Looking to build Vinyl setup to play my 80's hairband music,

[scottyb70]

Well sounds way better than going through the Denon, Grabbed my Dad's Kenwood KR-7200 and the Jenson's Model 5's, I can barely hear any hissing etc, very minimal. The only problem is when I turn the volume knob there is crackling or one speaker the sound won't come through until I wiggle the volume knob. Plays very loud. Thanks for the help.

 

[lovinthehd]

Sounds like the volume pot needs some cleaning on the Kenwood. Could have a better suited sensitivity level on the phono input than the avr....

 

[scottyb70]

Yes left speaker crackels more when i adjust volume knob. Now time to get a credenza

 

[Eppie]

Yes left speaker crackels more when i adjust volume knob. Now time to get a credenza

With the power turned off you can quickly turn the volume knob back and forth a number of times to try and get the dust off of the contacts. If that doesn't help it will need contact cleaner spray inside the pot.

If the gauge was not to scale and it is a PDF file, print it using Adobe Acrobat viewer and set the scaling to actual size (not shrink to fit).

Will the Philharmonitor or Salks work on the 2235B? Sure, you'll get sound out of them for casual listening but when you hear that track where you want to crank it up loud you'll suddenly find that those 35 watts don't cut the mustard. The recommendations here are so that you will be least likely to get disappointed for all of your efforts. You want more than needed power to be able to handle those transients like a solid kick drum. You might only need 20 or 30 watts on average but if it spikes to 60 or 70 watts, that 35 watt amp will clip into distortion, which not only sounds bad but is bad for your speakers. That 100 watt amp will handle the transients cleanly.

If you're leaning towards those two speaker options, the more powerful amp is a wise decision because as I mentioned earlier they are less sensitive and do require more power than the Paradigms to produce the same volume. If you get the Philharmonitors or another bookshelf, keep in mind the need for speaker stands. You want the tweeters to be close to ear level in your seating position.

 

[TLS Guy]

Well sounds way better than going through the Denon, Grabbed my Dad's Kenwood KR-7200 and the Jenson's Model 5's, I can barely hear any hissing etc, very minimal. The only problem is when I turn the volume knob there is crackling or one speaker the sound won't come through until I wiggle the volume knob. Plays very loud. Thanks for the help.

That confirms your turntable is OK, and that those other units have miserable phono stages.

So, you are going to need a good phono preamp.

This one should be fine without breaking the bank.

 

[Eppie]

That confirms your turntable is OK, and that those other units have miserable phono stages.

So, you are going to need a good phono preamp.

This one should be fine without breaking the bank.

He did say that it was hooked up to the tape input on the Yamaha, so no verdict on that AVR yet. He is also returning the 2235B and getting either a higher powered vintage amp or the Outlaw shadyJ mentioned, so likely no need for a phono preamp.

 

[lovinthehd]

Another good choice for reasonably priced phono stages are these from ART, the second one also can help you record the vinyl if you wish....
ART DJ PRE II
ART Phono Plus (I own one)

This review might be interesting to you

 

[Eppie]

@scottyb70 since you're new to this, a little more info on phono pre-amps. Phono cartridges do not produce a signal with a flat frequency response. In order to sound proper, you have to apply RIAA equalization. That is something that all phono preamps and all phono input stages do. When you use a tape or aux input, not only is the signal too weak, you bypass the RIAA equalization and it will never sound right. That's why when using a turntable you always have to use either the phono input on a receiver/amplifier or add an external phono preamp when using line level inputs like tape in or aux.

 

[TLS Guy]

He did say that it was hooked up to the tape input on the Yamaha, so no verdict on that AVR yet. He is also returning the 2235B and getting either a higher powered vintage amp or the Outlaw shadyJ mentioned, so likely no need for a phono preamp.

Sorry, I missed that post. The problem is that good vintage amps are now fetching high prices. That Outlaw should do the trick, but that is pricy also.

