Vinyl Records & Set ups!

[D.o.S.]

[Josh Pelican]

Not familiar, but looks really nice. I love 6sn7 tubes, and it has a volume attenuator so you wouldn't need a preamp right a way....just swap I/c cables when you change sources. Just make sure the amp is designed to drive your particular speakers.

I was just talking to the dude who built my speakers and this is what he said.

"Pretty sure they're 8 ohm, max wattage of 80-100." He also recommends tubes and pre/power amps. He likes dual monos with 400 watts per side.

[Psyre]

anyone ever check out the hifi horn speakers that Specimen makes? When I saw the shop in Chicago it was the cleanest sound I have ever heard from a vinyl.



Also make amps and pre's.

[Uncle Grandfather]

Not familiar, but looks really nice. I love 6sn7 tubes, and it has a volume attenuator so you wouldn't need a preamp right a way....just swap I/c cables when you change sources. Just make sure the amp is designed to drive your particular speakers.

I was just talking to the dude who built my speakers and this is what he said.

"Pretty sure they're 8 ohm, max wattage of 80-100." He also recommends tubes and pre/power amps. He likes dual monos with 400 watts per side.

I've found best success following the designer of my speakers advice, right down to using the same soure and cabling he used in the design and voicing of the speakers.

[Josh Pelican]

Not familiar, but looks really nice. I love 6sn7 tubes, and it has a volume attenuator so you wouldn't need a preamp right a way....just swap I/c cables when you change sources. Just make sure the amp is designed to drive your particular speakers.

I was just talking to the dude who built my speakers and this is what he said.

"Pretty sure they're 8 ohm, max wattage of 80-100." He also recommends tubes and pre/power amps. He likes dual monos with 400 watts per side.

I've found best success following the designer of my speakers advice, right down to using the same soure and cabling he used in the design and voicing of the speakers.

Good point. That should help me eliminate a few choices.

anyone ever check out the hifi horn speakers that Specimen makes? When I saw the shop in Chicago it was the cleanest sound I have ever heard from a vinyl.



Also make amps and pre's.

Guh.

[Josh Pelican]

Man, I'd really like an Audio Research SP11 pre-amp and the VS110 (or VSi60) power amp.

My birthday is in September. Some start saving and find that shit for me.

[Butch1970]

My foray back into vinyl began innocently enough (I grew up with the stuff). I was living in a small condo and decided i wanted a vinyl-only bedroom system. After a couple of false starts with some TT's, I picked up a Marantz/Clearaudio TT plugged into Musical Fidelity X-Can phono stage and headphone amp, driving a pair of Sennheiser HD-650 headphones. This kept me quite happy for a while.....then the sickness began! Vinyl......tubes......planar speakers....etc.....

I currently have a hot-rodded SL-1200 hooked up, but also have a Thorens TD-124 and an 80's Linn Sondek waiting to be put back into service (laziness) . There are a number of really nice older TT's out there (Thorens, AR, etc....) that with some TLC can sound better than most of the entry-level stuff available today. Also, a lot of older integrated amps built before the CD age have a very good built-in phono preamp.

If it's in the budget/space constraints of someone just getting into this hobby, I strongly recommend getting some type of wall shelf (Target) to isolate the turntable. I've also heard good things about using a Lack table from Ikea and adding some floor spikes to the feet.

I learned a lot over the years at vinylasylum (www.audioasylum.com) and Audiogon.

Lots of vinyl can be picked up at yard sales. If buying from Ebay or a used record shop, having a copy of the Goldmine Book of Record Values is really helpful. For new vinyl, I've had good luck with Soundstagedirect, Acoustic Sounds, Music Direct and Elusive Disc.

[Psyre]

On old tuners (I have a Fisher MC-620) would a speaker upgrade improve sound? It sounds fine but would a speaker upgrade even help or on lower end systems do I need a complete upgrade for that next level of audiophilia?

