k then there are some Denon and Marantz options to consider. But this Yamaha is the current price/value leader in the marketplace.

If I had $1k to improve things and didn't have an AVR, I would spend half on this Yamaha and half on room treatments from GIK (or DIY if I was handy and had some time since the money will go a bit further that way).

 

[Mikado463]

You really need to rethink your budget with regards to your L / R speakers, surround sound means nothing in two channel analog playback anyways. As for AVR with built in phono-pre, those that do I'm not sure how flexible they are so I say match the AVR to your speaker demands and get a decent external phono-pre (Schitt Mani for example)

 

[mixlsplitz1]

Thanks, I'll definitely look into GIK acoustics. And that yamaha sounds like just what I need.

 

[mixlsplitz1]

You really need to rethink your budget with regards to your L / R speakers, surround sound means nothing in two channel analog playback anyways. As for AVR with built in phono-pre, those that do I'm not sure how flexible they are so I say match the AVR to your speaker demands and get a decent external phono-pre (Schitt Mani for example)

So is it not feasible to use the same L/R speakers in both analog playback and home theatre surround sound? That yamaha avr that nathan suggested is 100 wpc, so it seems like more than enough.. or am I missing something? Forgive me, I am new to the whole audio obsession

 

[lovinthehd]

My comment was about going relatively cheap on the speakers (where most of the sound quality is derived from aside from your room itself), particularly for someone concentrating on a 2ch source like vinyl. I'd want larger, more significant L/R speakers (and perhaps a matching one for center later on, or at least something from the same lineup to match), altho perhaps in a small room the Q150s if you particularly like them might be fine but you describe a big open room instead. I'd spend less on the vinyl and more on the speakers (altho that could well be a lifetime tt, I've been using an SL1200mk2 for 35 years). I'd definitely think about carpeting the floor, but depends on the furnishings on the whole too.

ps Yes of course you can use the same speakers for music/ht. The wattage needed will depend on the speakers' sensitivity and your desired spl and how far from the speakers you are....

 

[Pogre]

So is it not feasible to use the same L/R speakers in both analog playback and home theatre surround sound? That yamaha avr that nathan suggested is 100 wpc, so it seems like more than enough.. or am I missing something? Forgive me, I am new to the whole audio obsession

I think he's suggesting bumping the budget for your front 2 (or 3) speakers and you can pinch from the surrounds.

I am a little confused tho. You're getting a pair of KEFs and a pair of SVS speakers for 2 channel music and eventually 5.1? Why the 2 different brands?

 

[mixlsplitz1]

Ah ok, i understand. I heard the kefs at someone else's house and liked the sound so that's why I had my eye on those. As for different brands i keep seeing all these positive reviews on the svs subs and nothing too great on their towers or bookshelf speakers. And they have that upgrade option in their warranty within a year of purchase, so I thought it'd be relatively easy to upgrade it a couple times till I get to the pb 3000/4000. Is it generally better to stay with the same brand for all speakers? I thought I saw more than a few systems that people shared with mixed brands, or is that a budget thing? Definitely can't carpet the floors yet, i have 2 younger demon children so hardwood is easier to clean/maintain.

 

[Mikado463]

I think he's suggesting bumping the budget for your front 2 (or 3) speakers and you can pinch from the surrounds.

Thanks Pogre, yes that's my point, as was also made in lovin's post. The Op appears to value his analog enjoyment (very good), concentrate on L / R speaker quality first, followed by appropriate components to playback your LP's, acccousticaly improve your listening space and then you can fill in the gaps for your surround system. With that being said I will openly admit that I am first and foremost a two channel guy

 

[lovinthehd]

The gradual speaker/sub upgrade thing in general is just wasting time and money IMO. I know money can be tight but with things like speakers/subs, think its just best to go as big as you can in the first place. The SVS customer service and upgrade path is better than most, tho. Nothing wrong with SVS speakers, @Pogre has some (and I have an old pair of MBS-02s in one of my systems). Generally the front three are most important to match, altho for multich music I do like my surrounds to be both capable and in the same series, but it isn't as critical for movies.

 

[Pogre]

Ah ok, i understand. I heard the kefs at someone else's house and liked the sound so that's why I had my eye on those. As for different brands i keep seeing all these positive reviews on the svs subs and nothing too great on their towers or bookshelf speakers. And they have that upgrade option in their warranty within a year of purchase, so I thought it'd be relatively easy to upgrade it a couple times till I get to the pb 3000/4000. Is it generally better to stay with the same brand for all speakers? I thought I saw more than a few systems that people shared with mixed brands, or is that a budget thing? Definitely can't carpet the floors yet, i have 2 younger demon children so hardwood is easier to clean/maintain.

