Building a system on a budget

[BradW]

Hi All,
New member. After raising my children I'm finally able to get back into wifi. I would love help in knowing what peices I should get. Fyi...I would rather go good used to save $ since I'm on a budget but want great clear sound.
My room is about 14' x 22' , wood floors and connected through an open large doorway to the kitchen on one end and another small (13'x12') room on the other end. I'm ok with either bookshelf or floor speakers. I'll need a turntable, receiver/amp and speakers to begin. I'll grow it from there. Budget is hopefully under $4k. I've listened to several incl paradigm founder 40b and 100f. It's hard to find them used (80f or 100f). I'm seeing that several of you really like the reveal's and I'm seeing them used at fair prices. I'm sure there are others I should consider. Please help me with what components I should get. Not to confuse things, but also contrast this new system with the buying a vintage system (for example: Marantz 2440, klipsch kg4.2 and a new or vintage turntable). Again, my main goal is to listen to clear beautiful sounds from vinal, old cd's and steaming from Playlist (know i would need a Bluetooth with vintage). Thank you for your help!!

 

[Willem]

1 Forget about vinyl. It costs a lot and is sonically far inferior to digital sources, both in terms of gear and for the actual records.
2 Good modern electronics do not cost much anymore and measure perfectly. If streaming and TV will be your only sources, I suggest a Sonos AMP. If you are planning on other sources, a 2x100 watt Yamaha AS 701 or AS 801 (if you need a usb input) will be fine.
3 Spend the largest part of your budget on speakers. How about a pair of ELAC DBR62s, plus four smallish subwoofers? Those will need dsp equalization. So invest in a UMIK-1 measurement microphone, learn to use REW measurement software, and use Multi Sub Optimizer to equalize the subs using a minidsp 2x4HD dsp unit. This will transform your system.

 

[IPunchCholla]

As above, speakers and room make the largest contribution to sound (EQ, DSP calibrated mic are essential. If you don’t want to learn REW there is other software that will do it for you. IKMultimedia’s ARC is really good in my experience), followed by source (vinyl vs digital). Digital is easier and cheaper and better than vinyl, but I like vinyl so I have been integrating that.

What is your digital source? I’m asking since you can get an interface (I have the Scarlett 4i4) to run vinyl through the same processing as your digital source if you are using a computer. Plus you can filter out a good chunk of the pops and clicks using software.

 

[Joe Smith]

Just general advice:spend up on speakers, get an amp/integrated with decent power (100-125 wpc) and cheap a little on the phono side of things. I love vintage but unless you know the details of the restoration (e.g. a Marantz) or really love the aesthetics, a modern integrated would be the way to go.

 

[BradW]

As above, speakers and room make the largest contribution to sound (EQ, DSP calibrated mic are essential. If you don’t want to learn REW there is other software that will do it for you. IKMultimedia’s ARC is really good in my experience), followed by source (vinyl vs digital). Digital is easier and cheaper and better than vinyl, but I like vinyl so I have been integrating that.

What is your digital source? I’m asking since you can get an interface (I have the Scarlett 4i4) to run vinyl through the same processing as your digital source if you are using a computer. Plus you can filter out a good chunk of the pops and clicks using software.

I'm sorry...I don't even know what you mean by digital source. I was planning on turntable, receiver/amp and speakers. Sounds like I'll need more for great sound?

 

[NiagaraPete]

Hi All,
New member. After raising my children I'm finally able to get back into wifi. I would love help in knowing what peices I should get. Fyi...I would rather go good used to save $ since I'm on a budget but want great clear sound.
My room is about 14' x 22' , wood floors and connected through an open large doorway to the kitchen on one end and another small (13'x12') room on the other end. I'm ok with either bookshelf or floor speakers. I'll need a turntable, receiver/amp and speakers to begin. I'll grow it from there. Budget is hopefully under $4k. I've listened to several incl paradigm founder 40b and 100f. It's hard to find them used (80f or 100f). I'm seeing that several of you really like the reveal's and I'm seeing them used at fair prices. I'm sure there are others I should consider. Please help me with what components I should get. Not to confuse things, but also contrast this new system with the buying a vintage system (for example: Marantz 2440, klipsch kg4.2 and a new or vintage turntable). Again, my main goal is to listen to clear beautiful sounds from vinal, old cd's and steaming from Playlist (know i would need a Bluetooth with vintage). Thank you for your help!!

