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

TLS Guy

TLS Guy

Seriously, I have no life.
Yeah, that.:confused: I die a little bit inside whenever I hear a beloved hit from the 80's used to sell anything. When they butchered The Outfield's "Your Love" to sell Bounce dryer sheets, I f#%kin' lost my s#%t. No kidding, I was inconsolable. But, for those with no soul, here it is.:eek:
A few years back their was a TV advert for a brand of mattress. The music they selected was Nessun dorma from Puccini's Turandot. The translation is. "No one sleeps"!
 
S

shadyJ

Speaker of the House
Staff member
This is the type of setup I am looking at
Those look like Klipsch Heresys. Not very good speakers. Much of the music you like had a tipped-up upper midrange, and that would risk sounding very harsh on speakers that have an erratic response, like the Klipsches. If you are really after enjoyment of the music rather than a showpiece of vintage design, I would skip a tube amp, and I absolutely would not go for a turntable system unless you already have a record collection. A turntable plus a tube amp equals high distortion and low fidelity.
 
T

Trebdp83

Audioholic Spartan
This is the type of setup I am looking at
I certainly can dig the look. I liked my Forte II speakers but the Klipsch sound is not everybody’s cup of tea and new vinyl is not cheap.
 
Eppie

Eppie

Audioholic Ninja
This is the type of setup I am looking at
Hi and hope you don't mind some of the boys having fun with the topic. They generally like to see that it is money well spent and not wasted so the intention is good. For some useful advice you will likely need to answer a few questions so people can get a better idea of what it is that you're after.
  • A couple people have asked if you have a vinyl collection or whether you are new to the medium?
  • Will this be for stereo music only (no plans for multi-channel audio)?
  • Do you plan to play digital music as well (CDs or streaming digital files)?
  • What kind of sound levels do you plan to listen at? Do you expect to listen at live concert levels or something more comfortable for longer periods of time?
  • Are aesthetics important? Do you like the look of tube amps or has someone convinced you that tube amps are required for that '80s rock sound? Will you consider solid state amps?
  • Do you care if the speakers are floor standers (towers) or bookshelves on stands?
  • Can they be modern speakers or do you have an attachment to the retro look of those Klipsch you posted?
 
TLS Guy

TLS Guy

Seriously, I have no life.
Those look like Klipsch Heresys. Not very good speakers. Much of the music you like had a tipped-up upper midrange, and that would risk sounding very harsh on speakers that have an erratic response, like the Klipsches. If you are really after enjoyment of the music rather than a showpiece of vintage design, I would skip a tube amp, and I absolutely would not go for a turntable system unless you already have a record collection. A turntable plus a tube amp equals high distortion and low fidelity.
The speakers will make that harsh music even harsher. Turntables can sound very good, but they require careful set up and maintenance. They do not equate to high distortion. Tubes are more problematic but they can also sound very good. The problem is that they are an unnecessary expense in outlay and maintenance. In addition has they are a high impedance source device. So you have to choose speakers carefully, or else they will follow the impedance curve. That is why speakers of the tube era did not have wild impedance curves, and Raymond Cooke of KEF used impedance correction in his crossovers.

I think the only reason to get into vinyl now is if you have a collection, as I do, or the music you want is only available on vintage vinyl. If the latter, then a treasure hunt is required. I have added to my vinyl collection very little since the mid eighties.

Then there is the question of the museum aspect. I do maintain good vintage equipment with this aim in mind. I recently had my tube Quad 22 tube amp restored.
I bet if I also restored the Mullard 10/10 tube amp I built as a child I used with the Quad 22, that would also sound good. It would not be high distortion. To do that I would have to have custom power transformer made for 120 volts.

One of the problems now is that there is a dearth of good solid state solid state amps at reasonable cost. Again that is an area where going vintage makes sense.
 
Eppie

Eppie

Audioholic Ninja
Hey, I said I actually really liked Ratt!

PS, I think Lay It Down is probably their best song though…
If I think of Ratt, have to admit Round and Round comes to mind first. For hair metal though the song would be Kick Start My Heart.
 
Mikado463

Mikado463

Audioholic Spartan
3db

3db

Audioholic Slumlord
Lighten up. "Hairband" music is just too big an opportunity to pass up!
Sorry Mark. Im not in a good mindset today...part of the grieving process. That said, you could have offered him some direction.
 