I have to say I do not use the phono inputs on my pre/pros. I use Quad preamps on all my four turntables.

I was never impressed with those Far Eastern receivers, and guess I'm even less impressed with their new equivalents.

Which ever way you do it, good sound is getting really pricy.

 

[TLS Guy]

I am going to have to get that old kenwood to hook up to. I will get it today or tomorrow and let you guys know. I am more than likely going to get those BMR monitors or something from salk. I was able to return the Marantz 2235B but my friend told me the 35w would be more than enough for the Polks l200 or BMR, so was he right? I am looking at a high power vintage marantz amp or I might go with that Outlaw Audio Amp recommend by shady J.

Stop listening to your friend!

 

[lovinthehd]

He did say that it was hooked up to the tape input on the Yamaha, so no verdict on that AVR yet. He is also returning the 2235B and getting either a higher powered vintage amp or the Outlaw shadyJ mentioned, so likely no need for a phono preamp.

Sorry, I missed that post. The problem is that good vintage amps are now fetching high prices. That Outlaw should do the trick, but that is pricy also.

I have to say I do not use the phono inputs on my pre/pros. I use Quad preamps on all my four turntables.

I was never impressed with those Far Eastern receivers, and guess I'm even less impressed with their new equivalents.

Which ever way you do it, good sound is getting really pricy.

He also mentioned he can't get the Yamaha to switch to the phono input.

 

[Quique]

Yikes, rough crowd. But, since the ball is already rolling… complete the 80’s package and get an old Technics turntable, a Kenwood receiver and some Verwin Vegas. Then, have a good time… “Round and Round..With love we’ll find a way, just give it time!”

Couldnt have said it better... that's what i did yesterday. Hooked up my Heavy Kenwood/Technics turntable/Polk speakers and and wait for it BSR eq.... Baaam woke up the neighbors !!! I used to dj in the 70s and 80s so I have plenty of Albums/45's/cd's to play... today i cranked it up half way and it sounded great... almost cried hahaha!!!

 

[Quique]

I am thinking about getting back into playing vinyl 80's hairband music and would like to buy a tube amplifier, record player and speakers. I want the best bang for buck and my budget is no more than $ 5,000.00.

Bro, get on ebay and im sure you could put together a fantstic system for way less ... picture this - a Sansui Receiver a Technics turtable a pair of loudspeakers and a Equilizer just in case... bring out the Albums bro and start smiling again !!!!

 

[highfigh]

Yeah, I see recapped gear all over the marketplace and I don't get it either. I just restored my wife's Pioneer SX-424 and all it needed were LED lamps to replace the fuse style lamps in the display, a new stereo indicator lamp and new power cord. None of the caps are bulging and it works and sounds fine. Hooked it up to a pair of vintage KEF 103.2 reference speakers and sounded pretty damn good for only 12W per channel, but I'm not shaking any walls with this one. Would be fine for a small apartment or den though. They sold for $200 new and now sell for $250. I've seen people ask $400 for mint condition ones. Pretty sure I'll be able to get $200 for it. Cleaned up real nice and the LED lamps bring out the blue in the display.
View attachment 48035

Did it come with the speaker terminal plugs? That's a bit of a problem for that series. I had an SX-525 and bought a second pair of the plugs because I wanted to connect a second pair of speakers. Never had a problem with it.

 

[Trebdp83]

Bro, get on ebay and im sure you could put together a fantstic system for way less ... picture this - a Sansui Receiver a Technics turtable a pair of loudspeakers and a Equilizer just in case... bring out the Albums bro and start smiling again !!!!

Well, you just described our system when I was a kid. Did you know my dad? After the Sansui died, he brought home a new Kenwood.

 

[Eppie]

Did it come with the speaker terminal plugs? That's a bit of a problem for that series. I had an SX-525 and bought a second pair of the plugs because I wanted to connect a second pair of speakers. Never had a problem with it.