You didn't actually say what the budget was. For building a new system would be easy. I'd use my cel phone with Tital, Amazon, Apple or any of the streaming services. Forget vinyl or CD's.
1) Genelec's 80xx (800 to 4200) 83xx (1700 to 5200) 83x1 (5800 to 10k+)
2) Any DAC recommenced in the review index
3) PI streamer

 

[NiagaraPete]

I'm sorry...I don't even know what you mean by digital source. I was planning on turntable, receiver/amp and speakers. Sounds like I'll need more for great sound?

After 50 + years of collecting and playing vinyl I can't say loudly or strongly enough say "forget it", its a waste of time and money.

 

[Suffolkhifinut]

After 50 + years of collecting and playing vinyl I can't say loudly or strongly enough "forget it". Its a waste of time and money.

Spent the majority of my HiFi budget on vinyl, hardly play it at all. Streaming, ripped CDs on my MacBook Pro and best of all my old Denon DVD A11. Bought it for £200 intermittently had a problem reading SACDs solved for £80, never heard a better sound including the mega buck rigs at dealers and shows.

 

[JeffS7444]

I'm sorry...I don't even know what you mean by digital source. I was planning on turntable, receiver/amp and speakers. Sounds like I'll need more for great sound?

Depends. Are you specifically wanting a vintage-style setup? Because that’s what you are describing.

 

[Steven Holt]

My friend, things have changed A LOT since you were last into this hobby. NiagaraPete is correct, you will never get the detail and resolution in vinyl as compared to a digital source. But if you have records, I understand you want to play them. If I were you, why don't u buy the AT LP60 TT? Don't worry, it's cheap priced. Suit ya just fine. For the amp, buy the Yamaha AS501, good decent amp with a lot of controls and hook ups, pretty sure it has a sub out. For a DAC -- AND YOU'RE REALLY GONNA NEED ONE OF THESE NOWADAYS -- take a look at the Topping D10, D30, or E series. As for speakers, I'm going to defer to the other ASR members. Speakers are one of the most touchy subjects on this forum.

 

[ZolaIII]

I am getting boring with this I know but if you can catch a R-N803 Yamaha from some stock do it, that lefts you plenty money (as you aren't really that much on the budget folks who are [including me] would settle for Elac DBR62 250€ each [locally in Germany, around 700$ in US for a pair]) to search review index for suitable speakers. The uper mid AS Yamaha range is also nice if you really, really want solo amplifier. Really don't have a suggestion for a turnable (this day's I mostly locally stream my music).

 

[Willem]

I'm sorry...I don't even know what you mean by digital source

The first digital source was CD. These days it is mostly streaming from the likes of Spotify etc. or internet radio, where you extract the audio form the internet. Digital sources give you undistorted sound that covers the entire frequency range of human hearing, and a great dynamic range. And all of this is available for very little money, freeing budget for what matters: speakers and their in-room response. Streaming services like Spotify give you access to almost everything that was ever recorded, and all with the touch of a button. Similarly, internet radio gives you access to thousands and thousands of radio stations from all over the world, and in better quality than FM radio.

For a DAC -- AND YOU'RE REALLY GONNA NEED ONE OF THESE NOWADAYS

You don't even need one with the Yamaha AS 501 - it has it inbuilt.

 

[tiramisu]

great speakers good enough everything else and a hd music streaming service.
eq and dsp for the last 10%

 

[DVDdoug]

If you insist on a turntable I wouldn't go over $500 USD for the turntable, cartridge, and preamp. (You'll probably need a phono preamp because most modern receivers don't have phono inputs.) I wouldn't go too cheap either, but for a few hundred dollars you can get to the point where the record itself is the limiting factor. Or you can spend thousands and never match the sound quality of a $100 CD/DVD/Blu-Ray player.

If I was in the market for a turntable I'd seriously consider the AT LP120 USB. It's direct drive (no belts or drive wheels to wear out) and it comes ready-to-go with a cartridge and built-in preamp, plus it has USB if you want to digitize your records. (All USB turntables have a built-in preamp.)

Knowzy.com has lots of turntable reviews and recommendations (mostly related to digitizing vinyl).

...And if you do digitize your vinyl there is software for reducing the clicks & pops.

 

[IPunchCholla]

I'm sorry...I don't even know what you mean by digital source. I was planning on turntable, receiver/amp and speakers. Sounds like I'll need more for great sound?

Ok. If all you want is a way to play vinyl/radio that’s all you need. Speakers/room contribute far more to great sound than turntable/amp. So the first thing you are going to need to decide is passive vs active speakers. I would recommend taking a look at actives. Especially actives with built in DSP, particularly if you aren’t going to be using digital sources. Active speakers with DSP usually outperform their passive + amp counterparts significantly at any given price point. The DSP (digital signal processing) will match the speakers to your room, something you would need digital for otherwise. The Genelecs are a great recommendation.