3db

3db

Audioholic Slumlord
Scott, read post #25 carefully. I would shy away from tube amp because of the required upkeep that TLS had mentioned. Tube amps also limits the speakers you can drive. But if your mindset is really stuck on tubes, Mikado post #27 is a good compromise with a tube front end and a solid state amplifiers at the back. This would give you a much wider choice of speakers. Im not a fan of Klipsch speakers and their horn directivity in the mids and treble.

If I were you, I would buy a used integrated amp or TOTL AVR with a phono stage for much cheaper than a Tube amp or a hybrid tube integrated amp. The money you save from going used there can be put on the turntable and speakers, the two components in your chain with the biggest impact.
 
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scottyb70

Audioholic Intern
Ok guys,
I did go out and buy a Marantz 6300 that was reconditioned, it has a Shure Cartridge, I am looking at a Marantz 2235B and still deciding on speakers.

I am only going to play vinyl and don't care about blue tooth or playing music loud, I already have hearing damage and I am a freak about my ears. Work in construction around loud machines. So I am not going to be playing music super loud.

I am don't care if speakers are floor standing, but I am leaning towards smaller speakers.

I am more interested in solid state amps.

One of my friends recommended Boston Acoustics or JBL. He told me to buy a speaker kit from Parts express, he said you don't need to dump alot of money into speakers.
 
TLS Guy

TLS Guy

Seriously, I have no life.
Ok guys,
I did go out and buy a Marantz 6300 that was reconditioned, it has a Shure Cartridge, I am looking at a Marantz 2235B and still deciding on speakers.

I am only going to play vinyl and don't care about blue tooth or playing music loud, I already have hearing damage and I am a freak about my ears. Work in construction around loud machines. So I am not going to be playing music super loud.

I am don't care if speakers are floor standing, but I am leaning towards smaller speakers.

I am more interested in solid state amps.

One of my friends recommended Boston Acoustics or JBL. He told me to buy a speaker kit from Parts express, he said you don't need to dump alot of money into speakers.
Well, your friend is completely wrong about that. The speakers are totally dominant on how your rig will sound. Speakers require the lions share of the budget.

That vintage receiver you are looking at really commands high prices, fully restored ones $3000.00. There is hyperinflation of good vintage gear taking place at the moment. I'm not sure what is driving this, but I think it is a shortage of decent modern audio only gear.

I have commented about this of late in other posts. Garrard 301 turntables are skyrocketing in price for instance, along with other gear from the "Golden Age" of British Audio.

I think you need to think this though a little more.
 
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shadyJ

Speaker of the House
Staff member
Ok guys,
I did go out and buy a Marantz 6300 that was reconditioned, it has a Shure Cartridge, I am looking at a Marantz 2235B and still deciding on speakers.

I am only going to play vinyl and don't care about blue tooth or playing music loud, I already have hearing damage and I am a freak about my ears. Work in construction around loud machines. So I am not going to be playing music super loud.

I am don't care if speakers are floor standing, but I am leaning towards smaller speakers.

I am more interested in solid state amps.

One of my friends recommended Boston Acoustics or JBL. He told me to buy a speaker kit from Parts express, he said you don't need to dump alot of money into speakers.
I don't know why you would want a Marantz 2235B. If it is in good working order, it will take a big bite out of your budget, and you won't be able to get a decent one for cheap. It wouldn't have great performance by modern standards even in the best condition. If you want a receiver that has legitimately good performance and also a semi-vintage aesthetic, get an Outlaw Audio RR2160.

As for speakers, not needing super loud does allow you to get something that isn't as compromised in other areas of performance. I would be looking at a pair of BMR Philharmonitors. You can get them from Philharmonic Audio or Salk Sound. Another good choice would be some Polk L200s. Also give a look at some Arendal 1723 Monitors. Paradigm Premier 800F speakers should also be considered.
 
