You will get tons of recommendations and opinions. IF it was me, I would look for a used Luxman 509x integrated amp (just replaced with the 509z) and a used pair of Harbeth speakers suited to your room, ears and total budget. You could do much worse. Good luck! Enjoy the hunt.
Struggling in choosing Bookshelf Speakers and Amp for a Luxman PD-151 M2! Please help.
Basically have my heart set on a Luxman PD-151 Mark II (which is already on the way) paired with a MC low output Hana cartridge. I have a huge music collection but a very very subpar “system” that I have been using for about 8 years now.
While I find the Luxman/Hana to be an excellent pairing which I still think of often after I heard it a year or so ago, I’m struggling in finding a Phono/Pre-Amp/Speakers which go along with this specific pairing. I’m leaning towards Passive Speakers and preferably an Integrated Amp for my space as it suits my needs and current space limitations (as of now, I’m not planning to upgrade for maybe 4-6 years or more to separate phonos and pre-amps and standing speakers and the whole gimmick since I don’t have the room.)
Our area does not have any audio stores or dealers whatsoever and this forum is the next best thing in this department. Budget isn’t an issue as long as it doesn’t exceed the $9000 mark but would be better if we could go a lower and I don’t mind and actually prefer if I can find them used. Primary genres are Metal/Shoegaze/Jazz. How would you personally go about setting up such a thing? What other accessories do you recommend? Please help!
More info:
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Located in Qatar. We do have a verified Yamaha reseller as well as your typical tech stores like FNAC/Virgin here but everyone agrees that local stores in the gulf are inflating all the prices to an absurd extent.
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Pretty small space for the setup but what makes it big is that there aren’t closed doors/hallways between different parts of my space. Kind of like a studio, around 10 meters x 5 meters in the specific area of my setup?? Doesn’t have space for many components though.
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There wont be any music source connected to the Amp other than the turntable. Would appreciate if there's a possibility for a headphone jack.
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No thin walls and no disturbance to be concerned about.
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@stuartbmw3 +1 Outstanding recommendation! |
I agree with the recommendation on a used Luxman integrated amp. I would pair it with the Revival Atalante 3 or 5 depending on how they fit in your room and budget. I owned Harbeth Compact 7 speakers, they were not my cup of tea, but they might be yours. I have heard a couple of the Luxman SS integrated amps with the Revival speakers and I thought they were an excellent match.
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Love your reccomendation! I’ve been eyeing the Luxman amps for quite some time but it has yet to reach the price level I really want since I want to invest more on the speakers. Another one I’ve been also considering is the Marantz 1122dc or even a Pioneer.
I’ve also been heavily considering going down the seperates route (Phono Pre-Amp + Amp), what would you recommend in that case? I’ve been thinking of getting the Cambridge Alva Duo + a vintage higher end amp maybe since I can always upgrade and mix and match in the future if I go for seperates.
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Keep in mind, what you heard/remember was primarily the speakers, in that space. IF you limit your speakers to efficient ones, then any low power tube integrated will work (and work wherever you move it to in the future, think long). This Little Luxman Tube Integrated has the simplicity of both MM and MC Phono built in. I use both cartridge types in here. MC input: 0.33mv/100 ohm (good for hana?). Has headphone jack (never listened to mine, reviews mention it’s sound?) It has been around enough years now that the used price has come down since I bought mine for my office. Goal was tubes, remote volume, not too much heat. Wonderful! Luxman SQ-N150 $1,950, says mint
I play true bookshelf AR-2ax (fit in/on a bookshelf/no port), spl 90, not enough volume for your space, I would look for spl 93 or more.
remote power (not on the Luxman remote) I discovered, the Luxman's spring loaded power button can stay pushed in, which I do, and get remote power via my Chase Remote Line Controller (all it does here), and remote volume/mute via the Luxman remote control. Mute's important in an office. |