If you do go active, it means skipping the receiver/amp and replacing it with a phono stage. So that would be Turntable->phono stage->active speakers. A vintage turntable in good working order is as good as a newer one, if not better, but the Audio Technica listed above is good. My Technics SL-QD33 cost $80. The Cambridge Audio Duo, is $220 and can’t be beat for the price. The rest of your budget would go to speakers.

But really the first thing to decide is the source(s) of material you want to listen to.

 

[Tangband]

Hi All,
New member. After raising my children I'm finally able to get back into wifi. I would love help in knowing what peices I should get. Fyi...I would rather go good used to save $ since I'm on a budget but want great clear sound.
My room is about 14' x 22' , wood floors and connected through an open large doorway to the kitchen on one end and another small (13'x12') room on the other end. I'm ok with either bookshelf or floor speakers. I'll need a turntable, receiver/amp and speakers to begin. I'll grow it from there. Budget is hopefully under $4k. I've listened to several incl paradigm founder 40b and 100f. It's hard to find them used (80f or 100f). I'm seeing that several of you really like the reveal's and I'm seeing them used at fair prices. I'm sure there are others I should consider. Please help me with what components I should get. Not to confuse things, but also contrast this new system with the buying a vintage system (for example: Marantz 2440, klipsch kg4.2 and a new or vintage turntable). Again, my main goal is to listen to clear beautiful sounds from vinal, old cd's and steaming from Playlist (know i would need a Bluetooth with vintage). Thank you for your help!!

Maybe this advice :

1. Buy active loudspeakers with inbuilt dac, amplifiers and dsp correction . Buy good loudspeakers stands. This would be maybe 3k dollars of your budget at 4k.

2. Use a laptop-Mac ( new or second hand thats less than three years old ) , Apple lossless and a good, cheap DDC as source ,with digital output . This source is good enough and better sounding than many budget streamers . Finnished.

3. I you wanna play vinyl, buy some secondhand active loudspeakers like Linn, a good preamp and a second hand Rega planar 2.

 

[Zek]

I was planning on turntable

Only if you have a large vinyl collection, otherwise it's not worth starting with this now.

 

[Suffolkhifinut]

If you insist on a turntable I wouldn't go over $500 USD for the turntable, cartridge, and preamp. (You'll probably need a phono preamp because most modern receivers don't have phono inputs.) I wouldn't go too cheap either, but for a few hundred dollars you can get to the point where the record itself is the limiting factor. Or you can spend thousands and never match the sound quality of a $100 CD/DVD/Blu-Ray player.

If I was in the market for a turntable I'd seriously consider the AT LP120 USB. It's direct drive (no belts or drive wheels to wear out) and it comes ready-to-go with a cartridge and built-in preamp, plus it has USB if you want to digitize your records. (All USB turntables have a built-in preamp.)

Knowzy.com has lots of turntable reviews and recommendations (mostly related to digitizing vinyl).

...And if you do digitize your vinyl there is software for reducing the clicks & pops.

Tried it and it was awful sounding, why digitise vinyl? Would think Tangband’s suggestions would yield a better sounding system.

 

[Steven Holt]

The first digital source was CD. These days it is mostly streaming from the likes of Spotify etc. or internet radio, where you extract the audio form the internet. Digital sources give you undistorted sound that covers the entire frequency range of human hearing, and a great dynamic range. And all of this is available for very little money, freeing budget for what matters: speakers and their in-room response. Streaming services like Spotify give you access to almost everything that was ever recorded, and all with the touch of a button. Similarly, internet radio gives you access to thousands and thousands of radio stations from all over the world, and in better quality than FM radio.

You don't even need one with the Yamaha AS 501 - it has it inbuilt.

Thank you for pointing this out

 

[Joe Smith]

Another positive note for the AT 120xUSB turntable. I don't use the built in preamp, upgraded to a the AT95 series microline stylus. No-auto return, it's all manual but if you want simple vinyl, no muss, no fuss and under $500, this is a good way to go. Be sure to get an integrated amp/preamp that has a decent phono circuit. Yes, digitizing vinyl is a pain but it's nice to have the USB capability if you ever had a rare disk that you really want to get into digital (via Audacity software). The table with the 95e cartridge can be had for about $230 and the microline stylus adds another $130 - $150.

Nice inexpensive DACs that are plug and play include the Schiit Modi and the JDS Labs Atom DAC II, both around $120.