Mikado463

Mikado463

Audioholic Spartan
Scott, read post #25 carefully. I would shy away from tube amp because of the required upkeep that TLS had mentioned. Tube amps also limits the speakers you can drive. But if your mindset is really stuck on tubes, Mikado post #27 is a good compromise with a tube front end and a solid state amplifiers at the back.
just to clarify I was recommending / pointing out 'tube integrated' possibilities, again to which there are plenty. As for the maintenance reguirements, that's so blow out of proportion I don't know where to begin, simply put modern day tube integrated amps can run many thousands of hours on their power tubes and some even have auto biasing. Signal tubes even longer
 
Eppie

Eppie

Audioholic Ninja
Ok guys,
I did go out and buy a Marantz 6300 that was reconditioned, it has a Shure Cartridge, I am looking at a Marantz 2235B and still deciding on speakers.

I am only going to play vinyl and don't care about blue tooth or playing music loud, I already have hearing damage and I am a freak about my ears. Work in construction around loud machines. So I am not going to be playing music super loud.

I am don't care if speakers are floor standing, but I am leaning towards smaller speakers.

I am more interested in solid state amps.

One of my friends recommended Boston Acoustics or JBL. He told me to buy a speaker kit from Parts express, he said you don't need to dump alot of money into speakers.
Are you able to get the model number of Shure cartridge? That's an important piece of the puzzle with vinyl playback.

The Outlaw amp Shady mentioned not only looks nice but they make good gear at reasonable prices. A lot of people use their mono-blocks.

The Philharmonic BMR speaker that Shady mentioned has a great reputation from an American designer well known in the DIY community. Very flat response and wide dispersion. You would be hard pressed to find someone here say anything bad about it. They also recently came out with a tower version for $3500 but you might end up on a waiting list for that one. As mentioned, the Monitor version is also produced by Salk Sound and with Salk you get to customize the finish (but for extra cost). Salk does absolutely gorgeous finishes.

If your friend's suggestion of DIY intrigues you, there is also a kit version of the BMR Monitor on Meniscus, for about $950 for the drivers and crossovers but you have to build the cabinet to exact specifications and consider how long the build will take you. A flat pack for the cabinets is available from Speaker Hardware.

If you budget $1000 for an amp, how much is left for speakers?
 
highfigh

highfigh

Seriously, I have no life.
I bet if I also restored the Mullard 10/10 tube amp I built as a child I used with the Quad 22, that would also sound good. It would not be high distortion. To do that I would have to have custom power transformer made for 120 volts.
Heyboer will custom-wind a transformer and I have heard they're one of the better companies. If you do rebuild the Mullard amp, I have a lot of old Mullard ECC83/12AX7 that are either new-ish or have low hours. Fortunately, they're not terribly hard to find. I bought a guitar amp made in 1959 and as soon as my friend turned it around to hand to me, I saw the Bugle Boy in V1- he had originally told me that it didn't work and asked what he could do and I made a short list of steps, but he didn't bother because he's not interested in electric guitars or amplifiers. Once I got it to my house to test, sure enough, it did the same as what he said, so I re-tightened and cleaned the tube sockets, cleaned the controls and as I suspected, it worked fine. None of the tubes were newer than the mid-'60s and I only use vintage tubes in my vintage amplifiers. New ones are OK, but meh.
 
T

Trebdp83

Audioholic Spartan
Perhaps, but if you can adjust the budget a little…;)
 
Eppie

Eppie

Audioholic Ninja
How about the Polk audio S60 ?
Half the price of the Paradigm Premier 800F, but as stated earlier, best results will be achieved if the bulk of the budget goes into speakers.
If you like Polk, they just announced a new Reserve line that has towers in your price range. Might be significantly better than the S60 but still awaiting review. Polk Audio’s Reserve Series Speakers
And here is a review from a couple of years ago on towers under $2k.
 
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Pogre

Pogre

Audioholic Slumlord
How about the Polk audio S60 ?
Your friend (tho well meaning I'm sure) is wrong and your budget is backwards! Think about it, what is actually producing the sound at the end of your system chain? You absolutely should focus more budget on speakers and less on amplification. Even most of the goofier cable-believing audiophools I've run into will acknowledge that speakers rank at the top of the list in importance for good sound quality.
 
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scottyb70

Audioholic Intern
Well I decided to buy the Marantz 2235B completely reconditioned with new caps. Now it’s the speakers, Polks new Reserve series, BMR Philharmonitors.( they company is only 1 hour away from me ) or the Paradigms. It seems to me the Polk L200’s appear to be a Home Theater Speaker as opposed to a 2 channel speaker?
 

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