Well I don't know where you've been seeing negative comments about SVS speakers! At least the Ultras. I had the towers and books. They're very good speakers, great for music or home theater. I'd daresay I suspect the Ultra books sound better than the Q150, and by a pretty good margin. I haven't heard the Q150 tho, so that's not for certain, but I can get a pair of them for 80 bucks on Craigslist right now.

What I did was kept an eye on SVS' outlet and waited for some Ultra bookshelf speakers to pop up for $399 each. It's their open box/scratch n dent section, but they're all inspected and come with the full warranty and trade up deal. They include images of any blemishes so you can see what you're getting. Some are so minor they're pretty much invisible. So there's that. Lots of other companies out there to choose from tho. If your budget is really tight I've been finding some really good deals on Craigslist out here in the Phoenix area.

I agree with everyone saying to put some more budget into at least your front 2 speakers, whether you give SVS a shot or another brand. It's best to have at minimum your front 3 speakers matched by brand (timbre) for a seamless blend. You can skimp a little on your surround speakers because they don't see as much action and are pretty much just for effects. To use SVS as an example, I would get Ultra speakers for my front 3 and Prime for my surrounds. I'd just start with the front 2 and buy the rest as funds become available. Nothing else on your list of gear will have more impact than your 2 main speakers for music.

 

[mixlsplitz1]

All great advice and info guys, i appreciate it. And it wasn't so much as negative reviews for the svs speakers, it's just they weren't commonplace in the reviews/articles i read. At least not to the level of kef and some other brands that repeatedly showed up. Just for reference I'd Google best passive speaker for analog playback or turntable. I think I'll hold off a little longer and the table and get some decent fronts and center first. How much improvement can I expect over the built in speakers of a victrola record player, just curious. I would've thought that the quality of the source would be more important than the speakers, but i guess that's why I'm here lol.

 

[Pogre]

All great advice and info guys, i appreciate it. And it wasn't so much as negative reviews for the svs speakers, it's just they weren't commonplace in the reviews/articles i read. At least not to the level of kef and some other brands that repeatedly showed up. Just for reference I'd Google best passive speaker for analog playback or turntable. I think I'll hold off a little longer and the table and get some decent fronts and center first. How much improvement can I expect over the built in speakers of a victrola record player, just curious. I would've thought that the quality of the source would be more important than the speakers, but i guess that's why I'm here lol.

Gene and Hugo reviewed them here a while back. In fact their review along with some suggestions nudged me into giving them a shot. That and the generous return policy. It's completely risk free to try 'em out.

SVS Ultra Bookshelf Speakers Review

Review: The SVS Ultra is a two-way ported bookshelf loudspeaker designed with impeccable build quality and aesthetics and grounded science. Do they live up to the SVS name? Read on to find out.

www.audioholics.com

I'm not necessarily pushing you toward SVS, but that's about where my budget would be as far as bookshelf speakers for mains duty. That and a decent subwoofer.

 

[lovinthehd]

Don't get too influenced by marketing by some brands vs others. While SVS has recently expanded from internet-direct to also having standard distribution, they don't seem to spend much on advertising. Reviews often tend to be based on revenue for the publication, too, so keep that in mind. Searching generally on google for audio is going to more get you Bose kind of recommendations.

As to Victrola, my parents bought an old house with some antique Victrolas (real steel needles and all analog)....not familiar with the brand otherwise. Hopefully the vinyl hasn't been damaged by a really poor player, tho....but I'd imagine the built in speakers are relatively crap compared to good stand-alone speakers. Speakers and your room determine most of the quality aside from a good source (which personally think vinyl is not a particularly good choice for).

 

[Pogre]

I would've thought that the quality of the source would be more important than the speakers, but i guess that's why I'm here lol.

Oh my goodness no!

Okay, yes. Quality of source is probably right up there with speakers, but I think I'd still prioritize the speakers over pretty much everything else. In the end they are what's going to be reproducing the sound, regardless of source.

 

[Teetertotter?]

You might want to look at the Polk S-15 or S-20 for front L/R. Even what I have, which is JBL A130. Then spend extra $$ on the center speaker for movies and dialog, if the case.