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Help: ISO Beginner full setup for excellent sound on $2000 max budget

Overview: Brand new at this, looking for help purchasing beginner full setup of TT, Tube Amp, Speakers, Preamp that is aesthetically pleasing (i.e. minimalist, blends in as piece of furniture with plants), that sounds fantastic, and will stand up over the next 5-7 years, for $2000 max. I'm in search of the best sound, most aesthetically pleasing, and holds up longest overtime. If you could put together a beginner set of quality products for somebody about to enter their 30’s for xmas with a $2000 max budget, what would you include?


Hey y’all, I’m brand new to this and don’t want to jump down a huge rabbit hole, or spend countless hours contemplating decisions about these, not because I don’t have time, it’s just not good for me: I’m so bad at making decisions and I want somebody’s advice that I can trust. So, figured I’d start a dialogue:

I am looking for a simple setup with the following components for a small to midsized room:
- Turn Table (I like Rega, UTurn, and Pro-ject easthetics);
- Preamp (whatever pairs best with the entire setup);
- Speakers (what I think I should invest most in? - I like Omega Super 3 XRS Speakers); and
- Tube Amp (whatever pairs best with the entire setup - I like the Almarro a205a).

The most important aspects of these products are all:
- Durable (wanting to last a while and feel a little modern classic 6-7 years from now);
- Best sound for the price; and
- Aesthetically pleasing (this is important, it will be the center of my living room for the foreseeable future).

My music style: is mostly slower independent stuff: Sun Kil Moon, John Prine, Iron and Wine sounding stuff. Other than that I’ll mostly listen to Hip Hop, like J Dilla, or Rock, like Pearl Jam).

I’d love for it to be something that’s not jumping head first into this as a hobby, but something I can be proud of owning that I can play every day.

If you have any specifics please ask, I apologize for the length of this post, just figured I ’d try to be general enough so y’all could get an idea.
whyistherenopie

Showing 2 responses by br3098

br3098
969 posts
 
I think that you could put together a very good system for well under $2K, but it probably won't be tubes and it may not be the gear brands you specified.

You might look at a kit from Edwards Audio. They are a UK company that makes turntables, integrated amps and speakers. All their stuff is made in the UK and is quite good for the money. Their turntables are based on Rega design and use most use Rega tonearms but they tend to offer more/better features than Rega at the same price point. Edwards Audio is also a primary subcontractor for Rega.

br3098
969 posts
 
So if I read Doug's post correctly, it seems that he is not fond of Omega speakers. But I'm not quite sure as Doug's critique was quite subtle...

Although I recommended something different I would like to take a few seconds to rebut: it's true that Omega speakers, like almost every high-efficiency speaker, are not to everyone's taste just as low powered SET amps are not everyone's cup of tea. But I take exception to some of Doug's specific remarks that seem to imply that you are naive, clueless or just plain stupid if you don't accept what Doug considers to be good sound and proper audio design parameters.

Namely:
1- pretty speaker. Where's the problem here?
2- cabinet coloration. Yes, it's intentional and part of the design. There are many speakers that use resonant cabinets (Snell/Audio Note, Klipsch Heritage, virtually every Altec Lansing design, to name a few)
3- can't play at higher listening levels (repeated as don't play real loud). Well, my Omega Alnico 6s played plenty loud (92dB+) with my 5W SE EL34 amp in my 17x26 living room.
4- dynamically limited/bass very weak.Well, I guess that will depend on your needs and perspective. My Omegas 6s have taut, well-defined bass down to about 46 Hz. I didn't want more for years but when I did I paired small REL subwoofers. This worked very well for me.

My point is not that Omega is the best speaker. It's not. There is no best speaker for all ears, all music, all gear or all rooms. You need to decide what's best for you by listening, not magazine reviews or Audiogon opinions (even mine!). Yes, you have a challenge based on your price limit but it's doable. My suggestion is to look, then LISTEN and have fun while doing it.

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