Sound bottlenecks: Cartridge-Amp-Speakers

Dkzzzz, you are dreaming in colour if you think you will find speakers with flat response from 20Hz to 50kHz at the price you mention.

Even if a manufacturer claimed 20Hz to 50kHz in a spec sheet, with no qualifying parameters (+/- 3dB, for example), it would only be meaningless bafflegab.

In the real world, a speaker with flat response +/- 3dB from 40 to 20KHz is exceptional enough. However that spec tells you almost nothing about what it sounds like in a store, and less about what it sounds like in your system.

Your question shows you need to educate both your mind and your ears.

For the ears, go talk to some dealers. Tell them what you want and ask to listen to some speakers in your price range. Take notes on how the music sounds.

For your mind, there are a couple of good books here. Start with the one at the top.

http://www.uhfmag.com/Books.html

Tobias hit it on the head. You seem to be into specs and not sound. My 1st speakers were rated 20 - 20khz (BIC formula 4) and cost a whopping 219.00 pair in 1976. In 92 I replaced them with $800 Mission/Cyrus 782 monitors rated 70 - 20khz +/- 1.5db -6db at 50hz. Everyone who listened to the Cyrus thought they had more bass but what they heard was a clear bass - mid range - and high end. Granted I did eventually add a sub which got the sound I really wanted. I still have them today and love them. When the day comes for replacements so far I really like the Sonus-Faber Cremora's or maybe the auditors.

So I would look at new speakers first then an amp when the $$$ permit.

I suspected there is more to speakers than just frequency range.
I guess I just have to buy Sonus Faber on ebay and live with it. Since I have never heard any other speaker that I liked better (Polk, B&W, Boston Ac.etc)

Any suggestion for good solid state amp?

Adding a subwoofer to you existing system will get you closer to what you seek within your budget. As said earlier, no full range in your price range is going to actually produce the specs that you quote.

OTOH, the used Sonus speakers will likely be way more muscial than your current system or your current system with a subwoofer added. I think that's the best course. Not far down the road you'll want to upgrade your amp.

Any phono stage will have RIAA equalization, otherwise it wouldn't be called a phono stage, so don't worry about that.

Dave

I guess I just have to buy Sonus Faber on ebay and live with it.

ROFL!

I would shed a tear for you, but speakers by Sonus Faber shouldn't be too hard to live with.

If they're what you've never heard better than, you still have a decent set of ears.

Follow up question about my Yamaha bookshelf speakers (2 drivers, Servo technology and one exhaust port).
Why is that when I watch DVDs my little speakers sound great. Many people were very surprised with they " movie theater like sound) with very little distortion. Why do they sound good with digital source and sound kind of dull and "from another room" with my analog LP source?
I do not think I am imagining things I think they do have Jekyll and Hyde personality.

Have you listened to Vandersteens?

It's hard to tell (about your little Yammies) without hearing them. Still, IME home theatre sound is a different thing, with a different purpose, from home audio.

The detail and refinement I get from my main setup is not unwelcome in HT but it's not the point. HT sound is not meant to be the main attraction. It backs up a constantly changing image and is about slam, dynamics and vocal intelligibility. IMHO it doesn't require the resolution of top-notch audio and mostly the gear is not built to provide it.

That doesn't mean many folks can't be happy listening to HT gear. It depends on what satisfies them.

Like my Ohms, the mini walshes are in that range. They give a great sound.