Hell yeah, we have TWO sets of speaker plugs. Those plugs alone are selling for $20 - $40 a pair. This was my wife's old receiver when we first started dating. Went into storage when I was given an early Kenwood AVR with surround channels.

I also have a Yamaha AX-400U integrated amp which I refuse to give up. Love the sound of the Yamaha "Natural Sound" amps from those days and hope to find a room for it. Will pair nicely with my KEF 103.2 speakers after I get them restored. I'm too lazy to dig it out of storage so below is a photo of someone else's. It's from around 1986 and rated at 55W RMS into 8 ohms but that's at only 0.015% THD. It's a very clean sounding amp. One nice feature is the adjustable loudness. Most old amps have a loudness button, but Yamaha put a control on this one so that you can dial in just the right amount of gain at low volumes. Takes both MC and MM phono cartridges. It wouldn't shake the walls like the 100W Sansuis but with efficient speakers sounded really nice. I have a pair Electrovoice Interface Series II speakers from the same era but they succumbed to foam rot and I haven't had time to fix them.

 

[Eppie]

Bro, get on ebay and im sure you could put together a fantstic system for way less ... picture this - a Sansui Receiver a Technics turtable a pair of loudspeakers and a Equilizer just in case... bring out the Albums bro and start smiling again !!!!

Problem is those vintage Sansuis are also commanding crazy high prices now. The AU-5900 is only 55W and is probably $500. An AU-9900 with 80W is over $1,000! Why spend that kind of money on 40 year old electronics when you can get a brand new Outlaw with a warranty?

 

[highfigh]

Hell yeah, we have TWO sets of speaker plugs. Those plugs alone are selling for $20 - $40 a pair. This was my wife's old receiver when we first started dating. Went into storage when I was given an early Kenwood AVR with surround channels.

I also have a Yamaha AX-400U integrated amp which I refuse to give up. Love the sound of the Yamaha "Natural Sound" amps from those days and hope to find a room for it. Will pair nicely with my KEF 103.2 speakers after I get them restored. I'm too lazy to dig it out of storage so below is a photo of someone else's. It's from around 1986 and rated at 55W RMS into 8 ohms but that's at only 0.015% THD. It's a very clean sounding amp. One nice feature is the adjustable loudness. Most old amps have a loudness button, but Yamaha put a control on this one so that you can dial in just the right amount of gain at low volumes. Takes both MC and MM phono cartridges. It wouldn't shake the walls like the 100W Sansuis but with efficient speakers sounded really nice. I have a pair Electrovoice Interface Series II speakers from the same era but they succumbed to foam rot and I haven't had time to fix them.

I KNEW I should have kept the second pair of plugs! I paid about a buck apiece. I could have made a bundle. A very small bundle.

I still have a 100W/ch Sony ES integrated amp and tuner from about '89 and the amp is fine, but the memory cap in the tuner just got old and now, I can't find the replacement here. Once I got my first integrated with more power, I stopped buying low power- the headroom is good to have. I know I bought a new cap, but it seems to have vanished. Maybe I dropped it and it decided to go as far under my bench as possible or took a weird bounce.

 

[Eppie]

I KNEW I should have kept the second pair of plugs! I paid about a buck apiece. I could have made a bundle. A very small bundle.

I still have a 100W/ch Sony ES integrated amp and tuner from about '89 and the amp is fine, but the memory cap in the tuner just got old and now, I can't find the replacement here. Once I got my first integrated with more power, I stopped buying low power- the headroom is good to have. I know I bought a new cap, but it seems to have vanished. Maybe I dropped it and it decided to go as far under my bench as possible or took a weird bounce.

If your workshop is anything like mine I know how easy it is for things to disappear after they hit the floor.

 

[lovinthehd]

If your workshop is anything like mine I know how easy it is for things to disappear after they hit the floor.

Another mystery, like socks that you just end up with a single of....I swear sometimes out in the workshop things literally disappear, even after very careful searches