[Uncle Grandfather]

On old tuners (I have a Fisher MC-620) would a speaker upgrade improve sound? It sounds fine but would a speaker upgrade even help or on lower end systems do I need a complete upgrade for that next level of audiophilia?

Garbage in, garbage out. I've found.

[Psyre]

So uhhh what is the beginnings of non garbage...

[Uncle Grandfather]

So uhhh what is the beginnings of non garbage...

Good question. I don't know, just depends on how deep into the rabbit hole you want to go. If you get high fidelity speakers they will let you hear how your downstream components really sound, which could be good or bad. If you get a high end turntable but your upstream components are not up to snuff, you'll never hear what your source is capable of. But i still think, if you're not planning on upgrading the rest of your set up, you might find upgrading your source a better option. Best case scenario is to demo at home in your current set up before purchasing.

[Psyre]

So I can run a better TT into the MC?

My ideal upgrade right now would be along the lines of
Denon PMA520AE
Q Acoustics 2020i
Older Technics SL or Pioneer PL until I can afford a Carbon (if it's worth going up to from what I find)
Maybe a Sansui 838

[rustywire]

It's true about "garbage in, garbage out" which can be rephrased as "you cant polish a turd"
THE FISHER gear (US-made) is not garbage. Once the brand was sold to be manufactured overseas it became FISHER. And lackluster.
Not long after came the "all-in-one solid state" units (like the MC-620) that began popping up from different manufacturers emphasizing convenience over quality and costs were cut everywhere possible.

It's a pretty typical capitalist story. Upstart craftsman with vision builds a brand of handmade goods with product integrity/innovation that garners a storied & trusted reputation; the brand is then sold to a new parent company who proceeds to "redesign" the products and mass produce them as cheaply as possible, snaring customers based on the once-storied name which still carries a premium price tag. Fender guitars/CBS, anyone?

All electronics are not created equal, all users are not created equal. "Garbage" is fairly subjective when describing sound.
It is not nearly as subjective when comparing "cheap" electronic solutions with premium ones. Workmanship is also deterministic.

Anyway, a series of specialized/individual components that each do 1 thing well, unilaterally outperform integrated all-in-one systems.

But there are some really kickass integrated tube amps from the golden age of HiFi, that combined the specialized/individual ethos on a single chassis. Made back when consumer products classified as "durable goods" were actually durable. They could be serviced and survive for decades. THE FISHER x100 I have is from 1962 and still sounds full of life, able to outperform modern *cutting edge* stereos in terms of pure SQ. But that makes a lousy long term business model for the manufacturer...which is why we now live in a disposable society. Where repair costs often approach retail prices for new units.

If you build durable goods to a very high standard, the customer doesn't repurchase your product every several years. Just the parts designed to keep it running.
But if you can build something that fails shortly after the manufacturers (laughable) warranty expires...cha-ching. Repeat customer many times over, keeping the turd purveyors in business and living large. Rinse, lather, repeat.



Also, there is really no reason to drop luxury car/house prices on home audio gear...especially if you're just getting into it.
See what kind of results you can achieve starting with a budget of $3000; who knows you may even prefer the sound of middle-of-the-road that gets you 90% there.
And remember, snake-oil salesmen follow the money. An audiophool and his money are soon parted, chasing those elusive upper percentage points...

[Psyre]

$3,000 would be nice but thats about as much as I have into my guitar rig lol and as a striving to be debt free college student I was hoping to scour flea markets and such with a <$500 budget.

[rustywire]

Yeah I hear ya. $500 doesnt go very far anymore with this stuff...keep in mind THE FISHER receivers from their golden age cost that new...in 1960s dollars.
That's something like $1500 or so in today's money.

$500 can get you some decent gear, but you're going to need to do your research and hunt for deals on the secondhand market.
Integrated amp/receiver, bookshelf speakers, turntable & cartridge.

With 3k one can devote a grand to each of those 3(4 actually) primary needs. Plus you'll need cables...

While you work toward that, check out pawn shops, thrift stores & flea markets. Good luck